An Australian delegation led by international arbitration expert and Clayton Utz partner Doug Jones, along with NSW Chief Justice Tom Bathurst QC, has travelled to India to promote Australia as a leading centre for international arbitration.

Jones told ALB that the trip to Mumbai and Delhi was part of a series of road shows deigned to increase the awareness of Australia as a seat for international arbitration amongst regional business communities. “We have in our region some strong competition for international arbitration,” said Jones. “Our aim is to raise the awareness amongst the global legal fraternity about what we call the Australian option.” The presentations coincide with the annual Inter-Pacific Bar Association Conference taking place in Delhi at present.

As the Indian economy grows, the volume of deals and value of deals involving Indian companies continues to increase, thus creating more opportunities for conflicts with overseas counterparts. “There is very clearly a huge growth in business from India,” said Jones. “Indian companies are extremely active in international trade. Therefore, if we are looking for companies who are likely to be involved in international disputes, India is right up there, because of the volume of activity originating from that market.” Jones is not alone in this conclusion. Squire Sanders Australia managing partner John Poulsen said he had seen a noticeable increase in the number and size of delegations coming from India to the West coast of Australia with investment dollars in hand. “We are beginning to see the tip of what is potentially an iceberg,” said Poulsen. “There has not been a significant investment from them yet, but they are definitely starting to look.”