How did your interest in arbitration and your career as an arbitrator begin? Were there any significant challenges that you had to overcome when you chose this career path? I have been in the field of arbitration for the past 15 years. My interest in taking up arbitration as a career date’s back to the period of 2004 to 2009, when I started as a research assistant to a retired judge of the Bombay High Court who practiced as an arbitrator. This initial interest was further cemented whilst pursuing LL.M. from the Queen Mary University of London, where I formally studied International Arbitration under the guidance of Stavros Brekoulakis. This is where I took it upon myself to make a career in this field. In terms of any challenges, I would not say that it is a challenge exactly, but it is the complexity that arises when you are an arbitrator that makes a difference. For instance, in each proceeding, an arbitrator is required to essentially start from stage one again. Every case involves a distinctive mashup of various factual and legal concerns, subject matter know-how, jurisdictions, procedural norms, applicable laws, lawyers, co-arbitrators and other factors. However, this complexity and variety is also one of the reasons why I enjoy the field of arbitration and its challenges. How do you see the UK arbitration model developing over the next five years or so? With strong statutory support in the shape of the English Arbitration Act 1996 and its recent amendments, London is one of the most well-known and frequently utilised jurisdictions or seats for international arbitration. In their interpretation of the Act, the Shaping Growth in the UK and International Arbitration EXPERT INSIGHT 57 As an alternative to litigation, arbitration is seeing renewed interest from organisations both in the UK and abroad. There has also been a groundswell of young lawyers looking to specialise in this side of ADR as it rises in popularity. International arbitrator Ish Jain offers his own insights on the sector in this article, discussing his own professional journey, the growth of the sector and the areas where there is still room for development, from aviation to space law. Expert Insight
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