Bermuda Branch

2008 Annual Report by Jeffery Elkinson, Branch Chairman.

The Bermuda Branch had an active year again. The focal point was the mediation course conducted by Paul Godin and Michael Dickstein of the Stitt Feld Handy Group. Participants received certification from the Law School of Notre Dame University. In addition, video examinations of persons applying to become accredited mediators of CIArb subsequently were conducted and sent to the Institute in London for assessment. Six achieved accreditation by this method. The co-operation and support of the Executive in London made this possible and we hope to repeat the exercise in the coming year.

The branch assisted the Construction Institute, the Institute of Architects and the Institute of Surveyors and others in preparing new standard terms and conditions for the Bermuda Standard Construction Contract which will include revised dispute resolution provisions.

It is believed that the number of arbitrations in Bermuda has increased although it is difficult to assess how but the branch executive will consider how to put a system in place to measure this accurately.

The annual dinner, be it the eleventh or twelfth, (there is some debate about this) was a great success. FourWays, one of our premier eating establishments, did an excellent job in catering the event which was attended by CIArb members and members of our judiciary. The Governor of Bermuda, Sir Richard Gozney, was the guest speaker and spoke on the role of diplomacy in dispute resolution, entertaining us with interesting facts and humorous anecdotes.

The branch looks forward to another year in which it is hoped that we will achieve our long term goal of establishing a dedicated arbitration centre for commercial disputes.

Last Updated: 13 May 2009