Prof Maxi Scherer has been appointed as the next President of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) Court, effective May 9..She will succeed Paula Hodges KC. Scherer, who has served as LCIA Court Vice-President for the past four years, will work with Hodges during the transition..A co-founder of ArbBoutique and Professor of Law at Queen Mary University of London, Scherer is admitted to the Paris Bar and as a solicitor in England and Wales..Speaking on the new appointment, outgoing President Hodges said, "Maxi is a truly international and dynamic arbitration practitioner. Her civil and common law expertise, linguistic skills and creative thought leadership will make her a formidable LCIA President.”.Speaking of Hodges' tenure, Scherer said, "Paula’s tenure as LCIA President has been outstanding and her shoes are impossible to fill. As Vice President, I had the privilege and pleasure to work with, and learn from, her in the past years and this continuity of case management experience positions me well to keep the trust of the LCIA’s users. The LCIA is a truly global institution and I hope to expand its global profile with a renewed priority on agility, accessibility and innovation, in particular to embrace evolving needs and opportunities arising from modern technologies.".The press release announcing the appointment stated,"Over the course of Paula’s presidency, the LCIA administered cases involving parties from 161 jurisdictions, across 70 seats of arbitration, and governed by 99 substantive laws. In 2023, as a testament to this international profile, 96 percent of the LCIA’s cases were international with 79 percent not involving a single UK-based party. The LCIA’s Costs and Duration Analysis 2024 also shows that these international cases are being run efficiently, with the LCIA standing as one of the most cost-effective global institutions across all amounts in dispute, and particularly for high value disputes."
