Australian lawyers and representatives from the Attorney General’s Department and the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA) were on hand at the Shanghai World Expo last week to promote the benefits of arbitration in Australia.
 
President of the ACIAC and head of arbitration at Clayton Utz, Doug Jones AM, said he was encouraged by the attendance at the event and the feedback he received. “We gave papers which were aimed at getting Chinese firms and lawyers to come to Australia for arbitration purposes. We are suggesting that Australia is a viable option for firms in China and India, looking for a neutral location for arbitration, as opposed to Hong Kong or Singapore, ”  he said.
 
Australia's first dedicated international dispute resolution centre will officially open  its doors for business in Sydney in early August . “The facility  is mainly a way of demonstrating that we have the ability to perform as a neutral venue,” said Jones. However, he noted that support from the Australian judiciary system and legal framework is more important than physical  facilities and said that the attendance of the Solicitor General in Shanghai was an important demonstration of support for international arbitration in Australia.
 
In large international arbitration hubs such as London,  all major firms have dedicated arbitration practices. “The value of these practices as well as the combined value to the entire economy is measured in billions of dollars. Even though parties involved in arbitration can bring their own legal advice for arbitration, they generally use local firms as well,”  said Jones. “The value to Australian legal practices is enormous, there is a lot of growth potential, but we are starting from a very low base.”

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