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State Courts' Court Dispute Resolution Cluster
About the State Courts' Court Dispute Resolution Cluster
The State Courts encourage all parties in civil cases, criminal cases and community disputes to explore alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options before going to trial.
The Court Dispute Resolution Cluster (CDRC) provides the following options:
- Mediation.
- Conciliation.
- Neutral evaluation.
The courts may refer you and the other party for ADR or you may request for it at any time during a case.
If your case is heard at the CDRC, you will go through a judge-driven court dispute resolution (CDR) process that gives you the opportunity to resolve your dispute faster and more economically than through a trial.
- Civil claims in the Magistrate's Court or District Court.
- Personal injury or non-injury motor accident (PIMA or NIMA) claims.
- These will automatically be referred for neutral evaluation. Refer to Paragraph 39 of the State Courts Practice Directions for more information.
- Complaints under the Community Disputes Resolution Act or Protection from Harassment Act.
- Magistrate's Complaints and private prosecutions.
- These may be referred for mediation. Refer to the guide for mediation for the complainant or respondent for more information.
- These may be referred for mediation. Refer to the guide for mediation for the complainant or respondent for more information.
Judge-led approach
Judges lead the dispute resolution process at the CDRC.
This means you can tap the expertise of the judges, who can:
- Facilitate discussions between you and the other party.
- (For conciliation) Suggest possible solutions to help you resolve your dispute.
- (For neutral evaluation) Provide a realistic assessment of the strengths of the case should it proceed to trial.
Request for dispute resolution
If you do not have a lawyer and wish to request for dispute resolution, refer to the respective pages:
Estimated fees for dispute resolution
There are no fees for dispute resolution by the CDRC except for District Court cases where each party needs to pay $250.
Refer to this table for the exceptions and details:
Type of case | Cost of CDRC dispute resolution |
|---|---|
All Magistrate's Court cases | Free |
District Court cases:
| Free |
All other District Court cases | Each party pays $250 |
Other cases not mentioned above (such as Community Courts and Tribunals cases or Magistrate's Complaints) | Free |
How long dispute resolution takes
A dispute may be resolved after 1 to 3 sessions of ADR. Each session typically lasts about 3 hours, but more complex sessions may require a day.
The duration and number of sessions may vary depending on the complexity of the case and the parties' attitudes. Some cases may even reach a settlement within half a day.
Before your dispute resolution session
The CDRC will inform you of the details of your session through a notice by post.
The session may be conducted in one of the following ways:
- Online via a video conference session.
- In person at the Court Dispute Resolution Chambers (CDRC).
- Visit the CDRC at Level 5 of the State Courts.
Video conference sessions
If your session is scheduled to be conducted remotely through video conference, refer to the Guide to virtual court sessions.
What happens during dispute resolution
Refer to the respective pages:
Need help?
The information here is for general guidance as the courts do not provide legal advice. If you need further help, you may want to get independent legal advice.
Find out moreResources
For Magistrate's Complaints and cases that are filed in the Protection from Harassment Court or the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals, refer to the brochure on:
- Mediation for the Complainant and Respondent (English) (PDF, 336 KB)
- Mediation for the Complainant and Respondent (Chinese) (PDF, 358 KB)
- Mediation for the Complainant and Respondent (Malay) (PDF, 270 KB)
- Mediation for the Complainant and Respondent (Tamil) (PDF, 255 KB)
- For matters that the Rules of Court 2014 apply to, refer to Part VI of the State Courts Practice Directions 2014.
- For matters that the Rules of Court 2021 applies to, refer to Part VI of the State Courts Practice Directions 2021.
- If you are uncertain as to which version of the Rules of Court applies to your matter, click here.
Related questions
You may refer to the letter you received from the Court Dispute Resolution Cluster (CDRC) informing you of the details of the session or the hearing list.
If you cannot attend your session on the scheduled date and have valid reasons, you should file a request to the court for another date. You will need to provide supporting documents, such as a medical certificate or overseas itinerary.
For civil cases, you need to first seek the other party's consent to reschedule the court date. If they agree, you may file a Request for Re-fixing/Vacation of Hearing Dates through eLitigation . Indicate that you have obtained the other party's consent and include the dates when both parties will not be available to attend court.
For mediation for Magistrate's Complaints, send an email to the Court Dispute Resolution Cluster (CDRC) at sc_cdr@judiciary.gov.sg with your request. State the reason for rescheduling the case and provide supporting documents. You do not need to obtain the other party's consent.
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