Jeffrey Elkinson, a director in Conyers Dill & Pearman’s Litigation and Restructuring department, has been asked to lead an international arbitration course for 24 judges and lawyers from around the world, to be held at Queen’s College, Oxford from September 16 to 24.

The Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration is run by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), a non-profit organisation with some 15,000 members globally. Course participants this year will come from 17 countries, including China, Hong Kong, Jordan, Kenya, Singapore, Australia, Canada and Zambia.

“I am honoured to have been asked to be course director this year,” Mr Elkinson said. “Arbitration is a critical part of international commerce. Businesses engaged in commercial transactions around the globe do not want to be subject to the courts of other countries, so contracts are often drawn up that specify arbitration in a neutral venue to resolve disputes, the procedure for which may or may not engage some of the worldwide arbitration institutions.

“It is important that there is a large pool of trained arbitrators to call on and this diploma course is for those who want to gain recognised credentials so that they can be involved in this process.”

Jeffrey, a past world president of the CIArb, is an experienced arbitrator and educator, having tutored for the institute since 1998. He has run courses in Bermuda, as well as further afield, such as in Sierra Leone and Brazil.

As course director, he is responsible for determining the content, tutors and guest speakers for the nine-day programme.

Guest speakers for this course include the recently retired president of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, and Lord Dyson, who until recently was the president of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice.