On 29 March, Maxim Kulkov acted as an arbitrator at the YIAG-PwC Expert witness cross-examination training in Moscow

The training was preceded by several weeks of preparation of the participants. On the day of the event, the participants were divided into four Claimant, and four Respondent, teams (two participants in each team) with four pairs of Claimant/Respondent teams being formed. Each team was assigned an expert in advance. The role of the arbitrators was to conduct the proceedings and give feedback after the cross-examination.

Each pair of teams was assigned its own separate ‘hearing’ room with each team cross-examining the opposing team’s expert for 40-minutes (starting with the Claimant teams cross-examining the Respondent teams’ experts).

After each team’s closing statement, the arbitrators gave the teams feedback on the results of the rounds of cross-examination. The training allowed the participants to improve their cross-examination skills within the framework of simulated arbitration proceedings with the help of commercial arbitration professionals (in terms of both cross-examining opponent’s experts and preparing their own experts for a similar cross-examination).

Maxim Kulkov has participated as an expert on Russian law in 11 cases considered by the courts of England and Wales, the United States, the BVI and Cyprus, and international commercial arbitration, and has extensive experience in cross-examination of experts and witnesses as a party representative.

The YIAG (Young International Arbitration Group), established in 1997, is an LCIA-sponsored association for practitioners, students and younger members of the arbitration community.