ARBITRATION #223

THE STORY SO FAR

You have been in the trade both as a trader + as an administrator. You are based in the Far East with a Singapore background. You have recently completed your training to become an arbitrator. You have had one appointment on arbitration that was settled early on. You now have a second party appointment. You are pleased to be involved. Whilst your primary calling remains your work as a trader/administrator you are thinking of making a switch to arbitration in due course if you are able to make progress.

You are asking yourself questions – Am I capable? Will I be tested? How will I get on with colleagues I may not have met? Will being a trader, not a lawyer, be a negative or a positive going forward?

All valid questions. After all none of us know whether we will be comfortable with the new responsibilities. We are being taken out of our comfort zones. We are mixing with new people. We are faced with new challenges. Are we up to it?

Also Cantonese is your first language. Your trading has been mainly with Chinese speaking trading houses. You have visited Europe on only two occasions – first, as a tourist + then on business so your exposure to UK based dispute resolution is limited as is your exposure to the give-and-take of business and the day-to-day flow of general conversation.

You comfort yourself with the awareness that you have passed the exams well – you have always been a good student + consider yourself to be a resourceful character who knows where to go to get answers to difficult questions. You also have a particular friend in London who you speak to once a month. You then make contact with two fellow arbitrators…