Statistics from the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes showed that 67% of the arbitrators appointed in cases were from Western Europe and North America, while only a combined 9% of arbitrators came from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East (as of 31 December 2018).
A recent article by the American legal news service Law360 asked the following question: “How do you find these talented, culturally diverse practitioners, and how do you encourage culturally diverse students to pursue international arbitration?”. The following solutions were proposed:
- Scholarships for students from underrepresented counties wishing to studying for a law degree;
- National and international mediation or moot competitions (Brazil recently held the third annual international mediation competition, the only country in South America to hold such a competition);
- Internship programs; and
- Establishing a network of lawyers
NOTICED and the NOTICED Best Practices Report were mentioned. The article concludes by stating that creativity is key to promoting diverse arbitrators and lawyers.
NOTICED Committee member Tony Di Angelo commented “It is fantastic that Law360 recognised NOTICED and the NOTICED Best Practices Report, and that the article states that the report’s findings are being used to assist the development of strategies aimed at improving the representation of BAME lawyers as well as finding ways to remove barriers to career progression.”
A link to the article is here and below: