When parties specify that the Scottish Arbitration Centre is to appoint an arbitrator to deal with their dispute, the selection of the arbitrator is made by the Centre’s Arbitral Appointments Committee. The Committee acts independently from the Centre’s Board and has complete discretion to choose the most suitable arbitrator for the dispute from leading Scottish and international arbitrators.
Arbitral Appointments Committee Members
Mrs Olufunke Adekoya, SAN
Mrs ‘Funke Adekoya is a Partner at ǼLEX, one of the largest full service commercial law firms in Nigeria where she heads the Dispute Resolution practice group. Funke provides legal representation to domestic and offshore clients, and also advises foreign counsel on matters of Nigerian law. Funke is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, also a Chartered Arbitrator and a past Chairman of its Nigerian Branch. She is also a board member of the recently established Lagos Court of Arbitration as well as of the African Users Council of the LCIA [London Court of International Arbitration].
Among other listings, Funke is listed on the arbitrators’ panel of the Kigali International Arbitration Centre, the Energy Arbitrators List by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, and the African representative on the Editorial Board of Arbitration News, the journal of the Arbitration Committee of the International Bar Association. She was also a member of the IBA Task Force which prepared the IBA Guidelines on Party Representation in International Arbitration.
Eliana Baraldi
Eliana Baraldi is a partner at Souto, Correa, Cesa, Lummertz e Amaral Advogados and has over 20 years experience in domestic and international arbitration and mediation, as counsel, arbitrator and mediator in many major infrastructure projects and complex international transactions, such as the ones related to M&A and joint ventures, construction, energy, oil & gas, mining, banking, telecommunications, maritime law, distribution, insurance, among others. She is also experienced in court litigation related proceedings to ensure the results of the arbitral proceedings. Eliana is a member of the IBA – International Bar Association, member of the Latin American Arbitration Group at ICC – International Chamber of Commerce, member of the Advisory Board of the ITA – Institute of Transnational Arbitration and Coordinator for the State of São Paulo at the Brazilian Arbitration Committee, among other institutions. She is also a former member of the Arbitration and Mediation Committee of the Brazilian Bar Association, where she played a key role on the implementation of the Brazilian Arbitration Act.
She is author of several international publications and speaker at international seminars.
Juliet Blanch (Chair of the International Arbitral Appointments Committee)
Juliet Blanch is a full-time arbitrator with over 30 years’ experience of international dispute resolution both as Counsel and sitting as Chair, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator. She chaired the international dispute resolution practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges from 2010 to 2016 and before that she chaired the international dispute resolution practice at McDermott, Will & Emery and the international arbitration practice at Norton Rose.
Juliet has considerable experience in the arbitration of international commercial disputes with a particular focus on energy and infrastructure, mining, commodities, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, hospitality, maritime and shareholder disputes. Juliet has acted as lead Counsel and/or sat as arbitrator in arbitrations held under HKIAC, ICC, ICSID, LCIA, LMAA, SCC, SIAC, UNCITRAL and other rules and which have been seated in a variety of jurisdictions including London, Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, Stockholm, Washington DC, Geneva and Zurich. Juliet is a Director of the LCIA and chairs the review committee of the Energy Arbitrators List. She lectures on a wide variety of subjects, she is Vice Chair of the Oil and Gas Arbitration Club, sits on the editorial board of Dispute Resolution International and is a member of the FDI Moot Advisory Board. She is the immediate past Co-Chair of the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Committee of the Inter Pacific Bar Association.
Juliet is consistently ranked highly in legal directories for International Arbitration, Litigation, and Projects and Energy in the UK, Europe and globally, and is recognised as “a well-known figure in the market. She is respected for her depth of knowledge in both litigation and arbitration”, as well as for “her enthusiasm, dedication and magnificent reputation”, “a rare blend of practicality and technical excellence” and as “a joy to work with, a good leader of people with fantastic judgement and a very sharp intellect.”
