Christopher Harris QC

3 Verulam Buildings

London www.3vb.com

charris@3vb.com Tel: +44 207 831 8441

Biography

Christopher Harris QC is a highly regarded specialist advocate with over 20 years’ experience of arguing complex commercial and international law disputes before courts and arbitral tribunals around the world. He is the UK member of the ICC Court, a UK designee to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators and has won many professional awards for his practice. Christopher is also an experienced arbitrator in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations under all major rules.

What inspired you to pursue a legal career?

I had been set on being a corporate solicitor and had my training contract in place. Then, during my LLM studies in Leiden, I took part in a PIL moot court with a fellow student who was a prosecutor at the ICTY and he kept on at me to pursue my dream of becoming a barrister. He would not let it go until I applied for some mini-pupillages. I then had to wait a year and find work while applying for scholarships to cover the fees of the bar course, but once you have the advocacy bug, it is difficult to let go.

What was the greatest challenge you faced entering practice as arbitration counsel?

The real challenge was getting a pupillage in the small number of top sets which offer arbitration! I have been very fortunate to have great mentors in chambers who were always available to discuss points or work through ideas. More recently, it has been my turn to offer guidance and support to more junior lawyers both in our growing band of arbitration specialists in chambers and also externally. It is one of the most impressive and important aspects of the arbitration community, the willingness to help and develop others.

Given the economic pressures caused by coronavirus, some practitioners are seeing clients ask for options other than oral hearings and whether they can pay in instalments. How can practitioners and institutions help these clients?

I have not experienced this myself. What I have seen is an increasing use of video meetings instead of in-person, and an increased openness to remote hearings. I think it is one of the positives of the difficult pandemic period how our familiarity with this technology has created alternative ways of working, but I hope we do not fall into the trap of blanket adoption of remote working and hearings; human interaction is still vital to what we do. It is a question of finding the right solution for the particular situation.

Given the increasing amount of conflicts arbitrators and counsel are experiencing, should there be a set of universal conflict principals across arbitration institutions?

The IBA Guidelines have already achieved a huge amount in terms of driving consistency of approach in this area and establishing agreed common minimum standards. Ultimately, though, we are all a product of our experience and domestic tradition to a degree, and that applies equally to our clients. Things which shock me may not raise an eyebrow for a colleague from another jurisdiction. I am not sure we need universal agreement on every point; adaptability and party autonomy are key aspects of arbitration that we should not lightly constrain with blanket rules.

To what extent has the international arbitration community met the challenge of improving diversity in recent years?

Several aspects of diversity are structurally a part of international arbitration, but in areas that are not the arbitration community has been active – the traction that the ERA Pledge has gained in recent years is a welcome example. There is always more to do, but the community keeps stepping up; the ICC Commission task force on disability and inclusion is a good recent example.

How do you see your practice evolving over the next few years?

I hope to be able to continue the growth of our collegiate arbitration group in chambers and to develop our thought leadership further. I am looking forward to seeing my talented junior colleagues increasingly being instructed on substantial disputes in their own right and fulfilling their professional ambitions. Personally, alongside my counsel practice, I want to make the most of my role as the UK member of the ICC Court of Arbitration, and as a UK designee to the ICSID Panels of Arbitrators and Conciliators over the coming years. I hope that I continue to be trusted by my clients to act in their complex and interesting court and arbitration disputes in both commercial and international law, and that I achieve great results for them.

What has been the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

I have been fortunate to work with many great advocates over the years. One common theme has been that one of the real keys to effective advocacy is to focus on the points that matter and discard the rest, and especially not to argue bad points, as they infect your good points.

Peers and clients say: “One of the very best in the field – he is a thought leader” “He is very efficient and impressive in his approach” “Christopher is a superstar!” “Very well respected in international arbitration”