As the Global Pound Conference Series 2016-17 draws to a close, it is time to take stock and consider how both the data analysis and conversations from each event might inform the future of Dispute Resolution.
As an academic, I am wary to avoid drawing conclusions before the final analysis is complete; but as contributor to the series from design to data analysis , I would like to share some of the themes I see emerging from this ambitious project.
On October 29, 2014, 150 of us, representing many stakeholder groups from more than 20 countries, attended an important convention held in London’s beautiful Guildhall. Called ‘Shaping the Future of International Dispute Resolution’ the convention was inspired by the energetic and far-sighted Michael Leathes and was organised by the International Mediation Institute (IMI), which he pioneered and several other bodies. Read more
Last week’s London event marked the grand finale of the GPC Series, which has taken place on six continents and 29 cities since April 2016, collecting groundbreaking data on the behaviour and perceptions of stakeholders in dispute resolution across the globe. Taking place in the historical Guildhall building, built upon centuries of ‘dispute resolution’ above the Roman amphitheatre – where conflict was perhaps resolved in a more brutal way than today.
The event began with an introduction by online dispute resolution advocate Lord Justice Briggs, who has consistently pushed for technological reforms in the courts of England and Wales, especially in regards to resolving disputes. In addition Dr Andrew Parmley, Lord Mayor of London (Mayor of the City of London), gave a moving speech on London’s rich multicultural history – stating that London will remain a global city and an international hub for the legal community undeterred by Brexit.
Michael McIlwrath, Global Chief Litigation Counsel for GE Oil & Gas opened his recent article An Unamicable Separation: Brexit Consequences for London as a Premier Seat of International Dispute Resolution in Europe with the following quote, attributed to the most prolific of all authors, ‘unknown’:
“I try not to think of divorce as failing at marriage but rather winning at bitterness and resentment.” Read more
Reading the headlines, Brexit-ing Britain may appear a hostile place – the public, we are told, favours being told the number of foreigners being employed by companies in Britain, and academics at the London School of Economics find that they are debarred from giving their non-British opinion on Brexit, lest, one assumes, they steal bread from the mouths of native political scientists.
It would be careless, therefore, for lawyers not to ask what impact Brexit would have on the UK as a seat of arbitration. As it stands, the UK- or more specifically, London – is clearly an attractive seat for arbitration proceedings, being the home of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the London Court of International Arbitration, and the London Maritime Arbitrators Association. Read more
This series of conferences spanning the globe, explores and raises awareness about a whole palette of tools for the resolution of disputes among nations and businesses. These conflict resolution tools are particularly suited for resolving cross-border conflicts, most commonly between commercial entities, states and private parties.
The Global Pound Conference Series (GPC Series) is a series of conferences in different locations around the globe, which will help to shape the future direction of alternative dispute resolution tools.
Inviting input and participation from business leaders, policy makers, legal experts and academics, the conference series brings these questions and challenges to major cities around the world thus making it a truly international series of events and sparking a global conversation about the way cross-border business transactions are made.
