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James Bridgeman SC is a dual-qualified Barrister, Chartered Arbitrator, Accredited Mediator and Statutory Adjudicator with a practice based at the Law Library in Dublin, Republic of Ireland and is a member of chambers at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square London. He has been in general Civil and Commercial practice since 1992 (silk 2017) and has a special interest in commercial and technology law including intellectual property, internet and construction law, European and International law, International Arbitration, ADR and other forms of dispute resolution.
He served as the world President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2018, prior to which he served a term as Trustee and has over 20 years continuous service on the committee of the Irish Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators including a term as Branch Chair.
He was educated and resides in the Republic of Ireland and holds practicing certificates as a barrister in Ireland and England &Wales.
He is presently representing the Irish State and commercial parties in contentious and advisory matters. His live present caseload as of February 2019 includes matters presently before the Superior Courts of Ireland, Chancery, Common Law and Commercial, arbitration, construction adjudication (building and M&E), international arbitration and mediation. The issues in dispute include construction, intellectual property (performers rights, copyright and internet domain names), construction (building and M&E), International Treaties, European Law (transposition of EU Directive), and personal injuries, and advisory counsel on commercial contracts/technology transfer/R&D.
General Litigation
He was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1989. Senior Counsel (Ireland) 2017.
He is an experienced litigator in general practice in the Irish Courts since 1992 and has a special interest in commercial and technology law including intellectual property, internet and construction law, European and International law, International Arbitration, ADR and other forms of dispute resolution.
He was called to the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple) in 2010 and has since held a practicing certificate for England and Wales and is a full tenant at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, London.
He is presently (March 2019) representing the Irish State and commercial parties in contentious and advisory matters. His live present caseload as of February 2019 includes matters presently before the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Superior Courts of Ireland in Chancery, Common Law and Commercial, arbitration, construction adjudication (building and M&E), international arbitration and mediation. The issues in dispute include construction, intellectual property (performers rights, copyright and internet domain names), construction (building and M&E), the status of International Treaties in European Law, European Law (transposition of EU Directive), and personal injuries, and advisory counsel on commercial contracts/technology transfer/R&D.
Intellectual Property
Prior to commencing practice as a self employed barrister he was and associate lawyer in Cruickshank & Co. Patent and Trade Marks Attorneys engaged in the prosecution of applications for patents, trademarks and registered designs, drafting and advising on technology transfer agreements and licensing and assignment of intellectual property licensing. He qualified as a Registered Trade Marks Agent in 1992.
He is regularly instructed in both contentious and advisory matters involving patents, copyright, trade marks, registered designs and Internet domain names. His clients include Irish government departments from whom he has received instructions in patent, copyright and trademark matters through the Office of the Attorney General.
He has been appointed administrative panellist (WIPO, Geneva), expert (Nominet UK) and arbitrator (National Arbitration Forum (USA) to determine over 200 disputes on ownership of Internet domain names since 2001.
He has written numerous articles on intellectual property law including most recently Adjudicating Intellectual Property Disputes, An ICC Report on Specialised IP Jurisdictions Worldwide (2016)
He lectures on the Law of Evidence on the TCD Diploma in Construction Law and Contract Administration and
Sometime member of the Irish committees of both the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (A.I.P.P.I.) and the Licensing Executive Society.
EU Law
He maintains an active interest in EU law, earning a Diploma in European Law at University College Dublin.
In 2010 he was appointed to the Group of Experts invited to advise the EU Commission on the revision of the Brussels 1 Regulation and arbitration. (accessible here)
He is currently representing the Irish State in a matter relating to performers rights before the CJEU.
He recently presented a lecture on The status of the CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a free-trade agreement between Canada, the European Union and its member states) at the CIArb North America Branch Conference on Investor State Dispute Settlement in Washington DC on 13 September 2018.
Arbitration and Adjudication
He is a Chartered Arbitrator and has acted as tribunal member, arbitrator, both as chair and sole panellist in over 300 arbitrations, tribunals and administrative proceedings. He is regularly appointed as a tribunal member for UDRP cases by WIPO, NAF, Nominet UK and has also been appointed to determine internet domain name disputes by Kuala Lumpur Centre for Dispute Resolution and the Czech Arbitration Court (.EU disputes) and the International Chamber of Commerce (new gTLDs).
He has been appointed as an arbitrator/neutral by party selection and by institutions including the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Geneva), the International Chamber of Commerce (Paris), the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London), the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators-Irish Branch (Dublin), the National Arbitration Forum (USA), Nominet UK (Oxford, UK).
