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International arbitration practice burgeoning in Calgary THE WEST T here's a relatively new area of prac- tice emerging in Canada and Alberta lawyers are in the vanguard due to their leadership roles in major global deals. International commercial arbitration, commercial disputes that arise between international companies doing business together and who have agreed to resolve their disputes by arbitration instead of traditional litigation, is a growing practice area for lawyers in Calgary. Canadian lawyers, specifically those from Alberta, are emerging as counsel and arbitrators of choice in the inter- national arena. Lately, Alberta lawyers have handled some of the biggest energy and construction projects in the world. This includes several recent billion-dollar oilsands deals that are quickly becoming the norm in this province. George Vlavianos, a partner at Bennett Jones LLP in the firm's arbitration practice group in Calgary, says he is currently act- ing on a matter for a Turkish contractor in a construction dispute against a company from the United Arab Emirates and the project is located in the Black Sea. Vlavianos predicts that Alberta as a venue for international commercial arbi- tration will continue to grow. "We are a New York Convention and UNCITRAL model law jurisdiction. This means that Alberta is arbitration-friendly and the province recognizes international arbitral awards for enforcement purposes. "As well, because of our energy and construction expertise, Alberta lawyers have a honed skill set that has internation- al appeal. This will continue to make Alberta an attractive place to resolve com- plex international disputes." It wasn't until the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law's model law came into effect in 1985, as well as Canada's economy maturing, that Canada realized its potential to participate in the international arena of commercial arbitration. It was also around this time that David Haigh, a commercial litigator at the time with Burnet Duckworth & Palmer LLP, saw his future in international commer- cial arbitration. "In the mid 1980s I had a 'moment.' I thought there was something else I wanted to do but I didn't know what it was. I thought about how I was inter- ested in international affairs, travelling abroad, and history, and somehow came up with the idea of handling international commercial disputes." He says practising this type of law for the past 25 years has been interesting, gratify- ing, and rewarding. Canadian lawyers have emerged as the counsel of choice for inter- national commercial arbitration because they enjoy a good reputation internation- ally. "Abroad, Alberta lawyers are perceived as tolerant and culturally sensitive and we're known for being effective, efficient, and understated," says Vlavianos. — DIANE L.M. COOK dianecook@shaw.ca A new approach to curbing crime M ount Royal University's new Centre for Criminology and Justice Research will use a dif- ferent approach to curbing crime in Alberta. "The centre will do more than just research, it will take the learnings from its research projects, create pro- grams that incorporate those learnings, and then apply those programs to all communities in Alberta in an effort to reduce crime," says CCJR director Dr. John Winterdyk. Opened in January 2010, the CCJR is the first centre of its kind in the province. Its main focus is to identify the factors that lead people to commit crimes and then identify strategies for a prevention-and-intervention approach rather than the traditional reactionary approach. Winterdyk says the centre's first order of business is to go through the request- for-proposal process to find a research project for the centre to fund. "Each proposal should have clear outcomes as it relates to risk and prevention factors that will lend to crime prevention and/ or early intervention." He says research outcomes could result in community workshops, presen- tations to vested parties, media releases, 8 SEPTEMBER 2010 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com conference participation, and academic articles in publications. In addition to sharing findings, the centre also hopes to use such exposure to attract addi- tional support from the community, which could provide more attention and garner more funding for the centre. CCJR director Dr. John Winterdyk. Already the centre has identified sev- eral areas of interest: at-risk youth, gang- related activity, and domestic violence. "These issues are prevalent in Alberta as it relates to social, economic, and demo- graphic issues," he says. Winterdyk says he is excited and optimistic about the centre's new approach to combating crime in Alberta and believes that a reduction in crime in the province will mean an increase in quality of life for all Albertans. — DC