Attend a civil case conference (from 1 April 2022)

At your case conference in the General Division of the High Court

To assist the parties in conceptualising the roadmap of their case, the parties will be required to complete a Pre-Case Conference Questionnaire (PCQ) (Form 6 of Appendix B of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021) before the first Registrar’s case conference (CC). The purpose of the template is to help the parties to focus on the key issues and identify the points of agreement. The registrar will discuss with the parties the issues raised in the PCQ and if necessary, the questionnaire can be updated for discussion at subsequent CCs. The PCQ will deal with matters such as:

• Service of process.
• Jurisdiction challenges.
• Nature of the claim, key facts and issues.
• Settlement and alternative dispute resolution.
• Filing of affidavit of evidence in chief before production.
• Summary judgment or striking out.
• Preliminary applications before Single Application Pending Trial.
• Confidentiality orders.

The matters to be discussed at a CC are set out in the PCQ. Sample matters to be discussed may be selected from the PCQ.

In general, the court may consider the following at a CC:

• Seek an update on the status of an action.
• Monitor the progress of your case.
• Give necessary directions for the just, quick and economical resolution of the civil case.
• Consider the possibility of settlement of all or any of the issues in the civil case or proceedings.

Attendance at CC

You or your lawyer (if any) must attend the CC. If you filed the claim (the plaintiff) and you or your lawyer (if any) do not attend, the court may dismiss your claim or make any other order as the court thinks fit.

If you are represented by a lawyer, the CC should be attended by lead counsel or a lawyer who is familiar with the case and has sufficient authority to make decisions. Otherwise, the court may stand down or adjourn the CC until a lawyer who has sufficient knowledge and authority is present.

When to attend

The CC is to be held:

• 8 weeks after the OC or originating application (OA) is issued, where the defendant is to be served in Singapore.
• 12 weeks after the OC or OC is issued, where the OC or OA is to be served out of Singapore.

A CC can be held earlier or later than the time stated above on the court’s own accord or at the request of a party. 

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