• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.29-51
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• 2016

This paper reviews the Supreme Court decision of the United Kingdom in Jivraj v. Hashwani (2011) concerning the employment issue of arbitrators, falling within the exception of genuine occupational requirement under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, and nationality of arbitrators. In 2011, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom delivered its judgment in Jivraj v. Hashwani, unanimously overturning decision of the English Court of Appeal. The facts of this case and the decision of the Court of Appeal have been widely discussed. The decision of the Supreme Court has been met with approval within the international arbitration community in London, having restored the legal position to that prior to the Court of Appeal's ruling. Thus, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the Court of Appeal's finding that arbitrators are the employees of the arbitrating parties. Arbitrators were held to be genuinely self-employed, and therefore outside the scope of the Regulations or Equality Act(2010). As such, the anti-discrimination provisions are not applicable to the selection, engagement or appointment of arbitrators. Most importantly, the Supreme Court's finding that arbitrators are not employees removes the possibility of challenges to arbitration agreements on the grounds that they are in breach of the Equality Act. As a practical matter, parties no longer need to consider carving out nationality provisions when drafting arbitration agreements.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.25-49
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• 2015

That the arbitration will begin with an arbitrator to be done by the arbitrator is not too much to say. The arbitrator shall have a decisive influence on the outcome of an arbitration in any arbitral right to award arbitration. As demonstrated in sayings like "Good arbitration is a good arbitrator" and "Arbitration is as arbitrator", professionalism and fairness are the basis for the arbitration procedure. Parties qualifications and authority of the arbitrator shall be a dispute-resolution process, requiring special attention and special care because the careful review of the arbitration award itself exerts a significant influence on the selection of an arbitrator. Therefore, this paper, first, analyzes the meaning of international arbitrators as a general overview of international arbitrators, qualifications, etc. and looks for focuses of the role. Next, the purpose of this paper is to seek ways to expand trade and international arbitration institutions in international transactions by examining training plans such as for international arbitrators.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.47-64
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• 2015

Pursuant to Article 109(1) of the Attorney-at-Law Act of Korea, a person, not an attorney-at-law, who receives or promises to receive money, articles, entertainment or other benefits or who gives or promises to give those things to a third party, in compensation for providing or mediating legal services, such as examination, representation, arbitration(emphasis added), settlement, solicitation, legal consultation, making of legal documents, etc. shall be punished by imprisonment with prison labor for not more than 7 years or by a fine not exceeding KRW 50 million or may be punished by both and there is no specific provision on qualification of arbitrator except on nationality of an arbitrator in the Arbitration Act of Korea. Then, the question arises, can any non-lawyer arbitrator who receives arbitrator's fees be punished in accordance with the Attorney-at-Law Act in Korea? To search for an answer for this matter, this paper examines the Arbitration Act or the Civil Procedure Code of 33 major countries in the world and explains a research on the participation ratio of non-lawyer arbitrators in all 360 arbitration cases registered in 2012 at the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB).

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.147-165
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• 2008

Appointment of arbitrators is very important in arbitration. As it has been a long laps since Korean peninsula was devided into two parts, South and North, it has come to be too much gaps between South and North in the law, social system, commercial practice and etc.. South Korea is familar to international commercial practice and capitalistic legal system generalized internationally in modern times. On the other hand as North Korea was closed society for a long time, they are not familar to international commercial practice and market economy. In this connection, commercial disputes arising from the transactions between South and North will occur frequently and it will be very difficult to select governing law or commercial practice referred to the disputes. Under the circumstances, when and if an arbitrator from South or North will be appointed as presiding arbitrator in the tribunal composed by three arbitrators, the part from which the presiding arbitrator come will be a majority, and it will be advantageous to the parties came from the part of which the presiding arbitrator come from. Such being the case, sole arbitrator or presiding arbitrator needs to be appointed among foreigner. Otherwise I recommend the tribunal composed by two arbitrators and umpire system. As to arbitrator's fee, as there is a big gap in its economic aspects between South and North, I supposed to need establishing the fund made by corporation with South and North in order to compensate arbitrators from South or abroad for their fee. Finally it is more important to prevent disputes arising from transactions between South and North. In order to prevent the disputes, education for North Korean about international commercial practice and skill to make a contract of international sale of goods and investment are needed.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.33-55
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• 2007