Juliet was featured in The Lawyer’s “The Hot 100 2015: Litigation” and was included in the 2014 London Super Lawyers list as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers and for her commercial litigation expertise. She was awarded the standout entry by the FT in the category of most innovative dispute resolution lawyer for her representation of PGNiG on settling a $12 billion landmark natural gas pricing dispute with Gazprom and was named by Chambers Global as a “Leading” Lawyer for Dispute Resolution: Litigation and International Arbitration in London and Energy & Natural Resources: Disputes UK-wide.
David Carrick
David Carrick is a Senior Vice President of Hill International’s Construction Claims and Consulting operations. He has over 40 years experience in claims analysis and dispute resolution and has acted as an Arbitrator, Adjudicator, Expert Witness, Mediator, Conciliator and Claims Assessor. David qualified as a Quantity Surveyor and an Engineer before studying law to Master level and becoming qualified as an Arbitrator and has since acted as an Arbitrator on disputes concerning civil engineering, building and offshore materials, both as sole arbitrator and as chairman of tribunals. His experience has spanned major infrastructure projects such as roads, rail, marine and maritime, stadiums, water and process engineering throughout the United Kingdom, Germany, Panama, Turkey, Italy, Thailand and Gibraltar.
Sandra Cassels
Sandra Cassels is a partner at Brechin Tindal Oatts specialising in providing strategic construction and engineering dispute resolution advice. She has vast experience in providing specialist contentious construction advice in the areas of adjudication, litigation, arbitration, mediation, expert determination and early neutral evaluation. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) and past Chairman of the Scottish branch. She is an accredited CEDR Mediator and appointed adjudicator. Sandra has extensive experience of complex construction and engineering disputes and promotes the importance of an organised, structured and team approach in achieving success for her clients.
Vincent Connor
Vincent Connor is head of the Pinsent Masons Hong Kong Office and Head of Sectors – Asia. He specialises in construction law, providing clients with strategic advice during projects and representing them in arbitration and litigation. Vincent is a member of The Lighthouse Club’s Hong Kong and Asia Pacific Region Committees; and is a member of both the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong’s Construction Industry Group and of the Steering Committee of the NEC User’s Group in Asia and the Construction Industry Council’s Taskforce on NEC. He was appointed as a GlobalScot by Scotland’s First Minister in 2007.
Joyce Cullen
Joyce qualified as a solicitor and joined Brodies 1981, becoming a partner in 1986. She led the firm’s Litigation team as head of department for a number of years and was then elected as Chairman of the firm, serving 3 consecutive terms from May 2004 to April 2013. Joyce undertakes commercial and financial services sector dispute resolution work, providing advisory and advocacy services to clients in both public and private sectors, in courts, tribunals and arbitrations and mediations, across a wide range of business areas. She is a Solicitor Advocate, having been granted extended rights of audience in the civil courts in 1995 and is recognised as a Band 1 leading lawyer for Litigation and Banking Litigation in Chambers & Partners and a named lawyer in Legal 500 for Commercial Litigation. She has a particular interest in alternative dispute resolution techniques, including arbitration and mediation. She is CORE accredited and a member of the Scottish Arbitration Centre.
Joyce is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Employment Law and serves on the Society’s Professional Negligence Accreditation Committee. She is a member of the WS Society’s commercial litigation examining committee for Signet Accreditation. She has previously been elected as the Scottish representative of the UK wide Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) and is currently Convener of the Law Society’s Employment Sub-Committee.
Norman Fiddes
Norman Fiddes is Managing Director of McLeod & Aitken Edinburgh Limited, Chartered Quantity Surveyors. He has over 40 years practical experience in the construction industry providing full quantity surveying and contractual advice, along with acting as adjudicator and arbitrator. He provides Expert Reports in relation to quantum, extension of time claims, payment issues, etc. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and holds a Masters in Construction Law.
Norman is an Arbitration and Adjudication Panel Member of RICS and CIArb and appointed arbitrator by Scottish Building Contract Committee and the Law Society of Scotland as well as being appointed as Expert and Reporter by the Court of Session. He has acted as Mediator.
