Scottish Arbitration Centre pays tribute to Lord Dervaird

The Hon Lord Dervaird (Professor John Murray QC, honorary vice president of the Scottish Arbitration Centre, passed away on 23 December 2015.

There will be a cremation service at 4pm today at Warriston Crematorium (Lorimer Chapel), Edinburgh.

Lord Dervaird was a former judge of the Court of Session. He had experience as an arbitrator and as counsel in numerous international arbitration proceedings, both institutional (LCIA, ICC, NAFTA, and ICSID) and ad hoc, in Scotland, England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Tanzania, India, the West Indies and Singapore.

Lord Dervaird was a member of the advisory board of the International Arbitration Institute, and an honorary council member of the Conciliation and Arbitration Centre for Advanced Techniques (ATA), both Paris. He wrote various Scotland chapters in distinguished international arbitration publications, and was emeritus professor at the University of Edinburgh, and lectured on international arbitration at King’s College London andStrathclyde Universities.

Leading tributes on behalf of the Centre, Sir David Edward QC, honorary president of the centre, said: “Lord Dervaird was a trail-blazer for Scotland in the field of international arbitration and deservedly had a very high reputation amongst his colleagues. For myself, I am very sad to have lost an old and valued friend”.

Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of the centre, said: “Lord Dervaird was well known and respected within the international arbitration community, and a great ambassador for arbitration in Scotland. A strong supporter of the centre, he was involved in international arbitration work up until a prolonged illness this year.

“I will particularly miss him at social gatherings for his good company and entertaining tales from his life in arbitration, law and agriculture.”

Brandon Malone, chairman of the centre, added: “We were incredibly grateful for the immediate and consistent support that Lord Dervaird provided to the Scottish Arbitration Centre from the outset.

“There is no doubt, that his many achievements and his reputation in the field have opened doors for the centre, and have made it easier for us to promote Scottish arbitration.”

Various friends and colleagues from the international arbitration community have also paid tribute to Lord Dervaird, including John Beechey, past president of the ICC Court of International Arbitration, who said: “While he was at all times a stalwart champion of Scotland and arbitration in Scotland, John made his mark far further afield, not least in India and in Southern and East Africa.

“In the course of his long career as an arbitrator, he rendered a significant number of international arbitration awards, both ‘ad hoc’ and under the rules of leading institutions, including at least 15 awards under the Rules of the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

“His was a broad canvass in every sense: he was as much at home dealing with mining, oil and gas and construction disputes as he was with licensing, IP and banking.

“It is that breadth of knowledge and experience and his humanity that will cause him to be remembered well beyond the borders of his native Scotland.”