Herbert Smith Freehills is pleased to announce that Bangkok Partner Gavin Margetson has been appointed Chair of the ICC Thailand Commission on Arbitration.
As Chair, Gavin will work closely with the rest of the committee, which also includes Victor Smith, Managing Partner at Bangkok-based disputes management consultancy Charndell; Siriporn Chaiyasuta, General Counsel for Chevron Europe, Eurasia, Middle Eastern Exploration & Production; Hatasakdi Na Pombejra, Managing Director at Bangkok-based tax and legal services firm HNP Legal; Frédéric Favre, Partner at Bangkok-based law firm Vovan & Associes; and Anan Chantara-Opakorn, Law Professor at Thammasat University.
The committee is primarily tasked with promoting the settlement of business disputes in Thailand by means of arbitration, examining existing dispute settlement services in view of current developments and studying the juridical aspects of the practice.
Herbert Smith Freehills is the only international law firm represented on the ICC Thailand Commission on Arbitration. It is also the only law firm to have two of its lawyers sitting as commission members—Gavin and Bangkok Senior Associate Vanina Sucharitkul, who holds the position as ICC Court Member for Thailand.
There have been some recent indications that attitudes toward international arbitration in Thailand may be improving. For example, last year the Thailand Arbitration Centre ("THAC") was established to provide arbitration and mediation services; there have also been a number of encouraging court decisions enforcing arbitration awards in international and domestic arbitration.
Gavin commented:
"It is an honour to be appointed as Chair of ICC Thailand's Commission on Arbitration and it is an exciting time to come on board. It is in the ICC's interests to promote all arbitration in Thailand, and the ICC Thailand commission will work closely with THAC and the Thai Arbitration Institute to do so. The adoption of international arbitration as the primary dispute resolution mechanism for business contracts will help Thailand maximise its ability to attract foreign investment into the country, so the recent developments are to be welcomed."
Key contacts
Simon Chapman KC
Managing Partner, Dispute Resolution and Global Co-Head – International Arbitration, Hong Kong
Andrew Cannon
Partner, Global Co-Head of International Arbitration and of Public International Law, London
Kathryn Sanger
Partner, Head of China and Japan, Dispute Resolution, Co-Head of Private Capital, Asia, Hong Kong
Christian Leathley
Partner, Co-Head of the Latin America Group, Co-Head of the Public International Law Group, US Head of International Arbitration, London
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