He is a past Board Member of the Joint Contract Tribunal Limited (JCT), past Chairman and Board Member of Scottish Building Contracts Committee (SBCC), past Committee Member of CIArb Scotland Branch and past Non-executive Member of the Scottish Court Estates Committee.
Thomas Halket
Thomas Halket is a partner in the New York firm Halket Weitz LLP where his practice includes corporate, technology and intellectual property matters in addition to his ADR work. He is a Chartered Arbitrator and a panel member of the American Arbitration Association with over 25 years’ experience as neutral or counsel in international and complex commercial arbitrations and mediations. Thomas Halket is also an associate member of Tanfield Chambers in London and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Fordham University School of Law where he teaches courses on International Arbitration and Representation of Technology Start-Ups.
Kaj Hobér
Kaj Hobér is an arbitrator based at 3VB Chambers in London. He is former Professor of International Law at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee during 2010, and as of 1 May 2012 he is Professor of International Investment and Trade Law at Uppsala University. His arbitration experience includes representation of both East and West European, American, Russian and Chinese government bodies and corporations, as well as parties from developing countries in international arbitrations. Prof. Hobér has acted as counsel and arbitrator (including chairmanships) in more than 400 international arbitrations. He is current chair of the board of the SCC Arbitration Institute, past chair of the IBA sub-committee on Investment Treaty Arbitration and past vice-chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee. Kaj Hobér is a member of the LCIA Court and of the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association, and also a member of the AIPN Educational Advisory Board. He is fluent in Russian and German.
Elie Kleiman
Elie Kleiman is a Partner at Jones Day, Paris. He has more than 30 years of experience in international commercial arbitration and civil law disputes. He has intervened in disputes involving investment, trade, joint ventures, long-term contracts, representation and warranties, licensing, distribution, and construction, particularly in the energy and natural resources, chemicals, life sciences, banking, infrastructure and transport, telecommunications, media, and technology sectors.
Elie regularly acts as lead counsel in court proceedings and arbitrations under the rules of the ICC, ICSID, AAA, LCIA, and NAI and in ad hoc proceedings under the UNCITRAL Rules. He also regularly sits as an arbitrator and a mediator.
Elie is chairman of the board of Paris, the Home of International Arbitration. He also has written on international arbitration and dispute resolution and teaches international disputes at several Paris universities.
Alice Leggat
Alice Leggat is a solicitor practising in both Scotland and in England and Wales. She is a Legal Manager at SSE plc where she advises on all manner of energy-related construction and engineering disputes, in both jurisdictions. She has acted in many major disputes relating to, amongst others, onshore and offshore wind farms, hydro schemes and transmission projects. She has advised clients in the context of numerous dispute resolution porcesses, including arbitrations, mediations and adjudications as well as on disputes raised in court. Alice is an associate of the CIArb and in that capacity, assists with ensuring that young people are informed about arbitration in Scotland.
Lindy Patterson QC (Chair of the Domestic Arbitral Appointments Committee)
Lindy Patterson QC is an arbitrator, adjudicator and dispute board member with 39 Essex Chambers. She specialises in the construction and engineering; energy and PPP sectors. She is qualified in English and Scots law.
She operates internationally and within the UK. She is on the FIDIC President’s List of international Adjudicators. She is President-Elect of the Dispute Resolution Board Federation (DRBF) Region 2. She is part of the Conflict Avoidance Panel administered by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors for the infrastructure company, Transport for London; a Fellow of the International Academy of Construction Lawyers and Chair of Arbitral Appointments Committee (domestic) of the Scottish Arbitration Centre. She is a member of the London Court of International Arbitration.
She teaches on the International Arbitration Masters Course at the University of Edinburgh and is a senior tutor in construction law.
Prior to joining 39 Essex Chambers, Lindy was a partner and solicitor-advocate with CMS Cameron McKenna representing clients in LCIA; ICC and LMAA arbitrations as well as non-institutional arbitrations including UNCITRAL and CIArb. Her experience is of operating in both civil and common law jurisdictions including – Albania; Denmark; Finland; Iraq; Malaysia; Romania; Serbia; and Switzerland.