Richard Siberry KC

Prior to becoming a full-time arbitrator Richard Siberry had a broad-based practice in commercial litigation and arbitration in line with Essex Court Chambers’ profile. In particular: shipping and carriage of goods, international trade and finance, insurance and reinsurance, banking (letters of credit, swaps, derivatives) and financial services, commodities, oil and gas and other contractual disputes, international and domestic arbitration, Brussels Convention/Regulation and other jurisdictional disputes. He appeared regularly as advocate in the Commercial and other Courts including the House of Lords and Privy Council, and has considerable experience of heavy commercial litigation, having been involved in a number of cases of eight weeks or more duration. As an advocate he had an extensive international arbitration practice, involving shipping, oil and gas, insurance and reinsurance, commodity and other arbitrations before a variety of tribunals, including ICC, LCIA, LMAA tribunals, and an arbitration panel in Beijing.

He has over 25 years’ experience as an arbitrator, having sat as sole arbitrator and as a member of a tribunal of three (on many occasions as chairman or president), in ICC, LCIA, LMAA, UNCITRAL, and ad hoc arbitrations in the UK and abroad, and as chairman of a Lloyd’s Disciplinary Tribunal. For examples of recent cases, see the attached arbitration CV.

Recent arbitrations include

Chairman of an LCIA arbitral tribunal in an arbitration concerning gas pricing under a long-term gas sale contract;
Chairman of an ICC arbitral tribunal in an arbitration involving telecommunications licenses in one of the former Soviet republics;
Chairman of an international arbitral tribunal in an ad hoc arbitration involving a major oil company and environmental pollution and clean-up costs;
Chairman of an SCC arbitral tribunal in a dispute under a contract for the provision of seismic and related services in connection with onshore oil exploration;
Chairman, or party-appointed arbitrator, in numerous shipbuilding disputes involving issues of alleged late delivery, cancellation, claims for payment, or repayment, of instalments of the purchase price, claims under repayment and performance guarantees, and warranty claims;
Chairman, sole arbitrator, and party-appointed arbitrator in numerous LMAA and other shipping arbitrations involving a wide range of bareboat, time and voyage charterparty and contract of affreightment disputes, and ship sale disputes;
Member of ICC and LCIA arbitral tribunals in arbitrations involving
investment and performance disputes concerning wind farm projects;
Member of an ICC arbitral tribunal in a dispute about the manufacture and
supply of silicon wafers for solar panels;
Member of an ICC arbitral tribunal in a dispute involving the construction of
an industrial plant in a former Soviet republic;

Professional and Academic Career

April 2018: present: International Arbitrator, practising from 24 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London
October 1975: March 2018: Barrister, practising as an advocate and an arbitrator from Essex Court Chambers, 24 Lincoln’s Inn Fields London (formerly 4 Essex Court, Temple, London)
2002: Deputy High Court Judge, Commercial and Admiralty Courts (part time)
2001: Recorder, Crown Court (part time)
1996: Assistant Recorder, Crown Court (part time)
1989: Q.C.
1975: Joined 4 Essex Court
1974: called to the Bar, Middle Temple
1973: 1976: Law Fellow, Pembroke College, University of Cambridge (teaching the law of contract, equity, and legal history)
1975: MA, Pembroke College, Cambridge University
1973: LLB (First Class Hons., with distinction), Pembroke College, Cambridge University
1972: BA (Law) (First Class Hons., with distinction), Pembroke College, Cambridge