Questions we expect
you to ask.

We have not yet administered arbitration proceedings under Rules v3.0. The Rules entered into force in April 2026. Our first DPC certifications are in process. We are building the institutional infrastructure - the secretariat, the Fellows bench, the case management systems - in this founding period.

We are transparent about this because we believe the alternative - making claims about a track record we do not yet have - would be precisely the wrong way to build an institution whose credibility depends on honesty.

What we do have: published, versioned Rules (v3.0, 61 articles); a published DPC Standard (v1.0); an institutional framework that has been reviewed by practitioners across multiple jurisdictions; and a founding bench of Fellows who are building the institution alongside us.

The established institutions are excellent at what they do - administering arbitration proceedings. UNIONE™ is built around a different premise: that the most valuable institutional intervention is the one that prevents the arbitration from being necessary.

Three things UNIONE™ does that no established institution does:

• DPC - Dispute Prevention Certificate: Institutional certification of cross-border contracts before any dispute arises. A vetted Standing Neutral appointed from day one.
• ERR - Enforcement Readiness Review: A mandatory pre-award review of enforceability across all relevant jurisdictions, conducted before every final award is issued. No other institution does this.
• Four-stage integrated framework: Prevention (Stage 01), Structured Resolution (Stage 02), Arbitration (Stage 03), and Enforcement (Stage 04) - as a single, coherent system governed by one set of rules.

We are not positioning ourselves as a replacement for the ICC or SIAC. We are building the institutional infrastructure that addresses what they leave undone - the period before the dispute, and the enforcement of the award after it.

We are in the process of establishing a dedicated not-for-profit institutional entity for UNIONE™. This is the standard trajectory for developing arbitration institutions. The current operating structure through UNIONE™ International Arbitration provides the legal and operational framework during the founding phase.

UNIONE™ governance operates through four bodies, each with a distinct mandate:

• Rules & Standards Committee: Responsible for maintaining, reviewing, and amending UNIONE™ Rules v3.0 and the DPC Standard. Operates independently of the administrative secretariat.
• Appointments Committee: Responsible for all tribunal appointments and Standing Neutral appointments under the DPC framework. Decisions are final and are not subject to appeal by the institution.
• Ethics & Conduct Panel: Responsible for handling complaints against Fellows and for disciplinary proceedings. Independent of the institutional management.
• Institutional Council: Strategic oversight of the institution's development, rules amendments, and major institutional decisions. The founding Fellows cohort will be represented on the Council from Barcelona 2026.

Full governance documentation is available at theunione.org/governance. We publish our governance framework openly - not because we are required to, but because we believe institutional credibility depends on transparency.

Tribunal appointments under UNIONE™ Rules v3.0 are made by the Appointments Committee. The process is:

• Parties first attempt to agree on arbitrator(s) within the timeframe specified in the Rules
• Where parties cannot agree, the Appointments Committee makes the appointment from the UNIONE™ Fellows bench
• The Committee considers specialism, jurisdiction, language, availability, and any conflicts disclosed
• The appointed arbitrator must confirm acceptance and disclose any conflicts within 48 hours
• The Committee's appointment decision is final

The Appointments Committee operates independently and is not influenced by any other entity. Its decisions are made on an objective and impartial basis. Fellows serving on the Committee recuse themselves from any appointment decision where a conflict of interest may arise.

No. UNIONE™ is an independent private institution. It has no affiliation with any government, state body, national bar association, or political entity. It does not receive state funding. It does not operate under any state mandate.

This independence is a design principle, not an administrative detail. An arbitration institution that is not genuinely independent of any state or interest group cannot credibly serve as a neutral forum for cross-border disputes. We take this seriously.

Fellowship is not membership. The distinction matters.

Membership is administrative - you join a list. Fellowship is functional - you carry a designation that makes you eligible for institutional appointments, binds you to institutional standards, and makes you accountable to the Fellowship code of conduct.

UNIONE™ Fellows (AF.UNIONE™, F.UNIONE™, and SF.UNIONE™) are:

• Eligible for Standing Neutral appointments on DPC-certified contracts
• Included in the tribunal appointment pool under Rules v3.0
• Bound by the UNIONE™ Code of Conduct for Fellows and the IBA Guidelines on Conflicts
• Listed in the publicly searchable Fellows Register at theunione.org
• Subject to the UNIONE™ Ethics & Conduct Panel for disciplinary proceedings

If you are not willing to be bound by those obligations, Fellowship is not right for you. If you are, the designation carries real institutional weight - and will carry more as the institution develops its caseload.

Not automatically. The vetting process reviews your application against the criteria for the designation tier you apply for. Experience is a significant factor, but it is not the only one.

