Dear SCL(S) members,

The people have spoken and the SCL(S) Council for 2018-2020 have been elected. The campaigns were hard fought and the election promises came fast and furious. Pledges of more craft beer to be served at SCL social events were countered by pledges of a Singapore protocol on delay. The dust has settled and I am happy with the outcome. The majority are people I have worked with in the previous council and I can attest to their work ethic and their commitment. The new appointees are Kelvin Teo and Adrian Wong who I am certain will contribute significantly. Under the leadership of Toh Chen Han, I expect that the Council will build on the good work done by the previous council under Alex Wong’s leadership.

This newsletter also comes at a significant time. The Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act has been amended. To that end, we are pleased to have an article from Joanna Seetoh and Chan Yong Neng of Pinsent Masons MPillay LLP enlightening us on the amendments. The article is extensive and exceedingly helpful in its survey on the changes to the Act. Construction lawyers and anyone else who rely on the Act would definitely find this article a useful guide to navigating the technical intricacies of the amendments.

We are also fortunate that we have another enriching article to read in this newsletter. This one is a piece by Sean Hardy and Justin Ee of Pinsent Masons MPillay LLP on the recent case of Lee Tat Development Pte Ltd v Management Corporation Strata Title Plan No.31 [2018] SGCA 50. This Court of Appeal decision looked at the esoteric torts of abuse of process and malicious prosecution in a long-running dispute between a developer and a management corporation. The article by Sean and Justin is a tantalising read and is a welcome change to the usual articles on variations, adjudication, delays etc.

I am pleased with the content that we have for this newsletter and look forward to working with my fellow co-editor, Kelvin Teo, on getting more interesting content out in future newsletters for all of you to digest and enjoy. Take care and see everyone soon at the next SCL(S) event!