Young ICCA Scholarship winners announced
Age: 29.
Hometown: Perth, Australia.
Current City: Perth, Australia (but Geneva, Switzerland is calling!).
Current Employer: Supreme Court of Western Australia, Court of Appeal.
Education: The University of Western Australia (combined Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts,
2011); the University of Vienna (exchange, 2007 – 2008).
How did you get involved in international arbitration? As a junior lawyer at Norton Rose Fulbright, I worked with the firm’s Hong Kong and Beijing offices and PRC-based counsel in representing an Australian client in a CIETAC arbitration. This experience showed me that I could reconcile my interests in public international law, private international law and dispute resolution. I then joined the Young ICCA Mentoring Programme and felt like I had ‘found my people’. Now there is no turning back.
What is your favourite virtue? Humility.
What are your favourite qualities in another person? Humility, sincerity, integrity, humanity, quick wit, an infectious laugh and a good eater.
What is your chief characteristic? Resourcefulness.
What is your main fault? High expectations of others and myself.
What is your favourite occupation? The one I am presently in: law. If I wasn’t a lawyer, I would go back to Berlin and work in a former East German vintage store (as I did in a previous life), or make photography my bread and butter.
What is your idea of happiness? Being able to stop and smell the roses with those I love. And every word of what Bertolt Brecht said in Vergnügungen (1954).
What is your idea of misery? Regret; not being able to switch off.
If not yourself, who would you be? Someone who is content with leading a simpler life.
Where would you like to live? Europe.
Who is your favourite prose author? Joseph Conrad if reading in English; Stefan Zweig if reading in German.
Who is your favourite hero/heroine in fiction? Guido Orefice in Life is Beautiful (assuming semi-fiction counts).
Who is your hero in real life? Those people, whether they are a part of my life or not, who: are self-sacrificing of their lives without expecting anything in return; are able to forgive quickly; and, remain resilient in the most testing of circumstances.
What historical person do you most dislike? Too many to reduce down to a “most dislike” status.
What is your favourite name? A strong German name – Maximilian?
What do you hate the most? People who are users or faffers; a messy desk or office.
What is your natural talent? “Getting things done”.
What is your favourite arbitration-related decision? The Chorzów Factory (Claim for Indemnity) (Merits) case.
Who is your favourite arbitrator? Any arbitrator who inspires confidence in the integrity of the arbitral process.
Who is your mentor? My professional mentors are the Judges and Registrars of the Supreme Court of Western Australia – foremost my boss, the Honourable Justice Robert Mazza; my Young ICCA Mentoring Programme mentors Doug Jones AO and Dr Sam Luttrell; colleagues at Norton Rose Fulbright who took me under their wing when I joined the profession; Dr Ben Gauntlett; Professor John Fiocco; Syed Riaz Haider. My personal mentors are my family, partner and Jade Glenister – they constantly encourage me to realise my aspirations whilst keeping me grounded.
What is your motto? Treat others as you would like to be treated.