Des Voeux Chambers’ Richard Leung JP moderated a panel consisting of experts who weighed in with different viewpoints on the Challenges and Opportunities awaiting Young Arbitrators on 8 April 2019 at the HKIAC. Rodney L Martin, Charlton Group, Eliza Jiang, Fangda Group and Daniel Allen from Mori Hamada & Matsumoto discussed different perspectives in ADR – with common threads being a changing landscape shaped by the Belt & Road Initiative and the Greater Bay Area. Another trend that was referenced included increasing investment in Latin America and emerging interest in third party funding in Japan.
The morning session was prefaced by a keynote speech by Secretary for Justice, Teresa Cheng, GBS, SC, JP. Painting a portrait of the challenges and opportunities, she observed that arbitrations were becoming more institutional and more international so a comprehensive understanding of powers and procedural rules as well as how other jurisdictions operated was key. She mentioned that developing technology, including blockchain and AI, was an opportunity that could be leveraged especially by younger arbitrators who would pick up the intelligence tools very quickly.
In the afternoon session, DVC’s William Wong SC imparted his tips on how to land your first appointment as an arbitrator. The panel was made up of seasoned arbitrators including Mariel Dimsey, CMS Law, John Cock, On Q Consulting Ltd, Ronald Pang, Gary Soo’s Chambers and Albert Yeu, ARUP. Citing the chicken and egg scenario, William foreshadowed a number of road blocks that can sometimes eventuate on the pathway to securing a first appointment. Forewarned is forearmed and William began by letting the audience know that the “arbitration circle in Hong Kong is a closed shop.” Some of the helpful pointers he shared included raising visibility through networking, contributing articles to relevant publications and joining members’ committees e.g. HK45.
DVC was a diamond sponsor of the event.
Tommy Cheung from DVC also attended the event.
