5
19 January 2010
I caught the train to London today for the first of this year’s meetings of the Kings College branch of the Arbitration Club. Fortunately, like the Mother Club the meetings are held, at a solicitor’s office, just behind Liverpool Street Station, so  the journey was not too exhausting.
5 Comments
Hi Mark,
I am happy to note that you are still able to attend Arbitration Club meetings. After reading your blog last month I was inspired to look into the possibility of forming an Arbitration Club in Dubai.
I made initial enquiries around town and spoke to your friend Steve Exelby and was advised that no such club existed. I didn’t want to burden you with this, so I took the decision to try to contact John Tackaberry instead and enquire whether or not I could form a branch in Dubai.
I explained that I founded the RICS UAE Group in 2003, chaired it for the first five years and had made quite a success of it and since I am also a Fellow of the CIArb, I felt I had the credentials.
John kindly replied that he would put it to the Mother Club Council and I now await their decision.
Kind regards,
Daniel Alcon,
Dubai, UAE
Thanks, Daniel. I have been kept in the loop of e-mail and already discussed this with the C/M. A notice has gone out for this could be included on the agenda of our AGM although I do notl not think it’s a question of if you form a clubbut more o how it should be related to the Mother Club.
Best wishes
Mark
Dear Mark,
I didn’t want to form a Dubai club without clearing it with you or John first. I suppose I could have done so, but to my mind that would have been rather rash as I may have alienated a rather large and influential portion of the ADR world in the process.
When you first became an arbitrator I believe you set yourself three goals to raise your profile in the world of arbitration, i.e., study for a Masters degree, write a book and form a club. Since I am similarly trying to raise my profile in the world of arbitration, I thought that forming a Dubai Arbitration club without your prior knowledge may be a rather suicidal approach.
All I can say is that any club I formed would stick rigidly to the principles that you established when you formed the first Arbitration Club in the early 90s, i.e., as a forum for arbitrators to exchange opinions on matters/problems that they are facing in their work which they could not otherwise discuss with anyone due to the inherent confidential nature of arbitration proceedings and as a good opportunity to network, of course.
Hew Dundas put it far more eloquently than I could ever do in an article he wrote about the Arbitration Club, Oil and Gas Branch “The inherently private nature of arbitration, in contrast to the inherently public nature of litigation, places a severe limitation on the sharing of arbitral experience.”
Mr. Dundas continued “The Arbitration Club is a unique and highly-successful initiative which seeks to (bypass the confidentiality barrier) while still respecting party/client confidentiality……. with the overriding objective of promotion of arbitration.”
I have spoken to many arbitrators in Dubai and the wider UAE and they are all very keen to be members of such a club.
Regards,
Daniel
dear Daniel
Fear are not. I’m sure you will do a great job. The C/M and John Tackaberry QC, the deputy president, hves this matter very much in hand and, no doubt,you will hear from someone shortly.
May I respectfully suggest that this is not merely a blog if you have therefore we should confine any further correspondence to our personal e-mail addresses and I would be grateful if you would copy in John Tackkkaberry and Tim Reynolds, the chairman.
Good luck
Mark
Sorry about the typos in the above reply but I must have pressed the wrong button before I could correct it. Having said that I hope you got the gist that I was suggesting that this is not a blog issue
Regards
Mark