Sir David Steel is an international commercial arbitrator. He acts as party appointed member of tribunals, chairman and sole arbitrator in international commercial disputes of a wide-ranging subject matter, including sale of goods, banking, insurance and reinsurance, joint ventures, carriage of goods, oil and gas and shipbuilding. He has been appointed in over 240 references leading to over 70 awards.
He has been appointed under the auspices of LCIA, ICC, LMAA,HKIAC, SMCA, KLRCA, Bermuda Form, DIAC etc as well as ad hoc including under UNCITRAL rules. Sir David was called to the Bar in 1966 and had a prestigious career, becoming a judge of the Commercial and Admiralty Courts in 1998, he was Judge in charge from 2004-6. He was Chairman of the European Commercial Judges Forum from 2009-2011.
Sir David was Deputy Chief Justice of the DIFC between 2011 and 2018.
t: +44 (0)20 7583 4444
Judicial Career
Career at English Bar
Recent Arbitration experience
Arbitration
As counsel appeared in numerous arbitrations and also acted as arbitrator regularly.
Recent decisions
Oil and gas – including joint ventures and pollution control.
Shipping – Including cargo carriage, ship operation and shipbuilding.
As counsel acted in numerous shipping claims including cargo claims, charterparty disputes, limitation disputes, oil pollution, collisions and salvage as well as wreck inquiries such as those into loss of bulk carrier Derbyshire and capsize of Herald of Free Enterprise
Recent Judicial Decisions
Insurance -including underwriting, brokerage and reinsurance.
As counsel instructed in a variety of insurance disputes including the Lloyd’s litigation representing Wellington names, Poland managing agents, and Outhwaite syndicate
Recent decisions
Aerospace – including carriage by air, overhaul and crash investigation.
As counsel instructed by war risk underwriters in Air India 747 bombing
Recent decisions
Commodities –including trading in oil, feed and minerals.
Banking – including derivative trading, currency futures and compliance
Disaster Investigation – including shipping and air casualties, oil pollution.
White Collar Crime
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