Commercial Arbitration and the Victorian Courts

This seminar focuses on the recent work of Victorian Courts with respect to commercial arbitration. This includes developments in court practice, as well as topical issues that have arisen over the last few years in commercial arbitration law and procedure. This will be of interest for anyone interested in commercial arbitration in Australia, including academics, solicitors, counsel and judges.

This seminar is hosted by the Monash Law Faculty Commercial Disputes Group, to celebrate the recent publication by Croft, Stamboulakis and Warren of International and Australian Commercial Arbitration (LexisNexis, 2021).

This seminar is available in a hybrid format. When registering, you can select an in-person or webinar ticket. Webinar starts at 5:45pm and in-person attendance includes welcome drinks and canapes at 5:00pm.

Speakers:

Chair: Professor the Honourable Clyde Croft

Professor (Dr) Croft is a Reserve Judge in the Supreme Court of Victoria, and served as a Commercial Court Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria from 2009 to 2019. His Honour was in charge of a General Commercial List, the Arbitration List, the Taxation List and Retail Leases Act appeals. Prior to his judicial appointment he practised at the Bar in numerous Australian jurisdictions and was appointed a Senior Counsel in 2000. His areas of practice were primarily in property, equity and commercial law, and international and domestic commercial arbitration.

Co-chair and Facilitator: Dr Drossos Stamboulakis

Dr Stamboulakis is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University and a Reader at the Victorian Bar. He is the Deputy Convenor of Monash’s Commercial Disputes Group, and coaches the Monash Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot team. His area of expertise is in commercial and contract law, particularly in commercial arbitration and private international law.

The Honourable Justice Delany:

Acting Principal Judge of the Commercial Court, Supreme Court of Victoria.

Justice Delany was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2020. At the end of 2022 Justice Delany will take over as Principal Judge in the Commercial Court, replacing Justice Peter Riordan who retires at that time. As a member of the Commercial Court, his Honour manages approximately 50 cases at any given time and hears trials and interlocutory applications across a wide variety of commercial disputes.

The Honourable Justice Lyons:

Judge in Charge of the Arbitration List, Commercial Court, Supreme Court of Victoria

Justice Lyons was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2018, after practising as a junior and senior counsel for approximately 20 years. His Honour is currently a member of the Commercial Court. His Honour is the Judge in charge of the Arbitration List, as well as the Judge in charge of the Insurance List.

Her Honour Judge Brimer:

Judge in Charge of the Arbitration List, County Court of Victoria

Her Honour Judge Elizabeth Brimer QC was appointed to the County Court of Victoria on 16 April 2019. She is Judge in charge of the Arbitration List and a Vice President of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and was recently selected as an arbitrator in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and to the CAS ad hoc division for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. . Before her appointment, her Honour built a wide and varied practice at the Bar including in commercial law, common law, criminal law, OH&S law, and administrative law. Her Honour appeared in the Victorian Court of Appeal and the Supreme Courts of Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT, as well as appearing in Coronial Inquiries, Royal Commissions and WorkSafe prosecutions.

Her Honour Judge Burchell:

County Court of Victoria

Judge Sharon Burchell was appointed to the bench in June 2021, having also been a Judicial Registrar in the County Court of Victoria’s Commercial Division since 5 May 2015. Judge Burchell signed the Victorian Bar Roll in 2004 and has extensive experience in commercial law, judicial review and administrative law.

About the book

Through this seminar we celebrate the recent publication by Croft, Stamboulakis and Warren of International and Australian Commercial Arbitration (LexisNexis, 2021).

International and Australian Commercial Arbitration provides comprehensive and detailed analysis of the law and practice of commercial arbitration. The authors offer a unique insight into the judicial role in arbitration, and trace the meaning and application of the benchmark global commercial arbitration law — the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. The perspective taken is both international and comparative, incorporating discussion of key arbitral rulesets, and legislative and case developments in other leading arbitral jurisdictions, including those in the Asia-Pacific and the United Kingdom. Key ‘soft law’ instruments that lead arbitral practice are also considered in context, ranging from publications by the International Bar Association on the taking of evidence, to International Chamber of Commerce publications on efficiency and expedition in arbitral proceedings.