England – London Branch
The London Branch is the largest in the UK, with over 1,500 members living and working in the Greater London area.
Website: www.londonarbitrators.org/
2008 Annual Report by Stephen Bickford Smith, Chairman.
2008 was another successful year for the London Branch. There has been a full and well-attended programme of events on domestic and international topics which can be found on the CIArb website.
The AGM was held at Tallow Chandlers Hall on 29 April 2008. Sir Martin Moore-Bick gave an address on the comparative advantages of arbitration and mediation.
London Branch is active in showcasing the services in dispute resolution which the City of London has to offer worldwide. We also aim to organise events which are of interest to the majority of our members who are concerned mainly with the UK, on such topics as construction adjudication, property disputes, and mediation.
The theme of the lecture series set in train in 2007 was continued. A series of well-attended evening meetings has taken place, generously hosted by firms of solicitors or barristers' chambers based in the City of London. Highlights have included the annual mediation seminar in early July and the joint meeting with the London Maritime Arbitrators Association in October.
During the year, the chairman visited the arbitration section of the Lima Chamber of Commerce in Peru, whose secretary-general is now an honorary member. He also attended the Malaysia Branch meeting in Kuala Lumpur and Congress in Kota Kinabalu.
The London Branch Annual Dinner at Inner Temple Hall on 18 November attracted 115 members and guests. The guest of honour was Professor Louise Barrington who gave a thought-provoking talk on the role of women in arbitration. For the first time this event was given in conjunction with the central organisation of CIArb and we were very happy to see guests from every part of the globe.
Matt Molloy, our long-serving secretary, retired at the beginning of 2009, and has been succeeded by Irvinder Bakshi. Finances remain in good shape under the control of Treasurer Bruce Leahy. Paul Rose our PRO and Jackie Elliman our events secretary are kept fully occupied, as are the committee. The scale of our activities has become such that in July 2008 we engaged Elinor Pritchard to provide administrative support for the branch. This has enabled us to deliver an improved service to our 1500-strong members.
Last Updated: 13 May 2009