Dominic Spenser Underhill

Solicitor & Arbitrator, Honorary Professor, Visiting Lecturer, Spenser Underhill Newmark LLP

Dominic is an English Solicitor Advocate with over 35 years’ experience in dispute resolution, based primarily in London and the City of London.

He has practised as an international arbitrator since 2002, when he was the Head of International Arbitration in the London and Paris offices of what is known as Mayer Brown.

Dominic left Mayer Brown to set up his own law firm. He has worked out of Spenser Underhill Newmark LLP since 2006. He now practises as an arbitrator full time. He has a particular interest in banking and finance disputes.

From 2009-2024, Dominic was an Adjudicator for the Solicitors Regulation Authority to whom he also gave in-house training on legal professional ethics. He is a former Chair of the Solicitors Compensation Fund. From 2005-2020, Dominic also acted as a Legal Assessor to the Professional Disciplinary Tribunal of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

In 2024, Dominic was appointed and Honorary Professor at the School of Law, Queen Mary, University of London, where he teaches (amongst other things) the ethics of international arbitration. He had been a visiting lecturer there since 2009. Dominic is a former Visiting professor of the University of Turin, where he still lectures annually.

Contributed to

1

Ethical standards in international arbitration—an introduction

Practice Notes

This Practice Note considers the various ethical standards that may apply in international arbitration proceedings and the impact of those differing standards on various stages of the arbitration process such as witness preparation, disclosure and communications between the parties and the arbitrators (or arbitral tribunal). The Practice Note also covers the arbitrator’s role in ethical decisions and the impact of the IBA Guidelines on Party Representation in International Arbitration, the LCIA General Guidelines and the AAA/ICDR Standards of Conduct for Parties and Representatives. The Note considers the role and regulation of counsel in international arbitration duties and ethics.

Arbitration