Ian Hunter KC

Concentrating for a number of years on sitting as an arbitrator he is highly experienced in all forms of commercial arbitration. He is engaged full-time in institutional and ad hoc arbitration. Much of his work involves cases governed by foreign law as well as English law. In recent years he has decided disputes governed by the law of New York, Massachusetts, California, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Iran, South Korea, the UEA, Algeria and Switzerland.

He is fluent in French and enjoys sitting in disputes governed by French law, French-inspired law and civil law. He regularly sits as sole arbitrator and chairman of a three member panels, as well as sitting as a co-arbitrator. His appointments have included ICC, LCIA, SCC and ARIAS US arbitrations as well as many ad hoc arbitrations. He has sat in many different locations including London, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Hong Kong, Singapore, Melbourne, Mumbai, Jakarta, Paris and Geneva.

During his period as a practising advocate he was involved in commercial litigation of all kinds with particular specialities in shipping disputes and insurance and reinsurance claims. Ian practised in England and Wales after being called to bar in 1967 and later as an SC in New South Wales, Australia.

Recent Arbitrations

Disputes in the oil and gas industry, including production sharing agreements, long term supply contracts and drilling contracts. (In many cases the production sharing contracts were concluded in English in another the contract was in French and the arbitration was conducted in French).
Disputes governed by New York and California law involving intellectual property, the ownership of certain patents in most forms of modern telecommunication equipment, licensing of programming language and alleged breaches of copyright.
Disputes in the telecommunications industry, including setting up and installing a country-wide telecommunications system and satellite insurance claims.
Disputes in the aviation industry including the leasing of commercial aircraft and end of contract term disputes.
Construction disputes including one arising out of a cyclone hitting a power plant under construction in India and another involving a chemical plant in Jordan.
Shipbuilding contract disputes.
Insurance and reinsurance disputes of all kinds, particularly workers compensation reinsurance, pharmaceutical industry claims against reinsurers, Bermuda form disputes, property damage and business interruption claims and various domestic US insurance and reinsurance claims including US mass tort litigation claims.
Joint venture and partnership disputes. Corporate and shareholder disputes.
International sale and purchase of goods disputes, with a number of disputes involving long-term supply contracts in the coal industry.
Agency contract disputes.
Banking – loan agreements and financial agreements of different kinds.
Competition law disputes, in particular claims based on European competition law.
Misuse of confidential information disputes.
Professional liability claims.
Disputes in Formula 1 motor racing.
Restitution claims.

Education and Career

Ian was educated at Reading School, Pembroke College Cambridge (MA, LLB 1967) and the Harvard Law School (LLM 1968). He was called to the Bar in England and Wales, in November 1967 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1980. He is a member of the Inner Temple and became a Bencher in 1986. Ian was also a member of the Paris Bar from 1995 to 2010 and became an SC in New South Wales.

Appointments and Society Memberships

Member of the LCIA, Combar, London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association, IBA, President of the Franco-British Lawyers Association, co-founder and President of
the Anglo Australasian Lawyers Association.
Former President of the Union Internationale des Avocats based in Paris in 1989-90 and now a member of the UIA.
Honorary member of the Canadian Bar Association.
Called to the New South Wales Bar in 1993.
Took silk in New South Wales in 1994.
Avocat au Barreau de Paris between 1995 and 2010.
Deputy High Court Judge.
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.