Announcements

CETA - Where Are the Women?  Diffusing the Thought Terminating Cliches That Impeded Diversity in SUSTAINABLE DIVERSITY IN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022) (with Anthony S. Marcum) has been published! 

Dr. Simpson was included in the Compendium of Unicorns - a publication by Mute-Off Thursdays that highlighted senior women arbitrators.

Dr. Simpson has been appointed to serve as Chair of the American Bar Association's Section of Dispute Resolution's Women in Dispute Resolution ("WIDR") Committee.

Dr. Simpson has joined the College of Commercial Arbitrators (CCA) as a Fellow.

Dr. Simpson presented in the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA), Virtual Legal Summit Series, "Diversifying Neutral Panels:  Let's Get It Done" (September 1, 2022)

Dr. Simpson was quoted in "Arbitrator Group Wants More Diversity in Dispute Resolution" - Law360 (August 10, 2022)

"[...] Maybe arbitration will be like every other major industry that seriously benefits from diversity, and has found a correlation between diverse teams and lowered costs, increased speeds, and improvements in innovation."

The Ray Corollary Initiative was short-listed for a GAR Award 2022 in the Pledge category!  

Dr. Simpson was quoted in "BigLaw Heavyweights' Feud Highlights Legal Quagmire - Law360 (February 9, 2022)

"The remedies available in arbitration, including the threat that the arbitrator could draw negative inferences or make an adverse cost award against a party, could do little to compel an unrelated nonparty - someone who never consented to arbitrate in the first place - to participate...

But, and as recognized in the parties' briefs, parties choose arbitration in part because arbitrators do not have the same power as judges. ... As this case shows, it is not a foregone conclusion that a court will intervene to provide the additional judicial muscle that is otherwise unavailable in arbitration."

The Ray Corollary Initiative published its End-of Year Report, 2021.  Dr. Simpson was elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Ray Corollary Initiative in late 2021.

Dr. Simpson was a Panelist and Moderator in the Practicing Law Institute ("PLI") course, "International Arbitration 2021" (June 2021)

Dr. Simpson was the Sole Presenter at the American University Washington College of Law, Summer Conference (June 7, 2021), "Arbitrator Independence and Impartiality in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration"

Eunice Shang-Simpson and Shayda Vance introduced the Arbitrators of African Descent List to ArbitralWomen, with their January article "The New List:  Arbitrators of African Descent with a U.S. Nexus"

In "Fireside Chat with ArbitralWomen President Dana MacGrath", panelists Erika Williams and Dana MacGrath highlighted Dr. Simpson's initiative to increase balance on the CETA Roster, which demonstrated that even individual actions make a difference for diversity.

Dr. Simpson presented as part of a panel at the September 8, 2020 USCIB/ICC Event "Uses and Misuses of Tribunal Secretaries."  ArbitralWomen Newsletter, Issue 42 .  Dr. Simpson provided this sample appointment text to attendees: Sample Appointment of Administrative Secretary for ICC Cases, September 2020

Global Arbitration Review, "New US List Promotes Arbitrators of African Descent" (4 September 2020)

Response by the European Commission on "CETA Arbitrator Roster - Where Are the Women?", ArbitralWomen News, July 2020.

Dr. Simpson's work in response to the gender imbalance in the CETA List of Arbitrators was cited by the International Council for Commercial Arbitration's Report of the Cross-Institutional Task Force on Gender Diversity in International Appointments and Proceedings, The ICCA Reports No. 8 (2020).

"Simpson analyzed the credentials of the individuals nominated to the roster and prepared a list of 70 equally qualified women who were similarly eligible to be placed on the list.  She noted that 'there is no shortage of qualified women in international trade law, or in international dispute resolution, generally.' ... the CETA example nevertheless shows that there are occasions where women are failing to be given the same opportunities to obtain arbitral appointments as their male counterparts."

Funke Adekoya SAN, "A 'New' List - Arbitrators of African Descent" (African Arbitration Association) (26 June 2020), available at afaa.ngo/page-18097/9061705 

Africa Legal, "A New List of Arbitrators", (24 June 2020), available at africa-legal.com/news-detail/a-new-list-of-arbitrators/ 

African Arbitration Association, Funke Adekoya SAN is included in newly created List of Arbitrators of African Descent (19 June 2020), available at afaa.ngo/page-18211 

Women Leaders in Arbitration, an Interview with Katherine Simpson, ArbitralWomen Newsletter, Issue 39, April 2020

Katherine Simpson, "Developments in International Arbitration:  Keeping the Promises of a New Era", ArbitralWomen News, Issue 38 (March 2020)

Barry Leon, "Chairpersons for CETA state-to-state disputes.  Where are the women, Canada?", The Lawyer's Daily, 10 March 2020

Dr. Simpson's work in response to the gender imbalance in the CETA List of Arbitrators, "CETA - Where are the Women", was shortlisted for a GAR Award.  Global Arbitration Review, GAR Awards 2020 - the Pledge Award (19 February 2020)

Dana MacGrath, "CETA List of Arbitrators - Where are the Women?", ArbitralWomen News, 28 January 2020