Scottish Arbitration Centre begins life as institution
The Scottish Arbitration Centre has established itself as an arbitral institution with its own published arbitration rules.
Arbitral institutions manage arbitrations, usually under their own standard rules. The majority of international arbitrations are conducted under the supervision of an arbitral institution, and since it was set up the Centre has been promoting Scotland as a forum for international arbitration, citing advantages such as its mixed common law and civilian legal system, the expertise and reputation of its lawyers and judges, and comparative cost advantages compared with London.
Coinciding with the International Congress on Commercial Arbitration 2022, which it hosted in Edinburgh last week, the Centre also announced that its work will be overseen by a newly formed Court of the Scottish Arbitration Centre, presided by former Court of Session judge Lady Wolffe. The court features a diverse list of experienced arbitration practitioners including Elie Kleiman, Eliana Baraldi, Kaj Hober, Joyce Cullen, Norman Fiddes and Alice Leggat.
The Centre’s new rules seek to build on the experiences of other arbitral institutions, and also address some of the more pressing contemporary issues in international arbitration. They feature specific provisions encouraging greener arbitration and promoting diversity in the selection of arbitrators, and enshrine a commitment to data protection and cybersecurity.
In addition, under a new collaboration with CIArb, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, parties to disputes administered by the Centre will be signposted to use the CIArb Stakeholder Account Service. This means that parties involved in cases administered by the Centre can access an established, proven framework for holding funds in an arbitration neutrally and impartially.
Brandon Malone, chairman of the board of Scottish Arbitration Centre, commented: “We wanted to deliver a set of rules that offered an alternative that combines being a robust and safe alternative while one that enables the arbitration community to address some of the most pressing contemporary issues in international arbitration.”