Mallesons Stephen Jaques’ international arbitration practice has recently been given a fillip with the appointment of Hong Kong partners, David Bateson and Paul Starr to the panel of arbitrators of mainland China’s main arbitral body, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC).

Set up in 1956, CIETAC is charged with overseeing China’s main contractual and infrastructural arbitration disputes. With bureaux in China’s main cities, CIETAC last year handled more arbitrations than the rest of the world’s arbitration bodies combined.

The number of non-Chinese panellists to CIETAC is limited, and the appointment of Mr Bateson and Mr Starr is a rare honour. Parties facing a contractual dispute in China can now request CIETAC to appoint Mr Bateson or Mr Starr, as their own arbitrator (on a panel of three) or, as Chairman of the arbitration panel.

Mr Bateson and Mr Starr’s commitment to China and the Asia Pacific region has been enduring. Lawyers in the region since the early 1980s, they have spent considerable time acting as arbitrators and participated as parties’ lawyers in many of Asia’s largest infrastructural disputes. Mallesons’ arbitration team is globally recognised acting in arbitrations across many industry sectors, including construction, telecommunications, financial services, joint ventures and other corporate transactions and reinsurance.

Mallesons has an international arbitration team of 16 partners based in Hong Kong and Australia, with a number of the team having worked with specialist and leading international arbitration practices throughout Asia and in Europe and North America.

The firm was recognised as the Arbitration Law Firm of the Year at the 2004 Asian Legal Business Awards.