The vetting committee also considers: the alignment of your practice with your stated specialism designation; your conflicts history and declared independence from any relevant interests; your availability for DPC Review Period engagements (which require ongoing commitment, not just award-stage availability); and your completion of the ERR Awareness Programme (required for SF.UNIONE™ maintenance).

We recommend applying for the designation tier that accurately reflects your current practice. We will review the application honestly, and we will tell you why if we do not recommend the designation you applied for.

Yes. Fellows may resign at any time by written notice to the UNIONE™ Registrar. On resignation:

• Your designation is removed from the public Fellows Register within 5 business days
• Any active Standing Neutral appointments are transitioned according to the DPC transition protocol - you will be notified and given the opportunity to manage the transition or hand over, depending on the stage of the review period
• Any active arbitration appointments are governed by the relevant rules - resignation from the Fellowship does not automatically terminate an arbitral mandate, which is governed by the Rules and the applicable law
• Your profile data is handled in accordance with the UNIONE™ Privacy Policy and GDPR - see the data section below

The vetting process has four stages and takes no more than 21 days from receipt of a complete application:

• Stage 1 - Application review (Days 1–3): Completeness check and minimum eligibility screening for the designated tier
• Stage 2 - Specialism assessment (Days 4–10): Review of your practice record, stated specialisms, and relevant qualifications against UNIONE™ specialism standards
• Stage 3 - Independence assessment (Days 10–17): Review of your professional standing, any disclosed conflicts, and regulatory history. Execution of the declaration of independence
• Stage 4 - Committee decision (Days 17–21): The vetting committee reviews the complete file and issues a written decision

Every applicant receives a written decision. If the committee does not recommend the designation you applied for, we will explain why and - where relevant - suggest the appropriate tier or a path to the designation you sought.

A complete application requires:

• Full name, jurisdiction(s) of practice, and contact details
• A brief professional biography (no longer than 400 words)
• Specialism designations sought and supporting practice description
• Arbitration and/or dispute resolution appointment history (where applicable)
• Any existing institutional affiliations as arbitrator, mediator, or neutral
• Disclosure of any known conflicts with UNIONE™ as an institution or with any Fellow
• Signed declaration of independence (provided by UNIONE™ at application stage)
• Professional headshot for the Fellows Register (optional at application stage, required before listing)

We do not require references at application stage. We may request them at Stage 3 for SF.UNIONE™ applications.

Yes - the AF.UNIONE™ Associate Fellow pathway is designed for practitioners who are building their arbitration practice. Prior appointment history is not a requirement for Associate Fellow designation.

For F.UNIONE™ Fellowship, prior experience in dispute resolution practice is considered but the vetting process looks at the full picture of your professional experience, not a minimum appointment threshold. Solicitors, barristers, in-house counsel, and other legal professionals with relevant cross-border practice experience have been admitted to F.UNIONE™ Fellowship on the basis of their broader dispute resolution involvement.

We would rather have a Fellowship of practitioners with the right values and the right practice orientation than one defined by prior appointment history at established institutions.

We will be honest with you: in the near term, appointment volume will be limited. We are a new institution. Our caseload is at inception. We are not going to tell you that Fellowship will immediately generate a significant flow of appointments.

What we can tell you is how appointment volume develops:

• DPC Standing Neutral appointments begin as DPC-certified contracts are registered. These are ongoing, monitoring-based roles - not single-hearing appointments. They generate a different kind of institutional relationship with parties.
• Tribunal appointments under Rules v3.0 will grow as the institution's caseload grows. The founding Fellows cohort will be the first appointment pool - and first-mover Fellows will have priority consideration as the initial cases are filed.
• Neutrals Academy participation creates profile and professional development independent of case appointments.

If you are considering Fellowship primarily as an appointment generation mechanism in the short term, we would encourage you to be realistic about the current stage of the institution. If you are interested in building a founding relationship with an institution you believe in, we are building something worth being part of.

No. UNIONE™ Fellowship is not exclusive. Fellows may continue to accept appointments from any other institution, accept party appointments in ad hoc arbitrations, and maintain all existing institutional relationships.

The only restriction is the standard one applicable to all Fellows: you are expected to manage any conflicts arising from other appointments that could affect your independence in that role. This is not specific to UNIONE™— it reflects a general professional obligation under the International Bar Association Guidelines.

