Interview with Professor Rogers published in inaugural issue of international arbitration journal

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The inaugural issue of the Journal of Technology in International Arbitration includes an interview with Penn State Law professor Catherine Rogers regarding her role as the founder and director of Arbitrator Intelligence, an interactive online resource to improve access to information in international arbitration.

Patricia Shaughnessy, associate professor at Stockholm University and a member of the journal’s editorial board, interviews Rogers about the creation of Arbitrator Intelligence and how it increases accountability and access to information in the arbitrator selection process.

Some excerpts from the article, “Arbitrator Intelligence – An Interview with Its Founder and Director, Professor Catherine Rogers”:

On how Arbitrator Intelligence levels the playing field:

[W]hat Arbitrator Intelligence seeks to do is create a more level “floor of information,” not necessarily a level ceiling. Large firms and multinational corporate parties will always have more access to more information about arbitrators. But access to information needs to be made more equal and the process for obtaining it less haphazard.

On how Arbitrator Intelligence benefits various parties in the arbitration process:

For arbitrators, it creates opportunities to increase their public profile. For counsel, parties, and arbitral institutions, they can avoid potential surprises or mismatches in arbitral appointments. For regional institutions in particular, which are seeking to expand into new markets, they need information about arbitrators. Smaller, regional institutions, however, are not able to use the same ad hoc inquiry processes as attorneys and parties. These institutions can especially benefit from an accessible clearinghouse of information about international arbitrators.

On the project’s future:

We will work hard to expand our community to a more diverse group of lawyers and users, including senior members of the arbitration community. … As we grow our community, we also need to grow our support and financing. We will be looking into various grant opportunities and ways of securing stability while maintaining independence and neutrality.

The complete interview can be found on p. 87 of Vol.1, No. 1 of the Journal of Technology in International Arbitration.