Arbitra appoints four new members

Arbitra appoints four new members

Support for arbitration management a year ago, since its debut, Arbitra has nearly doubled its overall membership to 35 by adding four new members

Adrian Cole, Dmitri Evseev, Dana MacGrath and Eun Young Park are among the new members. They were all partners at prestigious international law firms like King & Spalding, Arnold & Porter, Sidley Austin and Kim & Chang.

"The four new members "set the seal on the year our membership has increased, thanks to consumer interest in our offering, help shape the manner international arbitrators administer their practices and how legal firms strategically find and designate the right neutral," stated Owen Lawrence, Chief Executive of Arbitra.

Since departing King & Spalding in January 2021, Cole has worked independently. He is known as the "go-to" arbitrator in the Middle East for issues involving engineering and construction. In Abu Dhabi and Dubai, he oversaw King & Spalding's disputes practice. He had previously worked as a partner at Simmons & Simmons.

After more than 15 years with the London-based firm, Evseev quit in June 2022 to work as an independent arbitrator. He previously worked for the American law firms Winston & Strawn, White & Case, and WilmerHale. In investor-state and business arbitration conflicts, he specialises.

Since leaving her position as a fund manager and in-house legal representation at litigation funder Omni Bridgeway in August 2021, MacGrath, who is located in New York, has worked independently. She was once an attorney with Allen & Overy, O'Melveny & Myers, and a partnership at Sidley Austin. Her arbitration experience includes work in a variety of sectors, including telecoms, infrastructure, oil & gas, and building.

Park left his company in June 2022 to work as an independent arbitrator, similar to Evseev. He worked for Kim & Chang in Seoul for more than 25 years, serving as co-chair of the firm's international arbitration and litigation practise. He specialises in investment treaty and commercial arbitration.

"We collaborate with [our members] so they can concentrate on what they do best—resolve disputes—while we handle the other tasks. That involves assisting law firms and their clients in choosing the person most qualified to settle their disputes and, in turn, identifying the most appropriate tribunal from a broad stable," informed Lawrence.