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.