Working Twice as Hard to Get Half as Far, Presentation to the International Arbitration Club of New York, August 13, 2020

Abstract

It is a pleasure to speak with you today after 38 odd years in this arena. Having handed in my final class grades on Tuesday as a law professor (retiring on January 31, 2021) I am a has been or fast on my way to being one. I think of this as my farewell speech to international commercial arbitration and, upon the suggestion of my wife, have dressed accordingly in the tuxedo I wore yesterday to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary. I speak to you out of my deep and abiding respect for international commercial arbitration. I have known this field’s promise and limitations, the good and the bad in it, and the best and the worst in it. So I appreciate your time today to discuss this topic. I will attempt to shed some heat but I also hope to bring some light on this arena. You will be the judge of whether I succeed. The presentation will be on the way forward for the New List - Arbitrators of African Descent with a US Connection (https://www.simpsonadr.net/files/NewList2020.07.30Edited.pdf). The bottom line will be you should hire, promote, and appoint these people in international arbitration practice. It is in the best interest of your clients, your firms, and yourselves – and for international commercial arbitration. The durability of international arbitration as the world’s dispute resolution mechanism may depend on it.