The focus for the afternoon workshops was intellectual property disputes, delivered by John Mackenzie, partner at Shepherd and Wedderburn, and Usman Tariq, advocate at Ampersand Advocates.

They said: “We were delighted to deliver a workshop at the Scottish Arbitration Centre’s Annual Arbitrator Training Day to promote the use of arbitration in IP/IT disputes.

“While IP disputes have traditionally been litigated in the courts, there is increasing use of arbitration for IP disputes around the world. There are several advantages of arbitrating IP disputes in Scotland which will appeal to both Scottish and international businesses.”

Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of the centre, who chaired the event, said: “We are delighted to have hosted another successful arbitrator training day. I am particularly pleased that we continue to attract a mix of professionals to our annual event, with advocates, solicitors and surveyors exchanging experiences in best practice.

“It was particularly valuable to explore the advantages of arbitrating IP disputes in Scotland, and I am grateful to John and Usman for all their input with the event.

“Scotland’s arbitration system has provision for breach of confidence and also anonymity for parties in respect to any reference to our court, meaning that sensitive disputes that are subject to Scottish arbitration have the benefit of privacy, unlike in many other jurisdictions. Therefore, I hope our unique system will attract more arbitration to Scotland.”