Mary B.L. Thomson

Barrister-at-law, Former Solicitor,Chartered Arbitrator,Mediator & Adjudicator, Associate Member St. Philips Stone Chambers London & Singapore.

Mary started her career in London. She was called as a barrister in 1983 and undertook pupillage at the chambers of GRA Darling QC (now St. Philips Stone Chambers) in Middle Temple. She went on to work in the insurance (as claims executive and underwriter) and transport industry before returning to legal practice and requalifying as a solicitor. Mary moved to Hong Kong in 1992 continuing practice as a solicitor for over 20 years, for the most part as a dispute resolution partner in Hong Kong and international law firms. Mary’s extensive experience spans the financial, insurance, transport, energy, commodities, IT and manufacturing sectors.

In 2013, Mary joined the Hong Kong Bar and Pacific Chambers in Hong Kong to become self-employed and independent as she was increasingly being appointed as an arbitrator and mediator. In 2014, she joined Stone Chambers London and Singapore as an Associate Member.

Mary has been involved in arbitrations since her early years in London, conducting arbitrations including HKIAC, ICC, SIAC, SCMA, LMAA, CIETAC as well as ad hoc arbitrations. She has been appointed arbitrator since 1996, including pursuant to “commercial man” clauses and is on the panel of arbitrators of various regional arbitration centres. She regularly sits in Hong Kong, London and Singapore arbitrations.

Mary has also successfully mediated large international commercial disputes including international trade and shipping, insurance, banking disputes in Hong Kong, London and Singapore.

Mary is the current Chair of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (East Asia Branch), only the second lady chair in its 45 years history.

She is recommended in Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2017 – The English Bar: Commercial (Tier 1). She has also been recognised by “Who’s who of the Law” (Hong Kong), Chambers Global, and Chambers Asia, and has been described as:

‘An arbitrator with experience in London and Hong Kong.’ (Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2017)

‘Extremely capable and hard working – adopts a practical attitude – very sensible – well liked’

Recent Arbitrator Appointment

• Arbitrator in Tribunal of 3 in ICC arbitration in a reinsurance dispute involving a Danish insurer and Turkish reinsurer (London seat, English Law)
• Sole arbitrator in ICC arbitration involving technical services agreement between an energy company and an expert consultant in Texas (Manila seat, Philippines Law)
• Chair in 35 ad hoc arbitrations involving same two parties for a project (Hong Kong seat, English law)
• Chair in SIAC arbitration involving a charter guarantee dispute between an American company and a Bruneian company (Singapore seat, English law)
• Arbitration in Tribunal of 3 in HKIAC consolidated arbitration involving commodity dispute between a Hong Kong trading company, a Californian company and its Peruvian supplier (Hong Kong seat, English law)

Lectures and Presentations

• “Use of ICC Arbitrations in International Trade Disputes” for ICC “Resolving Energy Disputes” for the Energy Institute
• “Ignore Mediation at your cost” to a Corporate Counsels Association
• “Fraud and the L/C” to bankers
• Conducted workship in Seoul on Oil & Gas charters
• Approved Course Director, Lecturer, Assessor and Tutor of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
• Guest Lecturer at Hong Kong and City Universities on arbitration, mediation and insurance law courses
• Sitting as Arbitrator at Vis East moots including the Final Round in 2014
• Speaker at presentations in numerous cities in Asia, UK, the USA and in Dubai

Notable Publications

• General Editor : Maritime Law and Practice in Hong Kong (Thomson Reuters)
• Co-author of chapter on Insurance Arbitration : Arbitration in Hong Kong A practical Guide, Third Edition, The Hong Kong Law Library (Sweet & Maxwell)
• Arbitration practice, Editorial Board: Lexis Practical Guide
• Admiralty volume, Hong Kong Court Forms in Civil Proceedings (Butterworths)
• Editorial Board : Asian Dispute Review
• “Insurer and Broker Win Commission Case in Hong Kong” (Mondaq)
• “New Rules Seek to Tighten Regulation of China’s Insurance Market” (Lexology)
• ‘A Commercial Man” (Asian Dispute Review, Society of Maritime Arbitrators, New York)
• “Enforcement of Mainland Chinese arbitration award refused on public policy grounds in Hong Kong amid warnings on Med-Arb” (Lexology, Mondaq and Seaview)
• “India declares it will enforce arbitration awards from China and Hong Kong” (Mondaq, Seaview)
• Hong Kong’s State and Crown Immunity: Immunity for State-Owned Enterprises?”(Mondaq, Seaview, Lexology and Client Alerts)
• “Hong Kong Court of Appeal Reinstates ICC Award and Confirms Case Management Autonomy of Arbitral Tribunals”(Lexology & Clients Alerts)