Matthew Draper presented today on issue conflict in the appointment of arbitrators in international arbitration. Matthew participated in an Oxford Union style debate hosted by the New York University's International Arbitration Association and moderated by professors Franco Ferrari and Luca Radicati di Brozolo.
The problem of lawyers having previously expressed opinions on points of law that will likely directly affect the outcome of an arbitration to which they are appointed as an arbitrator is a small but growing concern in international arbitration, particularly in ICSID arbitrations involving States.
Another topic addressed by the panelists was the role of secretaries to international arbitration tribunals.
Also presenting were: Thomas Childs (King & Spalding), Andreas Frischknecht (Chaffetz Lindsey), Giovanna Micheli (ICDR), Lee Rovinescu (Freshfields), Samaa Haridi (Hogan Lovells), and Derek Soller (Baker McKenzie).