First Kazakhstani lawyers join IAC panel of arbitrators and mediators

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - The International Arbitration Centre at the AIFC has continued to extend its panel of arbitrators and mediators. Ms Aigoul Kenjebayeva, Managing Partner of Dentons, Europe, Almaty and Astana, and Chairman of the Management Council of the Kazakhstan Bar Association (KazBar), has been appointed to the IAC Arbitrator and Mediator Panel by the IAC Chairman, Ms Barbara Dohmann QC, Kazinform has learnt from the AIFC's press service. 

Ms Kenjebayeva has more than 35 years' experience as a practicing lawyer and arbitrator. Her areas of specialist expertise include arbitration and dispute resolution, corporate, M&A, energy/natural resources, PPP/infrastructure projects, IP, and competition law. She is consistently named as an expert on Kazakhstani law by leading legal directories including Chambers Global and Legal 500.

Ms Kenjebayeva stated: "The IAC is an important building block for the establishment of the rule of law in Kazakhstan. It is a great honour for me to be invited to the IAC panel of arbitrators and mediators where my experience as a Kazakhstani lawyer and as an arbitrator for leading international arbitration institutions could be useful."

The IAC Chairman also appointed Mr Alexander Korobeinikov, Counsel, Baker & McKenzie - CIS Limited in the Republic of Kazakhstan, to the IAC Arbitrator and Mediator Panel. Mr Korobeinikov has great international arbitration and commercial litigation experience in Kazakhstan and the Eurasia region.

"Foreign investors highly welcome the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to establish the Astana International Financial Centre. These investors have great expectations about opportunities provided by the AIFC, including new options for the settlement of disputes in line with international standards in the AIFC Court and the International Arbitration Centre.

The IAC team has adopted party-friendly arbitration rules and its Chairman has appointed experienced and high-profile arbitration practitioners to the IAC Arbitrator and Mediator Panel. I am so proud to be among these arbitration practitioners and I promise to exert every effort to provide first-rate services to parties that use the IAC's services," Mr Korobeinikov commented.

The IAC Chairman stated: "I am delighted to welcome Ms Kenjebayeva and Mr Korobeinikov to the IAC Arbitrator and Mediator Panel. This is a clear sign that the Kazakhstan legal community welcomes the establishment of a new International Arbitration Centre which seeks to provide leading international arbitration and mediation services to resolve commercial disputes in Astana. Our two new arbitrators will bring invaluable expertise as we continue to develop the IAC."

The IAC currently has 28 independent, highly qualified and respected international arbitrators and mediators from a variety of jurisdictions and its Panel now includes representation from Kazakhstan.