Read the first chapter of Understanding International Arbitration (Routledge 2019) by Tony Cole and Pietro Ortolani.

Read Tony's blog entries on Commercial Arbitration in Europe.

Tony Cole is a globally recognized expert in international and domestic arbitration, cross-border commerce and international investment law. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), a former Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Branch Chair, and a member of the New York Bar. He is on the European Parliament’s list of legal experts and was asked by its Committee on Legal Affairs to provide guidance on arbitration in the European Union and Switzerland, with a view to new legislation being developed by the Parliament.  He is co-author of the book Understanding International Arbitration (2018), as well as widely read reports on arbitration in both Europe and the Americas. Tony is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Commission on Arbitration and ADR and its Task Force on Disability Inclusion and International Arbitration.

Tony has more than 10 years’ experience as an arbitrator and advocate in international and complex commercial arbitrations, and has been invited to speak on arbitration by arbitral institutions around the world. While he has worked on a wide variety of disputes, he has particular expertise in international arbitrations, having served as decision-maker in disputes requiring the application of the law of multiple jurisdictions, including England and Wales, the European Union, India, Israel, Russia, Scotland, the United States (Federal and State), as well as international treaties.  He has also provided legal advice or academic guidance on the laws of Argentina, Australia, China, France, Japan and Switzerland, and has written or provided guidance to governments and practitioners on the arbitration law and practice of over 50 countries.  He has also served as counsel in international commercial arbitrations, and has twice been appointed as an appellate arbitrator.  Prior to entering academia he practiced at White & Case in New York.

Tony is on the list or panel of a range of leading arbitral institutions worldwide, including the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC), the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICAC), the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA) and the British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre (BVI IAC).

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and former Branch Chair
• Delivered decisions in numerous arbitrations and adjudications covering a range of fields
• Served as counsel in arbitrations administered by leading international institutions
• A leading expert on the law and practice of arbitration around the world

Representative Matters

• Chair of a tribunal in an arbitration between a U.S. company and a Chinese company relating to an intellectual property licensing agreement
• Sole arbitrator in an arbitration between a Russian company and a Canadian company involving a contractual dispute under Russian law
• Sole arbitrator in an arbitration between an Indian company and a U.S. company arising from termination of a contract
• Sole arbitrator in disputes under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• Sole arbitrator in disputes under the Truth in Lending Act of 1968 and other consumer protection legislation
• Twice appointed as appellate arbitrator
• Decision-maker in disputes requiring the application of the laws of multiple jurisdictions, including England and Wales, the European Union, India, Israel, Russia, Scotland, the United States (Federal and State), as well as international treaties
• A diverse practice, ranging from multi-million dollar commercial disputes to smaller consumer disputes, involving parties from high-income countries and elsewhere.  Believes that an arbitrator has a professional responsibility to be open to any appointment for which they are suitable

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Completed Virtual ADR training conducted by the JAMS Institute, the training arm of JAMS.

Memberships

• Member, International Chamber of Commerce’s Commission on Arbitration and ADR, 2022-present
• Member, International Chamber of Commerce’s Task Force on Disability Inclusion and International Arbitration, 2021-2022
• Chair, East Midlands Branch Committee, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 2020
• Certified Mediator, International Mediation Institute (IMI), 2020-2022
• Appointed to the European Parliament’s list of legal experts, 2017–2022
• Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 2016–present
• Member, New York Bar, 2004–present
• Member, East Midlands Branch Committee, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 2017–2020

Invited Presentations (Recent)

• Talk: “The New Localism of International Commercial Arbitration”, The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, 21 July 2021
• Conference: Business and Arbitration in an Era of Globalization, (member of panel on “Achieving Efficiency in Arbitration Proceedings”), Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, online presentation, 11 May 2021
• Keynote: “Arbitration and the European Rule of Law” (keynote on “The Changing Role of Arbitrators in the EU”), The Hague University of Applied Sciences, online presentation, 10 May 2021
• Keynote: 2021 Florida Bar ILS Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot (keynote on “The New Localism of International Commercial Arbitration”), online presentation, 27 February 2021
• Conference: “Dublin International Arbitration Day” (member of panel on arbitration and psychology), Arbitration Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, 16 November 2018
• Conference: “V International Arbitration Readings” (member of panel on arbitrability), International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kiev, Ukraine, 4 October 2018
• “Modern Times in arbitration: Initiatives and Perspectives” (member of panel on arbitrability), Permanent court of Arbitration attached to the Economic chamber of Macedonia, Skopje, Macedonia, 19-20 April 2018
• Roundtable: “Guerrilla Tactics in International Arbitration: Views from Southeast Asia to the Atlantic”, Asia-Pacific Forum for International Arbitration, Dublin, 17 October, 2016
• Conference: “Arbitration Futures: The Next 10 Years” (member of panel on “Arbitration in 2026”; keynote speech to Under-40 Session), 10th Congress of the Commercial Arbitration Centre of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lisbon, Portugal, 7-8 July, 2016
• Conference: “International Dispute Resolution: Diversity Towards Convergence?”, Krakow, Poland, 15-16 October, 2015
• Participant in the UNCTAD Expert Meeting on “The Transformation of the International Investment Agreement Regime”, Geneva, Switzerland, February 2015
• Presentation to the JURI Committee of the European Parliament: “Legal Instruments and Practice of Arbitration in the EU”, Brussels, Belgium, February 2015
• Workshop: “Towards a Theory of Arbitration: A Decentering Approach to Globalization”, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, June 2014
• Conference: “International Arbitration: The Role of Law”, Stockholm, Sweden, Thursday, May 2014

Recent Publications

• “Introducing Statutory Construction Adjudication to India: Drawing from International Experience”, (with Harry Meliniotis, Arran Dowling-Hussey and Tariq Mahmood) in Specialized Arbitrations: Emerging International Trends and Practices (Chirag Balyan, et al. eds. 2021)
• “Strange Bedfellows; Remarks on the Compatibility of Commercial Arbitration Principles with Maritime Arbitration” (with Aonghus Cheevers and Paolo Vargiu), Transnational Dispute Management (2021)
• “Arbitration in Its Psychological Context: A Contextual Behavioural Account of Arbitral Decision-Making”, in The Oxford Handbook of International Arbitration (Thomas Schultz & Federico Ortino eds.) (Oxford University Press 2020) (with Pietro Ortolani and Sean Wright)
• “Judicial Interpretation of Standard Arbitration Clauses: ‘Any and All Claims Related’”, in Judicial Control over Arbitral Awards (Cambridge University Press 2019) (with Rocio Digon and Kamil Mehiz)
• Understanding International Arbitration (with Pietro Ortolani) (Routledge 2019)
• “Witness Conferencing Guidelines”, (with Arran Dowling Hussey), Westlaw Middle East (2019)
• “Arbitration in the Americas” (2018) (with Pietro Ortolani, Pinar Karacan and Stephanie Trindade Cardoso)
• The Roles of Psychology in International Arbitration (editor) (Series: International Arbitration Library) (Kluwer 2017)
• “Legal Instruments and Practice of Arbitration in the EU” (2015) (with Ilias Bantekas, Christine Riefa, Federico Ferretti, Barbara Warwas and Pietro Ortolani)

Background and Education

• Gentium Law Group, Geneva, Switzerland
• Of Counsel, 2016–2018
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Accelerated Fellowship Programme
• FCIArb, 2015
• White & Case, New York
• Associate (international commercial arbitration; litigation), 2004–2007
• University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• J.D., cum laude, 2004
• European University Institute, Florence, Italy
• Exchange Program, 2003
• St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland
  • B.A., Liberal Arts, 1997