Arbitration

The service is first class. A welcoming atmosphere is created from the first minute a client walks in the door.

Chambers & Partners, 2011

Arbitration features regularly in the Disputes Team’s practice.

Often, it will have been prompted by an arbitration clause in a commercial contract. Alternatively, you might have decided it is a more attractive means of resolving a dispute than litigation in the High Court or another jurisdiction, as arbitral proceedings can offer greater finality and the decisions are less accessible to the public. Arbitration can also be quicker and the procedures can be tailored to the requirements of the dispute.

We will always consider what is the best forum to hear your dispute, and our extensive experience of arbitrations in a number of specialist forums (for example, the LCIA and ICC) means that we are well placed to advise you about the advantages and disadvantages of the arbitral process. We are equally comfortable then with conducting the arbitration proceedings on your behalf, whether you are a claimant or a defendant, and use our expertise in this field to deliver clear, strategic advice.

Although arbitration is itself a form of alternative dispute resolution, we know that negotiation can offer a more rapid solution and, in so doing, give rise to a substantial costs saving. For this reason, our tactical advice about how to optimise your position in the arbitration will always be coupled with practical advice about the possibility of reaching an early amicable settlement.