Fountain Court

Practice Areas

Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution

Members’ expertise as advisors and advocates is applied in a variety of fora, including international commercial arbitration and alternative dispute resolution and mediation. Members’ experience in each area is extensive (whether representing or advising in relation to arbitrations and mediations, or as arbitrators or mediators under the various arbitral and ADR regimes), and is complemented by their skills in litigation relating to arbitration, and litigation in which mediation is an integral part. The range of subject-matters covered is extensive, and is set out below in relation to each aspect of the work undertaken by members:

Arbitration

Members have substantial experience of acting in arbitrations of disputes in a wide range of commercial contracts (including energy, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, product liability and telecommunications), as well as asbestos-related liabilities, aviation, insurance and reinsurance and sports (including cricket, Formula 1, Premiership and Football Association).

Members are familiar with all the various arbitral regimes, including those conducted under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration, UNCITRAL and the City Disputes Panel, as well as ad hoc references.

Litigation about arbitrations

Members have wide experience of dealing with all types of disputes relating to arbitrations themselves, such as the construction and validity of arbitration agreements, the conduct of arbitrations, the removal of arbitrators, the granting of interim remedies, the enforcement of awards and appeals. Although there is less scope than in the past for appeal against arbitral awards, there is still a significant supervisory jurisdiction, and members have been involved in important cases such as Weissfisch v Julius and Econet Wireless Ltd v Vee Networks Ltd.

Arbitrators

Numerous senior members of Chambers accept appointments as arbitrators, including the following:

Sir Henry Brooke
Peter Scott QC
Anthony Boswood QC
Michael Lerego QC
David Railton QC
Stephen Moriarty QC
Simon Browne-Wilkinson QC
Bankim Thanki QC
Patricia Robertson QC
Timothy Howe QC

Mediation

Members’ substantial experience of mediation is deployed at various stages of the litigation process and across the wide range of commercial cases undertaken by Chambers, including (to give only a few examples) settlements of complex multi-party litigation (like the settlement of the dispute concerning British and Commonwealth's acquisition of Atlantic Computers and the Hollywood 4 and 5 film finance litigation); high-value claims in the Technology and Construction Court; group litigation concerning pharmaceutical products and in relation to financial services.

Many members are CEDR qualified:

Our Publications in this Practice Area

Private International Law of Reinsurance and Insurance