THE AUTHOR:
Chris Campbell, Senior Counsel – Litigation at Baker Hughes
The IBA Arb40 Subcommittee launched a competition to compile and publish poignant stories from this period, forming a distinctive compendium of shared experiences. Exploring the depths of the international arbitration community, the IBA Arb40 Common Heritage of International Arbitration Competition for the Most Meaningful Personal Stories unfolds a tapestry of diverse narratives.
Spanning the globe, these stories capture the human side of international arbitration, showcasing triumphs, challenges, and the interconnectedness that defines our professional journey. Each article in this collection offers a unique lens into our Common Heritage of International Arbitration, underscoring the significance of camaraderie, mentorship, and shared experiences within our global community.
The following article received high commendation in the competition.
I started a podcast to meet people.
It’s called Tales of the Tribunal, and it’s gone from zero to over 30,000 downloads since its inception. The tagline is: “Where practice meets personality”, which is exactly what we do, i.e., connect the stories and fascinating backgrounds of members of the international disputes community to their dynamic initiatives and projects in the field. Randomly asking busy lawyers and professionals if they want to be recorded talking about their lives and careers was a bit of a long-shot—
Crazy thing about it? It worked!…
More than 50 one-hour interviews later, it’s probably been my single greatest catalyst to talk and meet with interesting people across the field, often at conferences or while attending events I was already going to.
But this isn’t a piece advising you (or anyone) to start a podcast—in fact don’t, definitely don’t start another arbitration podcast (unless you really want to).
This is a series of anecdotes about the virtues of relationship building (not networking) and how those threads can impact your career.
VISitors
I have often written about and been involved with the Willem C. Vis Moot Court Competition—an international commercial arbitration competition whereby students from across the globe compete using the principles of international law and especially the Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).
It’s also where I met my wife. We met during a pre-moot, she was on an opposing team (it isn’t important who outscored who), and once the dust of competition had settled…private negotiations continued which ultimately led to (a few) coffee meetings and new jewelry for both of our left hands.
That would be enough on its own, but there’s more from the Vis.
One of the arbitrators from one of my team’s rounds in Vienna—We’ll call him “Vis Arbitrator”— is now one of my co-workers in my current role. Aside from me being loud and probably too talkative, he noted that I stood out as the lone (and somewhat towering) American on a team of smaller Chinese classmates as we represented Tsinghua University. We stayed in touch over the years, mostly over LinkedIn or a brief email. When he joined our team, the instant recognition from years earlier made for easy team building and camaraderie—essential for working in the trenches of international disputes.
Just one more Vis Story.
You’d never know it, but there are a bunch of South Carolinians (and Southerners in general) in the world of international arbitration. We don’t always have our trademark southern drawl, but we’re out there. We recognize each other and we’re always whispering and conspiring together (Mostly about BBQ and SEC Football). One night during the Vis, I’m several beers in at the Moot Bar and I’m tapped on the shoulder by one such clandestine Carolinian—
“Hey there, I heard you’re from South Carolina?”, was the greeting. I was awaiting some punch line about grits, sweet tea, or the Confederacy, but it was a warm welcome and a conversation that revealed the other state-based connections in the field. Connections which, to date, have slowly developed into a Southerners’ coalition at many international arbitration events. Y’all probably wouldn’t notice that though.
Do the Write Thing
Whenever advising those that want to get to know people in the international disputes’ world, I always give them the same advice — work on projects, help with conferences and WRITE.
Taking my own advice, while helping on a project, I wrote a book review for the publication of a scholar in the field and highlighting any inconsistencies that I came across. (Coincidentally, the most significant occasion I discovered involved correcting the author on a point of South Carolina Law). While de-briefing with the author, she and I struck up a friendly respect and rapport with one another and have remained in touch—we’ll leave this thread here for now.
Some years later, I wrote a not-so-shy piece calling for greater diversity and inclusion in international arbitration. It was decently well received and viewed, most notably by my future boss. After having secured the job he revealed, aside from having talked to a mutual academic contact—both, the author whose book I had reviewed, and the Vis Arbitrator had provided helpful references when said boss was considering me for the position. Small world indeed.
Conclusion
There are perhaps many lessons that one could take away from these vignettes—hopefully not dating advice, I wouldn’t broadly recommend moots to meet romantic partners— my biggest take away is being authentic, positive, and open to possibility. Of course, there is much more that one could say about relationship building, but my experience, has been fundamentally shaped by the rich tapestry intertwined and woven together to develop this community called international arbitration and dispute resolution.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher (“Chris”) Campbell is a Senior Litigation Counsel for Baker Hughes and advises on commercial dispute resolution matters in the Oil & Gas, Energy & Technology sectors. Chris attained an LL.M Tsinghua University studying Chinese Law and international dispute resolution, and has worked on commercial & legal matters across multiple continents. Prior to joining Baker Hughes, Chris litigated a number of matters, specializing Eminent Domain disputes in the state of South Carolina and advising the Charleston Port Authority on various matters related to trade law and international commercial arbitration. Chris also served as the inaugural law clerk to the honorable Jocelyn T. Newman of the South Carolina 5th Judicial Circuit. He currently serves as the immediate past Co-Chair for the ABA International Arbitration Committee, the Steering Committee for the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center’s Young Practitioners group (SVAMC-YP) a founding member of Racial Equality for Arbitration Lawyers (R.E.A.L.), a Vice-President of the Atlanta International Arbitration Society and vice-chair of the SC Bar Intl. Law Committee. Chris is a founder and coach the Wilhelm C. Vis Moot International Commercial Arbitration teams at the University of South Carolina School of Law and the Charleston School of Law. Chris created the podcast, Tales of the Tribunal, in 2019 which is available across most major podcasting platforms.
This article was first published on the website of the Arbitration Committee of the Legal Practice Division of the International Bar Association, and is reproduced by kind permission of the International Bar Association, London, UK. © International Bar Association.
Available at: https://www.ibanet.org/Arb40-Competition
