From Tariffs to Tribunals:
Managing Risk in an Era of Trade Volatility

Thursday, 16 April 2026 | 10:30am – 1:30pm (Singapore Time)
Venue: Marina One West Tower — 9 Straits View, Level 3, Singapore 018937

Global trade has entered a new phase of structural volatility, driven by three converging dynamics:

1. Reassertion of tariffs as primary policy tools
2. Expansion of unilateral investigations (especially Section 301)
3. Rising recourse to legal adjudication (courts, WTO substitutes, arbitration)

In recent months, the US Supreme Court invalidated certain emergency tariffs (IEEPA-based), forcing a pivot. In response, the administration introduced a 15% global tariff (Section 122). A clear implication is that tariffs are no longer ad hoc. They are being embedded into a long-term legal framework. As a reflection of this, the US has expanded its use of Section 301 investigations as a more legally robust mechanism to justify and extend trade actions, targeting issues such as overcapacity and forced labour across multiple jurisdictions.

The result is a more predictable but also more entrenched tariff environment, with wider product coverage, reduced flexibility for exemptions, and increased cost pressures across global value chains. These developments have significantly disrupted established supply chains, forcing businesses to accelerate diversification strategies, reconfigure sourcing, and absorb higher operating costs in exchange for greater resilience.

Against this backdrop, this session will examine the practical challenges businesses now face from tariff exposure and compliance burdens to supply chain redesign, explore strategies to mitigate these risks, and consider the growing role of disputes, including administrative challenges, litigation, and trade tribunal processes, as companies navigate an increasingly contested global trading system.

Our aim is to deal with the risks that have come about and create a strategic playbook to work through and manage the trade volatility. Our approach is practical and provide you with takeaways to manage and deal with issues.

IMPORTANT - We are no longer managing tariffs as isolated shocks—we are managing a system where tariffs, investigations, and tribunals form an integrated architecture of economic statecraft.

We have specially invited a market expert, Elizabeth Chelliah, International Trade Consultant, Singapore Business Federation, to share practical trade and market insights alongside our legal perspectives. Together, the panel will help you navigate current uncertainty, make informed commercial decisions and minimise dispute exposure in a rapidly shifting global trade environment.