Having acted as counsel in multiple international arbitrations over four decades and represented parties from many parts of the world, I have evolved four guidelines when acting as an arbitrator :

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• Respect for the work of counsel: devote as much care to studying the parties’ submissions as they took in preparing them ;

• International dimension: neutrality is essential, but it is crucial that an arbitrator makes the effort of understanding counsel’s method of reasoning in procedural and substantive matters (under various systems of common law and civil law) ;

• No delay in the arbitral tribunal’s procedural directions and substantive work  ;

• Protection of the parties from concerns and challenges resulting from conflicts of interest.