Thought Leaders

Doug Jones AO is a leading independent international commercial and investor-state arbitrator with over 40 years' prior experience as an international transactional and disputes project lawyer. Doug is an arbitrator member at Arbitration Place in Toronto, a door tenant at Atkin Chambers London and has an office in Sydney. He has also been appointed as a judge at the Singapore International Commercial Court.

He has been involved in over 100 arbitrations which include construction, infrastructure, energy, commodities, intellectual property, joint venture, and investor-state disputes spanning over 30 jurisdictions. He has extensive experience as arbitrator under the ICC, LCIA, AAA, ICDR, KCAB, AIAC (formerly KLRCA), SIAC, DIAC, ACICA, Resolution Institute, AMINZ, European Development Fund Arbitration and Conciliation Rules, as well as the ICSID and UNCITRAL Rules, in disputes of values exceeding some billions US dollars.

Doug has published and presented extensively and holds professorial appointments at Queen Mary College, University of London; and Melbourne University Law School.

Doug has held appointments at several international professional associations. He has served as the chair of the board of trustees and president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and was chair of CIArb's centenary celebrations. In 2016, Doug was appointed one of the four living companions of CIArb. Doug also chaired the 2018 International Council of Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Congress held in Sydney. He is serving as the immediate past president of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA).

He was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2012 in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his distinguished service to the law and leadership in arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, policy reform, and national and international professional organisations.

Doug Jones AO is a leading independent international commercial and investor-state arbitrator. Doug is an arbitrator member at Arbitration Place in Toronto and a door tenant at Atkin Chambers in London, UK; and has an office in Sydney, Australia.

Prior to his full-time practice as an arbitrator Doug had 40 years' experience as an international transactional and disputes projects lawyer.

The arbitrations in which he has been involved include infrastructure, energy, commodities, intellectual property, commercial and joint venture, and investor-state disputes spanning over 30 jurisdictions around the world. He has extensive experience as arbitrator under the ICC, LCIA, AAA, ICDR, KLRCA, SIAC, DIAC, ACICA, IAMA, KCAB, AMINZ, European Development Fund Arbitration and Conciliation rules, as well as the ICSID and UNCITRAL rules, in disputes of values up to several billion US dollars.

Doug is acknowledged as a leading arbitrator and is highly ranked in a number of leading publications. Chambers Asia-Pacific has recognised Doug as "without question the leading Asia-Pacific-based arbitrator for construction disputes" and testified that "he is regarded by many as "'the leading construction arbitrator in the world'". In 2019, he maintained his Band 1 ranking in the Chambers Asia-Pacific international arbitration category for a ninth consecutive year. In 2017, Who's Who Legal praised him as "one of the best construction lawyers and arbitrators in the world", recognising his "unbelievably efficient" working style and his ability to "handle the most acrimonious of disputes". Doug's earlier achievements include being ranked in the list of 15 "most highly regarded individuals" in the global construction law category by Who's Who Legal in 2015, and being named Lawyer of the Year for international arbitration in Sydney by Best Lawyers (2015–2018). His substantial contributions and leadership in the Australian legal profession were recognised when he was honoured with the Michael Kirby Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Lawyers Weekly Law Awards.

Doug has published and spoken extensively and holds professorial appointments at Queen Mary College, University of London; and Melbourne University Law School.

Doug has held appointments to multiple international professional associations, including serving as the chair of the board of trustees, president (2011) and chair of the centenary celebrations of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). He is also the immediate past president of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA) (2014) and the current president of the International Academy of Construction Lawyers (IACL).

Doug was the 2018 recipient of the John Shaw Medal, the road industry's highest accolade, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to road transport in Australia and internationally. In 2016, Doug was made one of four companions of the CIArb. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2012 in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for his distinguished service to the law and leadership in arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, policy reform, and national and international professional organisations.

Professor Doug Jones AO is a leading independent international commercial and investor-state arbitrator. Doug is an arbitrator member at Arbitration Place in Toronto, a door tenant at Atkin Chambers London, and has an office in Sydney.

Prior to his full-time practice as an arbitrator Doug spent 40 years as an international transactional and disputes projects lawyer.

The arbitrations in which he has been involved include infrastructure, energy, commodities, intellectual property, commercial and joint venture, and investor-state disputes spanning more than 30 jurisdictions around the world. He has extensive experience as arbitrator under the SIAC, ICC, LCIA, AAA, ICDR, HKIAC, AIAC (formerly KLRCA), DIAC, ACICA, IAMA, AMINZ, European Development Fund Arbitration and Conciliation Rules, as well as the ICSID and UNCITRAL Rules. He has experience as an arbitrator in arbitrations worldwide of values up to some billions of US dollars.

