Constitution of the LCIA Users' Council Approved by the LCIA Board and adopted by the LCIA Court on 5 May 2006 A. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To establish, foster and maintain links between the LCIA and users, and prospective users, of its services, to enable the LCIA to ensure that the arbitration and ADR services it provides to its users worldwide are relevant, cost effective, efficient and consistent with current best practice. 2. Through conferences, meetings, publications and personal contacts, to instil in members of the Users’ Councils, and others, confidence in the LCIA’s arbitration and ADR services, such that, whenever appropriate, they adopt, or recommend the adoption of, LCIA dispute resolution clauses. B. THE USERS’ COUNCILS 1. The LCIA Court has established the following Users’ Councils and may, from time to time, establish others. (a) The European Users’ Council. (b) The Arab Users’ Council. (c) The North American Users’ Council. (d) The Latin American and Caribbean Users’ Council. (e) The Asia Pacific Users’ Council. (f) The African Users’ Council. C. MEMBERSHIP 1. Membership of the Users’ Councils is open to any person or body of good standing with a bona fide interest in international commercial arbitration or ADR, including lawyers, arbitrators, mediators, experts, academics, businessmen, law firms and commercial and trading organisations. 2. Members may elect to which Users’ Council or Councils they wish to be affiliated, whether on the basis of origin, domicile, nationality or language. 3. Members shall pay an annual membership subscription, at the rate advised from time to time by the LCIA. 4. The membership of members who do not pay their annual subscription within the period stipulated in the relevant invoice shall be cancelled, though this will not preclude reapplication for membership at a later date. 5. Membership is available at three levels: (a) individual membership for arbitration and ADR practitioners; (b) individual membership for fulltime academics; and (c) corporate membership, for firms and businesses, for whom the annual subscription covers up to four individuals from the corporate member’s office or offices, and who may, for an additional subscription, enrol additional members. 6. Application for membership shall be made to the membership department of the LCIA and shall be supported (in the case of an individual applicant) by a personal résumé or (in the case of a corporate applicant) by information sufficient to confirm its bona fides. 7. Membership may be refused if, in its discretion, the LCIA Court considers that an applicant does not meet the criteria for membership. 8. Membership may be cancelled if, in its discretion, the LCIA Court considers that a current member no longer meets the criteria for membership, for reasons that have become known to the LCIA since membership was granted. D. SERVICES TO MEMBERS 1. Members will receive, free of charge, the quarterly journal “Arbitration International”, which is recognised as one of the leading scholarly journals on the development and application of international commercial arbitration. 2. Members will receive, free of charge, the LCIA’s occasional Newsletter, to which members are invited to submit contributions. 3. Members’ names, contact details, nationality, areas of specialisation and languages spoken will be published in the LCIA’s annual Directory of Members, which is distributed to all members and to arbitral institutions worldwide. 4. Members will enjoy discounted registration fees for selected LCIA symposia. 5. The LCIA intends, whenever practically possible, to hold at least one symposium or conference each year in the region of each of the Users’ Councils. 6. The LCIA will, in its discretion, on the timely request of a member and where reasonably practical, provide, or recommend, a speaker at a seminar, symposium or conference organised by that member for the promotion of arbitration and ADR. E. OFFICERS 1. The business of the Users’ Councils will be administered by the membership department of the LCIA, in consultation with the LCIA Court and the Officers of each of the Users’ Council, of which there shall be: (a) a President; (b) up to 4 Vice Presidents; (c) up to 4 Councillors; and (d) a Secretary. 2. Sitting members of the LCIA Court shall be eligible for appointment as Officers of the Users’ Councils. 3. Officers shall serve for a period of up to 3 years and shall be eligible for reappointment, provided that no Officer shall be appointed for more than two consecutive terms. 4. The first Officers of each Users’ Council have been, or will be, selected and appointed by the LCIA Court. 5. Vacancies arising after the initial appointments will be filled by candidates appointed by the LCIA Court following consultation with the thencurrent Officers. 6. In selecting Officers, the Court will endeavour to achieve a balance of representation across the jurisdictions of the Users’ Council to which the appointment is being made. 7. The Officers shall be responsible for recommending to the LCIA Court and the membership department of the LCIA such initiatives and activities as will best meet the aims and objectives set out at Article A of this Constitution. 8. The Officers will, whenever reasonably practical, make themselves available to participate in the LCIA conferences organised under the auspices of the Users’ Council to which they are appointed and to represent the LCIA at such other meetings and presentations as may be organised from time to time in accordance with Article A of this Constitution. 9. The Officers shall meet as often as required and at least once a year, working to an agenda that should routinely include: (a) a report on significant developments in arbitration and ADR practice and procedure within the jurisdiction of the Users’ Council; (b) a report on any known Court proceedings relating to LCIA arbitrations and/or Awards; (c) recommendations to be made to the LCIA Court pursuant to Article E.7 of this Constitution; and (d) a report on any symposium held, or to be held, in that year, within the region of their Users’ Council. 10. A quorum for meetings of Officers shall be 3, one of whom shall be the President or a Vice President, who shall also chair the meeting. 11. The decisions of the Officers shall be taken by a simple majority, provided that, in the event of deadlock, the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote. 12. The Officers may, in consultation with the LCIA Court, establish such committees or working groups, whose members shall be appointed from the membership of their Users’ Council, as may be required to assist with the fulfilment of their obligations under this Constitution and with the achievement of its aims and objectives. F. AMENDMENTS The provisions of this Constitution may only be amended with the mutual consent of the LCIA Court and LCIA Board.