On 7 November 2014 he was appointed by the Council of the European Union as a member of the panel of 15 arbitrators for the Protocol on Cultural Cooperation to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Korea (Council Decision 2014/794/EU) (view page)
James Bridgeman has received recognition both in international dispute resolution and in his country of residence. He was elected and served as world President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators for 2018. The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators is the premier international arbitration membership organisation with 16,000 members organised across the globe in 40 branches.
He has been appointed as a member of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) panels of arbitrators and conciliators, designated by the Government of Ireland. (view page)
In 2010 he was appointed to the Group of Experts invited to advise the EU Commission on the revision of the Brussels 1 Regulation and arbitration. (view page)
In August 2014 following a series of competitive interviews he was appointed by the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland as a member of the quasi-judicial panel to carry out investigations of regulated entities under the Administrative Sanctions Procedure under Part IIIC of the Central Bank Act 1942
His expertise was recently endorsed by his appointment on 7 November 2014 by the Council of the European Union as a member of the panel of 15 arbitrators for the Protocol on Cultural Cooperation to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Korea (Council Decision 2014/794/EU) (view page)
Construction Adjudication
He holds a Diploma in Construction Law and Contract Administration by University of Dublin and was awarded the Bunni Medal in the course. He was subsequently appointed as and continues to be a member of the Faculty of the course.
He has been appointed to the panel of construction adjudicators by the Irish Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (Official Journal of the Irish Government 22 January 2016 http://www.irisoifigiuil.ie/currentissues/IR220116.pdf).
In 2018 and 2019 he has concluded four construction adjudications including one matter for a € seven-figure claimed sum and counterclaims.
Mediation
He is an accredited mediator (MII) and has been appointed mediator in intellectual property, commercial, contract, partnership, workplace and family disputes by appointment of parties and by appointment of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Geneva).
He is a past Vice-Chairman of the Mediators Institute of Ireland and is a member of the ADR Committee of the Bar Council of England & Wales and has been listed in The International Who's Who of Commercial Mediation 2013- 2015 as being among the world's leading commercial mediators. (view page)
He is a member of the mediator panel on the Business and Commercial Mediation Pilot Scheme established by the Courts Service of Ireland and Chambers Ireland in 2015.
President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 2018
During his presidency of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2018, he chose the theme Quality Assurance and Ethics in International Arbitration on which he presented lectures in Tbilisi, Kuala Lumpur and Dublin. The theme was adopted widely throughout the CIArb at conferences inter alia in Abuja, Tbilisi, Kuala Lumpur, Lisbon and London.
Membership of Arbitration/ADR/ Adjudicative Panels
He is a member of the following dispute resolution panels of arbitrators and mediators:
International Panels
Panels of Conciliators and Arbitrators ICSID (nominated by the Government of Ireland)
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Panel of Chartered Arbitrators
World Intellectual Property Organisation, Geneva (Panel of Mediators/Arbitrators)
National Arbitration Forum, USA.( Internet Domain Name Dispute Panel)
Nominet UK, United Kingdom( Internet Domain Name Dispute Panel)
ADNDRC Hong Kong/ China ( Internet Domain Name Dispute Panel)
World Intellectual Property Organisation Center for Arbitration of Intellectual Property Disputes. Geneva. ( Internet Domain Name Dispute Panel)
On 7 November 2014 he was appointed by the Council of the European Union as a member of the panel of 15 arbitrators for the Protocol on Cultural Cooperation to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Korea (Council Decision 2014/794/EU) (accessible at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html)
Irish Panels
Courts Service of Ireland and Chambers Ireland Business and Commercial Mediation Pilot Scheme (mediator panel)
Mental Health Commission, Ireland (Mental Health Tribunal Panel)
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Irish Branch) Panel of Conciliators for Government Contracts
Member of the Property Services Appeal Board, appointed by the Minister for Justice (Ireland)
In August 2014 following a series of competitive interviews he was appointed by the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland as a member of the quasi-judicial panel to carry out investigations of regulated entities under the Administrative Sanctions Procedure under Part IIIC of the Central Bank Act 1942.
In January 2016 following a competitive assessment involving a short-listing and interview, he was appointed as a member of the panel of adjudicators appointed by the Irish Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation ( Official Journal of the Irish Government 22 January 2016 http://www.irisoifigiuil.ie/currentissues/IR220116.pdf)
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