Tribute to Arthur Leslie Marriott QC, 1943 - 2015
Mr. Arthur Leslie Marriott QC, leading figure in international arbitration and dispute resolution and long term ICCA Governing Board member passed away on 4 September, aged 72.
Arthur Marriott was one of the first two solicitors in the UK ever to be honoured as Queen's Counsel. During his career spanning nearly 50 years, he served as counsel in all forms of international commercial arbitration and litigation, including oil and gas, civil engineering, construction and joint venture disputes. He also represented clients in commercial litigation in the English courts. He was appointed as a Recorder and Deputy High Court Judge and was also a President of Mental Health Review Tribunals, a chartered arbitrator and an accredited ADR group mediator.
During the course of his career, Mr. Marriott published and spoke widely on the subjects of international arbitration and ADR. He was also a principal proponent of the reform of English legislation governing arbitration, which resulted in the passage of the Arbitration Act 1996.
Mr. Marriott was Chairman of the Private Group engaged in the preparation of a new English arbitration statute, member of several committees and author or co-author of several books, including ADR Principles and Practice (co-author), The Handbook of Arbitration Practice (co-editor and author) and The Handbook of Arbitration Law and Practice (co-editor).
Speaking at the presentation of his lifetime achievement award at a GAR dinner held in London in May this year, Mr Marriot highlighted the “mass of detail” which needs to be mastered by practitioners of arbitration in individual disputes and to achieve general competence in the field. “We’ve got to find ways of making that simpler, and the sooner the better,” he said.
ICCA President Prof. Dr Albert Jan van den Berg: “He will be remembered for his most valuable contributions to ICCA, the world of arbitration, for being a brilliant advocate and, above all, a dear friend.”
Our thoughts are with Mr Marriott’s friends and family.