Arbitral award publication by the London Maritime Arbitrators Association: improving the policy for a greater impact

The article discusses the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) policy for publication of arbitral awards. Through the examination of relevant provision of the LMAA Terms, statistical data as well as practicalities of the award publication process the author establishes that at present the LMAA policy is not effectively functioning. The article further compares the LMAA policy regarding award publication and its implementation to other alternative dispute resolution forums which routinely publish dispute outcomes, such as the Society of Maritime Arbitrators, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the panels under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. The author suggests relevant changes to the LMAA Terms which would ensure more consistent practice of disputes outcomes publication, thus addressing the issue of transparency and knowledge monopoly within the LMAA. Moreover, effective award publication could beneficially affect maritime practices worldwide by creating new norms and influencing common law development.