INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION 1/3LY
ALEC That is a very interesting story. So how many members do you have now? LOUISE I think that the number of paid up members is probably around 300 women from across the globe. However, we have at least 1,000 women who say that they are part of ArbitralWomen. We promote women in dispute resolution through events, social gatherings, mentoring, coaching and granting awards to assist women law students to participate at the Vis Moots in Vienna and Hong Kong. We also have one major event per year and we are present at the IBA meeting and organize roundtable discussions. Our website offers a ‘find a practitioner service’ which allows the user to search for an arbitrator, mediator, expert, lawyer or practitioner in any jurisdiction or field of business by selecting criteria. ALEC It sounds like there are a lot of benefits to joining the group. Why do you think that some women in arbitration are reluctant to join ArbitralWomen?
LOUISE There are some voices which say that ArbitralWomen is just as bad as the old boys’ club because we don’t let men in. There are reasons for it and one of them is that once you have a man in the group the energy changes. Studies have proved this, and it is quite amazing. We want a forum where women can be stars. That said, most of our events are open to men; only a few are dedicated to women, like our speed networking events which take place around the world. A lot of men like to come to our events as it shows that they are supportive of women in arbitration. ALEC I have attended a few ArbitralWomen events myself. What do you think about the numbers of women involved in arbitration now compared with when you first started ArbitalWomen?
LOUISE There are definitely more women involved in arbitration today compared with 25 years ago. We have made a great deal of progress, with women leading many arbitration commissions, serving as arbitrators and mediators, and taking a more visible role in the leadership of the arbitration community. On the Counsel side, there are hundreds of women involved which is very encouraging but when you talk about women as arbitrators there is still a long, long, long way to go. Sadly, women are under-represented as lead counsel in arbitrations and as panel members in high-value, high-profile cases. It is going in the right direction but more work has to be done if women are to achieve equal status with men in this field. As we focus more attention on the gender gap, people are thinking of ways to diminish it. ArbitralWomen is publishing a joint special issue with OGEMID about diversity in arbitration. The key is persuading the clients and their lawyers that diversity on a tribunal is a positive thing, that can bring them better results. Women’s progress in international arbitration is still very much a work in progress.
SADLY, WOMEN ARE UNDER-REPRESENTED AS LEAD COUNSEL IN ARBITRATIONS AND AS PANEL MEMBERS IN HIGH-VALUE, HIGH-PROFILE CASES.
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