AMJ organised an international arbitration conference in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce Young Arbitrators forum (ICC YAF) at the end of 2016. The event was attended by an audience of over 130, including expert practitioners, in-house counsel and academics from Oman, London, Paris and the UAE, together with young Omani lawyers and law students from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).

The enthusiastic response to the event testifies to the growing popularity of arbitration as an effective means of resolving commercial disputes in Oman as well as the wider GCC and MENA region. Under the conference theme ‘Revitalising Arbitration in the Middle East’, three panels of international arbitrators and Oman-based practitioners debated the key obstacles to the further development of arbitration in the region. These include the slow pace and often high cost of arbitration, and the lack of professional training to encourage the development of a professional cadre of young lawyers with the necessary skills and qualities to conduct and advise on arbitrations.

Mansoor Jamal Malik, AMJ’s managing partner, in the conference keynote address, identified the absence of a dedicated arbitration centre and arbitration training for aspiring young Omani arbitrators as an obstacle to growth. An additional challenge is the lack of a regulatory framework governing ethics, best practices and standards applicable to arbitrators. Solutions proposed by Malik include establishing a centre to promote arbitration, build capacity among practitioners, and to enforce standards. He also suggested that SQU’s law degree syllabus be amended to incorporate arbitration law and practice as a compulsory module.

Senior partner, Dr Said Al Busaidy, in a press interview on the sidelines of the conference, emphasised the historical recognition and usage of arbitration as a well-known and widely used method of settling disputes under Shariah law and the importance of effective arbitration forums in the present day for attracting direct foreign investors and supporting the economic diversification drive in Oman and the wider GCC region.

The conference afforded an excellent opportunity for experts, practitioners, and young Omani lawyers to exchange thoughts and ideas on arbitration as well as to better understand the need for institutional and capacity building and regulation on ethics and standards

For more information, contact Bernadette Bhacker-Millard