Independence

Allied networks before and after the dispute. A firewall during it.

UNIONE™ works closely with World Law Alliance and WONE Global™ on prevention and recovery. This policy sets out how that relationship stays outside the arbitration itself, so that every party can trust the tribunal.

1. Administration

UNIONE™ administers every arbitration, structured resolution and review it receives, whoever introduced the matter. The Secretariat manages the file, the timetable and the fees. No partner institution has access to a case file or a role in case management.

2. No referral fees

No referral fees, commissions or shares of fees pass between UNIONE™, World Law Alliance and WONE Global™, in either direction. The institutions give one another benefits in kind only: directory listings, introductions, training and programme places. Any change to this would be published here before it took effect.

3. Appointments

Appointments follow Rules & Procedures v4.0 and the published process on the Appointments page.
A Fellow’s standing with World Law Alliance or WONE Global™ (WLA Qualified, a partner firm, a Capability Partner firm) is not an appointment criterion and is not visible to the Appointments Officer as a ranking factor.
Every candidate completes a conflict check and a statement of independence before appointment.

4. Disclosure

Fellows declare any current tie to a World Law Alliance partner firm or a WONE Global™ Capability Partner: partner, employee, consultant or of counsel. The declaration appears on the Fellow’s public profile under Affiliations & independence.
Where a party’s counsel or expert comes from a firm connected to a candidate, the candidate discloses it in writing before appointment, and the parties may object under the Rules.
A Fellow who belongs to the same firm as counsel for a party may not be appointed in that matter.

5. Counsel and experts

Parties choose and engage their own counsel and experts. UNIONE™ pages show routes to World Law Alliance and WONE Global™ firms as an option. Using them gives a party no advantage in the proceedings, and not using them carries no disadvantage.

6. Published figures

The monthly Institutional Statistics report the share of appointees with a declared ecosystem affiliation, and the number of matters in which counsel came from a World Law Alliance or WONE Global™ firm, so that anyone can check this policy against practice.

7. Challenges

A party may challenge an arbitrator on grounds arising from an ecosystem tie in the same way as any other ground, normally within 14 days of becoming aware of it, under Rules & Procedures v4.0.