On 15 November 2023 the Guide to Next Generation of Russian Arbitrators (NGAR) held a seminar "Choosing arbitrators for Russian disputes" at Dubai Arbitration Week.
The event promoted a discussion of the challenges which the Russian parties face when appointing arbitrators for their disputes as well as strategies to ensure the effectiveness of this process.
At the welcoming speech from the NGAR Executive Board Sergey Lysov (MZS) shared the plans for the development of the NGAR , which include both updating information about the current arbitrators and supplementing of the NGAR with new candidates in 2024.
The first panel moderated by Olga Tsvetkova (Brevia), speakers Alexei Matsuev (VEB.RF), Julia Mullina (RAC), Ilya Nikiforov (EPAM) and Yegor Chilikov (Petrol Chilikov) discussed common challenges faced by the parties, arbitration institutions and arbitrators themselves. Speakers shared their insights about what considerations they are guided by when choosing arbitrators for disputes involving Russian companies.
The second panel was devoted to the practical aspects that should be taken into account when choosing arbitrators for the Russian cases. The speakers Denis Almakaev (LEVEL Legal Services), Anna Kozmenko (Schellenberg Wittmer), Ais Lidzhanova (TA Advisory), Andrey Panov (Allen & Overy) and Oleg Todua (White & Case) discussed the competencies of the new generation arbitrators, the change of preferences of the parties in the recent years and the specifics of interviewing arbitrators before the nomination.
At the end of the event, the speakers shared advice for future arbitrators on how to get the first appointments and build a career in international arbitration.
The partners of the event were Alumni Partners, LEVEL Legal Services and MZS.
