The last 20 years has seen huge growth in cross-border trade, infrastructure projects and large-scale financial transactions towards the East. Parties to such transactions inevitably have to consider the mechanism for resolving any disputes which may arise.
In the past, many of such disputes have been referred to the Courts or arbitration in London. However, this tradition is now being challenged by other dispute resolution centres in Asia - noticeably Singapore and Hong Kong.
Will this challenge be maintained? Are these new centres meeting the requirements and expectations of the international community? What are the problems? And, more importantly, what are the solutions?
The 2017 lecture considers these “worldly” developments and specifically the prospects for international arbitration in the region.
The transcript of the 2017 IA Lecture speech can be found here.
The handout accompanying the 2017 IA Lecture can be found here.
International Arbitrator, Essex Court Chambers, London
International Judge, Singapore International Commercial Court
Bernard Eder is an international arbitrator/mediator based at Essex Court Chambers, London.
He previously practised as a barrister for almost 35 years – between 1976 and 2010 – specialising in commercial litigation and international arbitration. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1991. During his practice at the English Bar, he acted as Counsel in over 100 reported cases (including in the Commercial Court, the Court of Appeal, the House of Lords and the Privy Council) and over 200 international arbitrations.
In 2011, he was appointed a Judge of the High Court of England and Wales. He resigned from the Bench in April 2015. During that time, he sat mainly in the Commercial Court in London where he presided over a number of high-profile trials.
In 2015, he was appointed an International Judge at the Singapore International Commercial Court. In 2016, he sat as an Acting Judge in the Commercial Court in the BVI.
He is currently Chair of ARIAS(UK).