This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Ukraine

3rd February 2011

How to resolve impossible disputes

Where is the world’s leading centre in dispute settlement?  In other words, where do you go if you want to resolve a commercial dispute and need top-quality advice from the world’s leading experts?

The answer, of course, is London.  So I’m delighted to attend a seminar at the Big Conference Hall of the Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, organised by the embassy with the Bar Council of England and Wales, to explore how the dispute settlement experts of London can do most to help Ukrainian companies sort out their differences.  London has a dominant role in the dispute settlement market. The Commercial Court in London has a long history of deciding commercial disputes between international parties and is recognised through the world for its particular expertise. Over 80% of the cases decided by the Commercial Court are international. At the seminar, a number of expert speakers set out the combination of excellence; integrity; independence; and value for money which have brought London to this leading position.

The inconsistent application of the rule of law is one of the key concerns of businesses operating in Ukraine.  Businesses like consistency and certainty so that they can plan investments.  Reliable dispute settlement mechanisms are an important part of this.  If you want to find more about how dispute settlement works in the UK please contact Victoria Burachenko at Victoria.burachenko@fco.gov.uk.

About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.