ICCA/Queen Mary Task Force to be featured at the Annual ITA-ASIL Conference

On 12 April 2017, ICCA will be in Washington DC to present its work on Third Party Funding at the 14th Annual ITA-ASIL Conference. The conference will feature Commentary on the Report compiled by the ICCA/Queen Mary Task Force, which is co-chaired by Professor Catherine Rogers, Professor William "Rusty" Park and Professor Stavros Brekoulakis.

For more on the Task Force and Third Party Funding in International Arbitration, read our interview with Professor Rogers, first published in our October e-news.

Co-chair Catherine Rogers on the Task Force and third-party funding

ICCA: What makes the work of the Task Force on Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration important?
Catherine Rogers (CR): The law and practice surrounding third-party funding has been called the “climate change” of international arbitration.  As always, practice runs ahead of collective understanding of the issues and of regulation (where appropriate). The Task Force brings together academics, practising lawyers, representatives with arbitral institutional experience, governmental policymakers, and leading funders to examine the key issues and make recommendations for how they should be dealt with.
 
ICCA: What is your personal interest in this work?
CR: I approach the work of the Task Force as an academic whose scholarship focuses on the professional conduct of various actors in international arbitration—the attorneys, counsel, experts, institutions, and now third-party funders.  In studying these issues, I train my focus on what conduct will promote fairness and efficiency in international arbitral proceedings, and how best to ensure that optimal conduct.
 
ICCA: As we close 2016 and look towards the year ahead, what do you hope to achieve with the Task Force in 2017?  
CR: In 2017, after being vetted both among ICCA Members and the larger arbitration community, the Task Force’s various reports will be published as a volume of the ICCA Reports.  This work cannot hope to be the last word on funding, given how rapidly practices and sensibilities are evolving. But the Task Force’s careful consideration and analysis will undoubtedly provide critical guidance and a solid foundation on fundamental issues.