Sala sihombing
Member
My professional life is focused on working with people who seek to resolve their disputes in a constructive and respectful way. My mediation practice is based on a belief that all people have resources within themselves to resolve the disputes they face. More than that I believe that people are capable of taking responsibility for their disputes and working to resolve them in constructive ways.
I work primarily as a full time family accredited mediator (HKMAAL) and general accredited mediator (HKIAC, and HKMAAL), NMAS (Australia), FINRA (USA) and CEDR) and conflict management coach. I am also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).
For 18 years, my work centred on problem solving, reducing risk and seeking ways to turn issues into opportunities. My background as a solicitor and in investment banking has been invaluable to me in understanding how conflict can create chaos , destroy relationships and limit outcomes.
I realise how few innate skills I had when I entered the workforce over 20 years ago. Reflecting now I can see how useful mediation skills and knowledge would have been to me in trying to navigate through my own personal, workplace and business conflicts. My experience at the Straus Institute completing my LLM was transformational and marked the beginning of a journey. Since those early steps, I have completed family mediation training in Hong Kong and Australia, worked as an apprentice with Robyn Hooworth in Hong Kong and continued to develop and deepen my learning and skills.
As an adjunct lecturer in the LLM programme at HKU, I have the opportunity to work with students committed to starting their ADR journey as I teach ADR, family mediation and financial dispute resolution. I am a member of the Organising Committee for the Children's Issues Forum which works to encourage multi-disciplinary dialogue and approaches to the issues confronting children in Hong Kong.
QUALIFICATIONS
LLB (Hons) University of Bristol, UK (1992)
Law Society Finals, College of Law London (1993)
Admission as a solicitor (England and Wales 1995) (Hong Kong 1996)
MCIArb (2013)
LLM Dispute Resolution, Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University, USA (2012)
Graduate Diploma - Family Dispute Resolution, Australia (2017)
Member, HKIAC Panel of Arbitrators for Financial Services Disputes
PUBLICATIONS
Co-author of Mediation in Hong Kong (CCH Wolters Kluwer, 2014)(2nd edition due 2019)
Author of the Annotated Mediation Ordinance (Lexis Nexis 2014)
Co-editor of Reforming Hong Kong's Child & Family Justice System (Chinese University Press, 2016)
Writer of chapter in The International Survey of Family Law 2018 (Intersentia, 2018)