Mr Knutson is a Chartered Arbitrator (Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK) and specialist in comparative law and legal systems. His practice includes continual activity as an arbitrator and counsel in international disputes (e.g. Channel Tunnel Group vs. Balfour Beatty and others (House of Lords); The Ikarian Reefer; Mohammad Al Fayed vs. Lonrho; Shearson Lehman vs. Maclaine Watson; BCCI). Mr Knutson is a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration and ICC Commission on International Arbitration, including the ADR Forum and Working Groups on the 1998 ICC Rules and the status of arbitrators.

Mr Knutson is listed as an expert in International Commercial Arbitration in Chambers Legal Directory, The Legal 500 and Legal Experts - Legal Business 2000 - London International Commercial Arbitration and Experts in Commercial Arbitration 2004. He has professional experience in fraud, international and multi-jurisdictional enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards, construction project procurement and contract drafting, sale of goods contracts, mergers and acquisitions, banking and regulatory disputes, intellectual property, maritime and telecommunications disputes.

• Member of the Law Society of England and Wales
• Member of the Canadian Bar Association
• Member of the Canadian Counsel for International Business
• Member of the Center for International Legal Studies
• Member of the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution
• Member of the International Arbitration Institute
• Member of the British Consultants and Construction Bureau
• Member of the International Bar Association
• Treasurer of the International Arbitration Club
• Member of the Institute of Directors
• Member of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)
• Member of ICC UK
• Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Chartered Arbitrator
• Member of the American Bar Association and American Arbitration Association
• Member of the Canadian Bar Association
• Member of the Anglo-Russian Law Association
• Member of the Dispute Review Board Foundation, Seattle
• Member of the Swiss Arbitration Association
• Member of the Society of Construction Law
• Member of the International Lawyers Association (UIA)
• Member of the British Institute of International & Comparative Law and International Law Association
• Supporting Member, London Maritime Arbitrators Association
• Elected Fellow, Society of Advanced Legal Studies
• Elected Freeman of the City of London, Worshipful Company of Arbitrators
• Member of the British Consultants and Construction Bureau
• Member of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA)
• Member of ADR Chambers International
• Member of the CCIB Arbitration Committee (ICC Canada)
• Member of the ICDR (AAA) Panel of International Arbitrators
• Member of the CIA (England), Chartered Arbitrator
• Member of the London Court of International Arbitration Panel
• Member of the European Court of Arbitration Construction Arbitrators Panel (Milan)
• Member of the CPR Institute Panel of Distinguished European Neutrals (USA)
• Member of the FICA Panel of Arbitrators (Foreign Nationals) of the Indian Council of Arbitration
• Member of the Kyrgyzstan Third Party Arbitration Panel of Arbitrators
• Member of the Panel of arbitrators, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce
• Member of the WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organisation

Vitae

In 1982 Mr Knutson obtained an LLB at the University of British Columbia and started a 12 month traineeship programme at Fraser Hyndman in Vancouver. Mr Knutson first worked as an associate and partner for several well-known law firms in England (e.g. Whitman and Ransom and Mansons Solicitors) and, since 2002, has been an independent arbitrator and consultant to Corbett & Co.

Mr Knutson has a Master of Philosophy Degree and International Arbitration from the University of London; a Master of Science Degree in Construction Law & Arbitration from the University of London and a Master of Law Degree (Public and Private International Law) from the London School of Economics.

Languages

English and French

Publications

• Dispute Provisions - Recent Developments at FIDIC and the World Bank 13, ICLR 1996 Part II, pp. 174-179.
• The Interpretation of Arbitral Awards: When is a Final Award Not Final? J. International Arbitration, 1994, 11(2) 99-109.
• Legal Aspects of Joint Ventures in the Middle East, MECLR 1996 2(5) 155-158
• Japanese Participation in Joint Ventures in International Construction Contracts, IBL 1996 24(1) 28-37.
• Common Law Development of the Doctrines of Impossibility of Performance and Frustration of Contracts and Their Use and Application in Long Term Concession Contracts [1997] ICLR 298.
• Developments in English Law Relating to Costs in Arbitration, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Law Journal, 1998; 152.
• FIDIC, An Analysis of International Construction Contracts, due to be published in 2004 - edited by Robert Knutson who also provided the English chapter.