Herbert Smith Freehills review the English Court of Appeal’s decision in Allianz Insurance and Sirius International Insurance Corporation v Tonicstar Limited [2018] EWCA Civ 434, where the CA reversed the decision of the High Court on whether a party-appointed arbitrator met the contractual requirements as to requisite experience. The CA held that that an English QC with experience of insurance and reinsurance law was sufficient to comply with a contractual clause requiring arbitrators to have “experience of insurance and reinsurance”.
The authors observe that the decision is of particular interest as such challenges to arbitrators rarely come before the courts and highlights the importance of drafting arbitration clauses clearly, particularly where parties require their arbitrators to possess certain qualifications or experience.
