Arbitral Insights

Gautam Bhattacharyya welcomes leading commercial silk Chirag Karia KC to discuss the path that led him to the law – first practising for 10 years in California, then coming to the English Bar – and his career in international arbitration. Chirag reflects on his career mentors, explores how the role of arbitrator differs from that of counsel, and shares ways in which we can all improve diversity, equality and inclusion in the law.

Gautam Bhattacharyya welcomes leading senior counsel and Head of Quadrant Chambers, Poonam Melwani QC, for a discussion exploring what brought her to a career in the law, who were (and continue to be) her mentors and career inspirations, her perspectives on arbitration, and how she champions and pushes for diversity, equality and inclusion in the legal world and beyond.

Eminent legal figure and former UK Supreme Court Justice Lord Wilson joins host Gautam Bhattacharyya to discuss why he chose law as a career (as opposed to acting), his career mentors and inspirations, reflections on his time in practice and as a judge, and some of his standout cases, including while in the Supreme Court.

Masin Projects CEO Rohit Singhal joins host James Willn to share his perspectives as a delay, technical, and quantum expert in connection with construction disputes resolved via arbitration. The episode covers what duties a party who is appointed as an expert has to the tribunal, examples of where experts have performed well, gotten it wrong, plus key takeaways on how best to use experts within construction arbitrations.

After completing a landmark 50 years at Richards Butler/Reed Smith, former partner, now maritime law consultant and arbitrator, Lindsay East joins host Gautam Bhattacharyya to look back over his illustrious career (including some memorable cases), discuss the development and future of international arbitration, and share his thoughts on how to improve diversity, equality and inclusion in the legal profession.

To coincide with World Earth Day 2022, Vanessa Thieffry and Adam Hedley discuss carbon emissions – what they are, how they’re measured, and how they can be reduced in the context of arbitrations – and disputes arising out of the carbon market in the first of our Greener Arbitrations podcast miniseries.

Delaloa founding partner Pacôme Ziegler joins Clement Fouchard for a conversation on some of the hot topics in international arbitration in Portuguese-speaking Africa. The duo explore in particular Angola’s ratification of the ICSID Convention, followed by a discussion of the Romuva gas deposit in Mozambique with a focus on the latest developments, including the concession agreements, the insurgency which affected the project and future perspectives.

Gautam Bhattacharyya welcomes the former Chief Justice of Western Australia, The Hon. Wayne Martin AC QC, who discusses his career path and memorable mentors, and reflects on his time as a judge. The two discuss Wayne’s current role as an international arbitrator and explore what potential improvements could be made to the arbitration process to make it a more efficient one for all its users. 

Stockholm Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Robin Oldenstam discusses the path that led him to arbitration, his role at the SCC, and the future objectives of the SCC (including participation in the upcoming Swedish Arbitration Days) with our podcast host, global chair of Reed Smith’s international arbitration practice Peter Rosher. The duo then look toward the regions where they predict arbitration will see lots of movement in the next few years, before offering advice to up-and-coming counsel and arbitrators.

Newly appointed ICC Regional Director for Africa Diamana Diawara joins our hosts Clement Fouchard and Andrew Tetley to discuss the progress of existing ICC initiatives, including the ICC Africa Commission and the “Hold the Door Open” policy, and the appetite for and differences in arbitration across the continent, before looking ahead and exploring the future of dispute resolution mechanisms more widely in Africa.