Parties to national or international disputes use arbitration because they think it is faster than litigation or affords privacy. But it is very important for the parties that the decision of arbitrators is made impartially and independently. For the parties to accept the outcome of an arbitration, it is essential that the final outcome be the result of an impartial process, especially because arbitration is a form of adjudication, albeit a private one. The success of arbitration resides in the conduct of arbitrators. The more independent and impartial arbitrators are, the more trustworthy arbitration will be. Just as court procedures allow for the recusal of judges under certain circumstances, the arbitral process provides means to remove arbitrators from a tribunal if arbitrator can no longer be considered impartial or independent. This is blown as the disqualification or challenge of arbitrators. An arbitrator can also be challenged when he or she does not fulfill the contactually agreed and stipulated qualifications required by the arbitral agreement. An arbitrator's inability to act impartially could give rise to a challenge to the arbitrator, and even to the award. However, deciding whether an interest or relationship could give rise to an apprehension of bias is a difficult issue for every arbitrator. The standard of arbitrator's impartiality and independence is not commensurable to that of judge, because the parties are permitted considerable autonomy in selecting arbitrators. Particularly it may be expected for the party-appointed arbitrator to act as the advocate of the party in the deliberations of the tribunal. Doubts that could give rise to a challenge to the arbitrator should be justifiable. That is the case if a reasonable, informed third party would conclude that the arbitrator's decision making might be influenced by factors other than evidence presented by the parties. Consequently, for example, the mere fact that an arbitrator was to work in the same firm as one of the parties' counsel, this could not automatically be considered as grounds for challenge for lack of impartiality.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.36
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• pp.111-140
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• 2007

This paper intends to review the qualifications of arbitrator, the disclosure of disqualifications by arbitrator, the challenge grounds of arbitrator, and the challenge procedure of arbitrator under the arbitration laws and rules. There are no provisions for the qualification of arbitrator in the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. Under the UNCITRAL Model Law on person shall be precluded by reason of his nationality from acting as an arbitrators. Under the UNCITRAL Model Law when a person is approached in connection with his possible appointment as an arbitrator, he shall disclose any circumstances likely to give rise to justifiable doubts as to his impartiality or independence. An arbitrator, from the time of his appointment and throughout the arbitral proceedings, shall without delay disclose any such circumstances to the parties. Under the UNCITRAL Model Law an arbitrator may be challenged only if circumstances exist that give rise to justifiable doubts as to his impartiality or independence, or if he does not possess qualifications agreed to by the parties. Under the UNCITRAL Model Law the parties are free to agree on a procedure for challenge an arbitrator. Failing such agreement, a party who intends to challenge an arbitrator shall send a written statement of the reasons for the challenge to the arbitral tribunal within 15 days after becoming aware of the constitution of the arbitral tribunal or any circumstance that give rise to justifiable doubts as to his impartiality or independence. Unless the challenged arbitrator withdraws from his office or the other party agrees to the challenge, the arbitral tribunal shall decide on the challenge. In conclusion, an arbitrator has a responsibility not only to the parties but also to the process of arbitration, and must observe high standards of conduct so that the integrity and must observe high standards of conduct so that the integrity and fairness of the process will be preserved.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.3-30
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• 2008

This paper is to research the current status of ADR in Korea, the qualifications of mediator (or conciliator) and arbitrator, the ADR education program of major foreign arbitration-related institutions and the efficient management device of ADR education program for the activation of the ADR system. In 2007, arbitration applications received at the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board numbered 320 and the amount involved those cases was US$ 216 millions. Mediation applications received at the KCAB numbered 552 and the amount involved those cases US$ 29millions. As of December 2007, the total numbers of arbitrators on the KCAB Panel of Arbitrators was 978. There are no provisions for the qualification of arbitrator in the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration and Arbitration Act of Korea. The KCAB has the consolidation regulation of the Panel of Arbitrator of which purpose is to regulate the criteria and procedure regarding the drawing up and maintenance of the panel of arbitrators. The UK Chartered Institute of Arbitrators has the criteria and qualifications for membership of which three grades are associate, member and fellow. The American Arbitration Association has the qualification criteria for admittance to the AAA National Roster of Arbitrators and Mediators. The Japan Association of Arbitrators has the official authorization regulation for membership of which three grades are special associate, ordinary associate and fellow. The UK Chartered Institute of Arbitrators has the ADR education programs which are composed of the mediation courses and arbitration courses. The American arbitrators Association has the ADR education programs which are composed of in-person training and online training. The Japan Association of Arbitrators has the ADR education programs which are composed of the cultivation courses of conciliator and the practical training courses of arbitrator. The efficient management devices of ADR education program are as follows: the execution of official authorization system of arbitrator, the establishment of specialized division for training and official authorization, the establishment of ADR regular training courses, the publication of ADR training texts and obtaining of instructors, and the consolidation of regulations related to the official authorization of arbitrator and ADR training. In conclusion, for the activation of ADR system, the KCAB and Korean Association of Arbitrators should make further effort to provide the ADR regular education and training programs for potential and practicing conciliators and arbitrators.