Neil Kaplan CBE QC SBS
Neil Kaplan CBE QC SBS has been a full-time practising arbitrator since 1995. During this period he has been involved in several hundred arbitrations as co-arbitrator, sole arbitrator or chairman. These arbitrations have included a wide range of commercial, infrastructural and investment treaty disputes under the rules of the ICC, HKIAC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, SIAC, SCC, ICSID and CIETAC. Mr. Kaplan has also presided over ad hoc arbitrations as well as bilateral investment treaty cases administered by the PCA.
Called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1965, Neil has practised as a barrister, Principal Crown Counsel at the Hong Kong Attorney General’s Chambers and served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong in charge of the Construction and Arbitration List.
In June 2001 Neil was awarded a CBE for services to international arbitration. In 2007 he was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR.
As a result of his contribution to the development and growth of arbitration in Hong Kong, Neil is often described as “the father of Hong Kong arbitration”. (See C. Bao and F. Lautenschlager (eds.), Arbitrators’ Insights – Essays in Honour of Neil Kaplan, Sweet & Maxwell 2012, at p. 17, and V. Chong, “The Father of Hong Kong Arbitration”, The Hong Kong Lawyer, December 2012, at pp. 15-24.)
From 1991 until 2004, he was Chairman of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, and in 1999-2000 he was President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Since 1995, he has been a Council Member and now Governing Board Member of the International Council of Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and in 2012 he became a Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. He is a Chartered Arbitrator and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators and the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators. Additionally, he is a panellist of several other arbitral institutions including CIETAC.
Neil has published a number of books, articles and chapters in books. See a list of his main publications here.
In addition to conducting arbitrations in England and Hong Kong, Mr. Kaplan has also conducted arbitrations in:
USA
France
Germany
Croatia
The Netherlands
Malaysia
Vietnam
Korea
Laos
Japan
Thailand
Singapore
The Phillipines
China
Dubai
Australia
Denmark
Sweden
Indonesia
South Africa
Career & Key Positions Held
1965 |
Called to the Bar of England and Wales |
1965-1980 |
Practised at the London Bar from Chambers at 1 Garden Court, Temple |
1979 |
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators |
1980-1982 |
Deputy Principal Crown Counsel, Attorney General’s Chambers, Hong Kong, with special responsibility for civil litigation |
1982 |
Queen’s Counsel for Hong Kong |
1982-1983 |
Principal Crown Counsel (Deputy Law Officer on Civil Side – Acting Solicitor-General and Crown Solicitor on occasions) |
1983 |
Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in the State of Victoria, Australia |
1984 |
Returned to private practice at the Hong Kong Bar. Founder and Head of Des Voeux Chambers |
1984- |
Justice of the Peace for Hong Kong |
1984-1987 |
Chairman of the Hong Kong Branch, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators |
1985- |
Council Member of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre |
1986 |
Admitted to the New York Bar |
1988-1989 |
Chairman of the Hong Kong Branch, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators |
1990-1994 |
High Court Judge for Hong Kong (Judge in Charge of Construction and Arbitration List, Member of Judicial Studies Board, Chairman of the Committee to examine court annexed mediation and related topics) |
1991 |
Bencher of the Inner Temple |
1991-2004 |
Chairman of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre |
1992-1998 |
Overseas Vice-President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators |
1995-2000 |
Chairman of the Disputes Review Board for Hong Kong’s new airport at Chek Lap Kok |
1995-1997 |
Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, City University of Hong Kong |
1995- |
Council Member and now Governing Board Member of the Council of the International Council of Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) |
1997-2006 |
Chairman of the Release under Supervision Board of Hong Kong |
1999-2006 |
Chairman of the WTO Review Panel for Hong Kong |
1999 |
Chartered Arbitrator |
1999-2000 |
President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators |
2000- |
Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Telecommunications Appeal Tribunal |
2004- |
Honorary Professor, City University Hong Kong |
2007-2013 |
Chair of Telecommunications (Competition Provisions) Appeal Board of Hong Kong |
2009-Feb 2012 |
International Arbitration Adviser to Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Hong Kong |
2012-Apr 2013 |
International Arbitration Adviser to King & Wood Mallesons, Hong Kong |
2012- |
HK Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration |
May 2013- |
Self-employed International Arbitrator |
Qualifications
1964 |
Bachelor of Laws degree |
1961-1964 |
King’s College, University of London (Law) |
1956-1961 |
St Paul’s School, London |
Awards
2001 |
Awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to international arbitration |
2007 |
Awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR |