Neil Kaplan CBE QC SBS is a British subject who has been engaged for over 40 years in dispute resolution as a barrister in England, a government lawyer in Hong Kong, a practising Queen’s Counsel in Hong Kong, and a Judge of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong in charge of the Construction and Arbitration List.

Since 1995, Neil Kaplan has practised solely as an international arbitrator.

Neil Kaplan is ranked as a Most In Demand Arbitrator by Chambers and Partners (Band 1).

Neil Kaplan of Arbitration Chambers is described by one interviewee as "the godfather of Hong Kong arbitration," with "great stature and influence in the jurisdiction" and a consistently busy, varied and well-managed caseload. Other sources testify extensively to his "tons of experience" in the region, one commentator reporting that this factor - plus "an exceptional legal mind" - makes him "suitable for almost any type of complex dispute." The same source also notes: "There is no doubt that any proceedings where he is a member of the tribunal will be run smoothly and to the highest standards."

Mariel is Secretary-General of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. She is an international commercial and investment arbitration specialist.

Prior to joining the HKIAC, Mariel was a Partner at CMS and Co-Head of the global CMS International Arbitration Group. She has over 15 years' experience acting as adviser and advocate in numerous international arbitrations. She has extensive experience in both common law and civil law disputes, including disputes involving Chinese parties, and has full professional fluency in German. She also sits regularly as arbitrator and has experience as arbitrator under the HKIAC, ICC, KCAB, and DIS Rules, and in ad hoc disputes. She is on the arbitrator panels of several institutions.

She is a past co-chair of the HK45 Committee, and a member of the WILHK Advisory Board. She is consistently ranked in both the regional and global editions of the leading legal directories.

Caroline joined ACICA as Counsel in January 2020. As a dual US/Australian qualified lawyer, she has over a decade of experience in international arbitration, working in private practice in Paris, Hong Kong and Melbourne. She co-founded ACICA45 and now serves as an Advisory Member to the ACICA45 Steering Committee.

She is a member of the ACICA Practice & Procedures Board.

James co-leads the firm’s Asia Arbitration Hub, supporting clients along the Asia–Australia corridor in cross-border disputes and international arbitrations.

James’ practice centres on advising Japanese and Asia Pacific clients in complex commercial disputes, primarily through international arbitration. He has particular expertise in cross-border contractual disputes, as well M&A, joint venture and shareholder disputes. James has acted as counsel and advocate in arbitrations under all the major institutional rules and before ad hoc tribunals with seats across Asia and Europe.

James also works with clients on multi-jurisdictional fraud and corruption investigations, advising on anti-bribery and corruption matters (including coordinating with various authorities and regulators), corporate governance and crisis management.

James advises clients across various industries, with particular experience in the manufacturing, energy, technology, pharmaceutical and consumer products sectors.