Doug is acknowledged as a leading arbitrator and is highly ranked in a number of leading publications. Chambers Asia-Pacific commend Doug as “the leading construction arbitrator in the world’”. In 2018, he maintained his Band One ranking in the Chambers Asia-Pacific international arbitration category for an eighth consecutive year. In the same year, Who's Who Legal: Construction identified Doug as a top-three “Thought Leader” in his area, while Who's Who Legal: UK Bar identified Doug as one of the 10 most highly regarded arbitration practitioners. In 2017, Who's Who Legal praised Doug as "one of the best construction lawyers and arbitrators in the world", noting that he is "unbelievably efficient" with an ability to "handle the most acrimonious of disputes". His other achievements include being named Sydney Lawyer of the Year for Construction/Infrastructure Law in 2018 and Lawyer of the Year for international arbitration in Sydney by Best Lawyers (2015 - 2017). His substantial contributions and leadership in the Australian legal profession was recognised when he was honoured with the Michael Kirby Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Lawyers Weekly Law Awards.

Doug has published and presented extensively, and holds professorial appointments at Queen Mary College, University of London; and Melbourne University Law School. A powerful contributor to the knowledge base of international arbitration, he has recently spoken on topics as diverse as costs, the doctrine of penalties, and innovation in international arbitration.

Doug has held appointments at several international professional associations. At the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) he has served as the chair of the board of trustees and president (2011), as well as chair of CIArb’s centenary celebrations, and in 2016 was made one of the four living Companions of the Institute. He is also the immediate past president of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA) (2014) and the president of the International Academy of Construction Lawyers (IACL). In 2018, Doug also chaired the International Council of Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Congress held in Sydney.

Doug is an Officer of the Order of Australia, having received the award in 2012 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for distinguished service to the law as a leader in the areas of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, to policy reform, and to national and international professional organisations.

Professor Doug Jones AO is an independent arbitrator and an internationally recognised infrastructure and dispute resolution lawyer. Acting for owners, financiers, contractors, consultants and subcontractors, Doug has advised extensively on major projects in the areas of project structuring and financing, contract drafting, telecommunications, licensing, intellectual property, buildings, airports, ports, road and rail infrastructure, power, potable and waste water, mining infrastructure and processing, and on offshore oil and gas. He has had extensive experience in PPP and PFI projects, and has advised on projects throughout Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the United States.

Chambers Asia-Pacific has recognised Doug as "without question the leading Asia Pacific-based arbitrator for construction disputes" and noted his widespread reputation as “the leading construction arbitrator in the world”. In 2018, he maintained his Band 1 ranking in the Chambers Asia-Pacific international arbitration category for an eighth consecutive year. In the same year, Who's Who Legal: Construction identified Doug as a top-three “Thought Leader” in his area, while Who's Who Legal: UK Bar identified Doug as one of the 10 most highly regarded arbitration practitioners. In 2017, Who's Who Legal praised Doug as "one of the best construction lawyers and arbitrators in the world", noting that he is "unbelievably efficient" with an ability to "handle the most acrimonious of disputes". Doug was also named Sydney Lawyer of the Year for Construction/Infrastructure Law in 2018, and Lawyer of the Year for international arbitration in Sydney, by Best Lawyers (2015–2017).

Doug is the immediate past president of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration; past president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) (2011); and one of only four Companions of the Institute. He is a foundation fellow and graded arbitrator of the Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators Australia; a fellow of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand; president of the International Academy of Construction Lawyers; honorary fellow of the US and Canadian Colleges of Construction Lawyers; fellow of the Australian Academy of Law; honorary fellow of the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution; and an Australian government nominee on the ICSID panel of arbitrators.

Doug also has a prominent academic profile. He is the author of Building and Construction Claims and Disputes (Construction Publications, 1996) and Commercial Arbitration in Australia (Thomson Reuters, second edition 2012). He is also a regular contributor to an extensive list of industry journals, and holds various editorial positions, including co-editor-in-chief of The International Construction Law Review, and editorial board member of The International Trade and Business Law Review and Global Arbitration Review. Doug is a professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne and a visiting professor at Queen Mary College, University of London.

Doug is an Officer of the Order of Australia, having received the award in 2012 in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for distinguished service to the law as a leader in the areas of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, to policy reform, and to national and international professional organisations. In 2018, Doug was awarded the John Shaw Medal in recognition of his lasting contribution to the road transport industry in Australia and internationally.