Diversity was a key theme at last night’s GAR Awards in Paris, with prize-winners including Maxi Scherer, initiatives in Africa and the authors of a global guide to women arbitrators – while Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler became the first woman to pick up a GAR lifetime achievement award.

Over 370 people attended the sold-out event in the lavish surroundings of the opera ballroom at the Inter Continental Paris Le Grand, as part of Paris Arbitration Week.

The event also saw the unveiling of the annual GAR 30 ranking of the world’s busiest international arbitration practices, along with GAR’s Expert Witness Power Index.

GAR’s publisher David Samuels reminded the audience that proceeds from the event go towards the Swawou School for Girls in Sierra Leone, which was set up in 2009 by GAR’s owner Law Business Research to offer free primary education to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The first award of the evening was for best innovation by an individual or organisation, one of five categories voted for by GAR readers. The winner was Africa in the Moot, an organisation that aims to increase African participation in the Vis Moot, which held its inaugural East Africa Vis Pre-Moot. Ileana Smeureanu of Jones Day, one of the sponsors of the initiative, accepted the award on the organisation’s behalf.

Following a landslide victory in the public vote, the award for best development went to the United Nations General Assembly’s recognition of the need for an international mechanism to bring reparations claims against Russia for its war in Ukraine. Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi of Asters in Kyiv, who is part of a Ukrainian government-appointed working group exploring the subject, collected the award.

Yas Banifatemi from Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes introduced the award for best prepared and most responsive arbitrator. She said the award encourages the international arbitration community to remember the qualities valued in arbitrators and that above all “arbitrators are service providers”. The award went to Maxi Scherer of WilmerHale.

The award for best lecture went to Zachary Douglas KC of 3 Verulam Buildings for a speech comparing investment treaty arbitration to tort claims against a public authority. In a video acceptance, he spoke of the benefits of the community engaging in“constructive criticism” of each other’s work.

ICSID picked up the award for arbitral institution that impressed, after celebrating a record caseload and completing the most significant changes to its rules in the centre’s history. Meg Kinnear, ICSID’s secretary general, recorded a video message to thank the arbitration community for their continued support for the centre and its work.

Justin D’Agostino of Herbert Smith Freehills and Ashley Jones of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, who sit on the global steering committee of the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge, introduced GAR’s ERA Pledge award.

Jones praised the progress made on representation in recent years, with the latest data showing that in 2021, women made up just over 26% of the total number of arbitrator appointments globally.

However, she also noted that in the last 4 years the rate of progress towards gender equality in arbitrator appointments has slowed to 1-2% per year – and party appointments of women actually dropped in 2021. “If we are to achieve a fair representation of women in the total number of appointments, more work is needed,” she said.

The ERA Pledge award went to the Compendium of Unicorns, a global guide to women arbitrators launched by Mute Off Thursdays. Elena Gutiérrez García de Cortázar of MGC Arbitration, who co-led work on the compendium with independent arbitrator Ema Vidak Gojkovic, was on hand to collect the award.

Olivier André of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer introduced the Campaign for Greener Arbitration award, which went to the Africa Arbitration Academy for publishing a model bilateral investment treaty for states on the continent with a focus on sustainability. The AAA's president, Mohamed S Abdel-Wahab, accepted the award on the organisation's behalf.

The award for most important decision was also decided by a public vote. It went to a Paris Court of Appeal decision setting aside an ICC award because of a eulogy written for Emmanuel Gaillard written by the tribunal president. The choice of winner elicited some boos from the audience.

George Taft and Nick Child from Secretariat introduced the award for international arbitration practice that impressed, which went to Peter & Kim. The Euro-Asian boutique only launched three years ago and has already entered the GAR 30 and had a hand in some eye-catching results – including defeating most of a US$5 billion ICSID claim against Korea and all of a US$2.5 billion ICC claim against Posco (in both cases as co-counsel with other well-known firms).

Child said he was delighted to be able to present the award to Peter & Kim partners Kevin Kim and John Bang, who he called "close personal friends".

The evening concluded with the lifetime achievement award for Kaufmann-Kohler. Albert Jan van den Berg of Hanotiau & vanden Berg gave a speech praising her forensic skills and efficient management styles. Then a video tribute prepared by GAR was played, featuring remarks by various colleagues and former students.

Finally, Kaufmann-Kohler took to the stage herself, saying her award was for “all women arbitrators” and pledging to continue working to improve diversity and contribute to reform of arbitration. GAR reports in more detail on the lifetime achievement speeches here.

The GAR Awards was sponsored by Shearman & Sterling, Squire Patton Boggs, Dentons, Linklaters, Accuracy, Freshfields and Peter & Kim. Secretariat hosted a drinks reception and GBS Disputes hosted an after-party.

Tom Jones (tom.jones@lbresearch.com)

기사링크: GAR (2023.03.31.), https://globalarbitrationreview.com/article/diversity-the-theme-gar-awards?utm_source=Diversity%2Bthe%2Btheme%2Bat%2BGAR%2BAwards&%E2%80%A6