Appeal to take part in Scottish Arbitration Survey

An appeal is being issued to solicitors of all disciplines to take part in a short but important survey into the use of, and attitudes to, arbitration in Scotland.

The Scottish Arbitration Survey is a joint initiative by the University of Aberdeen, the Law Society of Scotland, and Burness Paull, supported by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Scottish Arbitration Centre, to collect data and report upon arbitration use, attitudes and trends.

It is now just over four years since the Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010 came into effect on 7 June 2010. It is very important at this juncture, the organisers say, to understand how many arbitrations are taking place, what types of disputes are going to arbitration, attitudes to arbitration, and the changes that might be encouraged to the practice of arbitration in Scotland to improve confidence in the process. This first survey covers the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014.

Since those who choose arbitration as the appropriate method of dispute resolution are often non-contentious lawyers and others who advise clients on the appropriateness of an arbitration clause when entering into contracts, the views of all advisers, not just those directly involved in dispute resolution and arbitration, are important, and are invited in this survey.

So too are the views of end users. In-house solicitors are asked to complete the survey as representatives of the businesses they work with, to provide the survey with end user experiences and attitudes.

In addition, of course, all those directly involved in dispute resolution are asked to respond, and the project aims to receive input from all arbitrators practising in Scotland.

Questions are tailored to the individual's particular area of practice. For this reason, the survey is focused and will not take long to complete. Please complete the survey by clicking here.

Any questions about the survey should be emailed to Derek Auchie at the University of Aberdeen (d.auchie@abdn.ac.uk). The survey should be completed as soon as possible, but in any event before 12 November 2014.