A Standing Neutral appointment under the DPC framework involves:

• Appointment on certification: You are notified of your appointment and confirm acceptance and independence within 48 hours of DPC issuance
• Quarterly review: You receive quarterly progress reports from both parties and produce a quarterly assessment - typically a two-to-three page document identifying any emerging risk areas under the six DPC checkpoints
• Trigger Event activation: On activation, you review the Trigger Event, produce a neutral evaluation within the prescribed timeframe (typically 5–10 business days depending on complexity), and chair any structured resolution sessions
• Transition: Where structured resolution fails, you manage the handover to the arbitration stage in accordance with the DPC transition protocol

The annual retainer covers the quarterly review work. Trigger Event activation fees apply separately and are set by the DPC tier. Full fee schedules are at theunione.org/fees.

The Fellows Register is publicly searchable. The following fields are published by default on induction:

• Full name and designation tier (AF / F / SF.UNIONE™)
• Specialism designations
• Jurisdiction(s) of practice and primary location
• Professional biography (the version you provide or approve)
• Headshot photograph (if provided)
• Institutional affiliations (as declared)

The following are not published in the public Register:

• Contact details (other than jurisdiction/location)
• Financial information of any kind
• Application materials
• Vetting assessment or committee notes
• Any DPC appointment details (which are confidential under DPC Standard s.8.3)

You may request amendments to your public profile at any time by contacting the Registrar at registrar@theunione.org. Profile updates are processed within 5 business days.

Not without your consent. The Fellows Register is a public institutional record - your listing in it is inherent to Fellowship. But use of your name, profile, or image in UNIONE™ marketing materials (social media, promotional content, press releases) is subject to your separate consent, which you may give or withdraw at any time.

At induction, you will be asked separately whether you consent to:

• Being featured in LinkedIn and social media posts announcing your induction
• Being quoted or referenced in UNIONE™ publications or press materials
• Having your profile image used in institutional marketing

Each of these is opt-in. You can opt in to all, some, or none. Your Fellowship standing is not affected by any choice you make here.

UNIONE™ processes personal data in compliance with the UK GDPR. The data we hold about Fellows is:

• Application materials - retained for the duration of Fellowship plus 3 years
• Public Register profile - removed within 10 business days of resignation or termination
• Appointment records - retained for 7 years for institutional and legal record purposes
• Vetting assessment records - retained for 5 years

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to access, correct, and in certain circumstances erase your personal data. You also have the right to object to processing and to data portability. To exercise any of these rights, contact data@theunione.org. Our full Privacy Policy is at theunione.org/privacy.

The Dispute Prevention Certificate (DPC) is the UNIONE™ product that generates Standing Neutral appointments for Fellows. Every DPC-certified contract has a Standing Neutral appointed from the Fellows bench - appointed before any dispute arises, maintained for the life of the contract.

For Fellows, the DPC matters because it is the primary source of non-arbitration institutional appointments. It is also where the neutral evaluation work of the Fellowship is concentrated - the ongoing monitoring, early warning assessment, and Trigger Event evaluation that distinguishes UNIONE™ practice from traditional arbitration appointment work.

Full details: theunione.org/dpc and DPC Standard v1.0

The Enforcement Readiness Review (ERR) is a mandatory pre-award institutional process conducted before every final UNIONE™ award is issued. It is conducted by the UNIONE™ secretariat - not the tribunal - and produces an Enforcement Readiness Report that is shared with the tribunal.

What the ERR requires from tribunal members:

• Cooperation with the secretariat's request for the draft award (or relevant sections) at the pre-issuance stage
• Availability to consider the Enforcement Readiness Report before finalising the award
• The tribunal retains full discretion over the content of the award - the ERR advises, it does not direct

In practice, tribunals conducting UNIONE™ arbitrations report that the ERR process improves the enforcement quality of awards without adding materially to the proceedings timeline. Full details at theunione.org/err-page

The founding cohort is the first group of Fellows formally inducted into the UNIONE™ Fellowship - at the Founding Fellows Induction Ceremony at UNBOUNDED™ Barcelona, 14–15 August 2026.

Being part of the founding cohort means:

• Your designation certificate records the founding event date and the Barcelona induction
• Your register number is among the first in the UNIONE™ Fellows Register
• Your profile carries founding cohort designation permanently in the institutional record
• You are eligible to sit on the institutional Council from its first meeting

You do not need to attend UNBOUNDED™ to be part of the founding cohort - but the Founding Fellows Induction Ceremony is held at UNBOUNDED™ and is the formal moment of induction for those who can attend.

Fellows who complete vetting before the Barcelona cutoff date but are unable to attend Barcelona will receive their founding cohort designation and certificate by the same date. The founding cohort designation is determined by the date of vetting completion, not by physical attendance at the ceremony.

We would, however, strongly encourage attendance. The ceremony is a one-time institutional event. UNBOUNDED™ is the convergence where 200 senior cross-border professionals will encounter UNIONE™ for the first time. Being in that room matters.

Confirm participation at UNBOUNDED™: unboundedglobal.com/register