Professor Emilia Onyema – CIL Distinguished Visitor – February 2025
The Centre for International Law was pleased to host Professor Emilia Onyema in Singapore from 3 to 28 February 2025. Dr. Onyema is a Professor of International Commercial Law at SOAS University of London. She holds a PhD in international commercial arbitration from Queen Mary University of London and is qualified to practice law in Nigeria and as a Solicitor in England and Wales. Professor Onyema is also the Director of the SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre, and she accepts appointment as an independent arbitrator. During her time at CIL, Professor Onyema engaged with CIL Researchers, NUS Students and members of the arbitration community in Singapore.
On 18 February 2025, Professor Onyema gave a seminar titled “The International Arbitrator, Disclosure and Liability Issues: Is it time for one Single Standard?”. The seminar, hosted by the Singapore office of King & Spalding, was moderated by Ms Elodie Dulac, Partner and a member of the firm’s International Arbitration group. Professor Onyema explored the development of the “office” of the international arbitrator into an identifiable profession and, drawing from some of the arbitrator (and award) challenges, shared some thoughts on whether it is now time for the international arbitration community to recognise and accept this independent role of the professional arbitrator in the context of arbitrator liability for professional misconduct, and the implications of such recognition for the community.
Professor Onyema engaged in a discussion with the audience on whether arbitrators should be subjected to a more limited professional liability regime to ensure a minimum standard of professional competence. Participants debated the potential risks and benefits of holding arbitrators accountable in ways similar to regulated professions. The question of liability insurance for arbitrators was also discussed and participants were encouraged to participate in a survey on this issue initiated by Edna Sussman at Fordham Law School.
On 6 February 2025, Professor Onyema interacted with the LLM students at NUS Law, who specialise in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution. She participated in a fireside chat with Ms Chiann Bao, an Independent Arbitrator who also convenes a course on Advanced Practicum in International Arbitration at NUS Law. As a guest lecturer in the class, Dr Onyema recounted her days as a master's student and early days in her career and offered guidance to the students on exploring different career opportunities.
A sharing session with CIL Researchers was also organised. Professor Onyema gave a presentation on “Extractive Industries and Disputes Involving Local Communities”. She discussed her research and invited thoughts on how to integrate non-disputing parties, such as local communities, into the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) process. With her Ciarb Roebuck Lecture 2024 on corruption in arbitration as a starting point , Professor Onyema invited thought leadership to the proposal that local communities must be able to participate in arbitration proceedings as a matter of right. Professor Onyema’s Roebuck Lecture was nominated for Best Lecture or Speech for the Global Arbitration Review Awards.
