Dr. Fathi Kemicha

International Lawyer & Arbitrator

Dr. Fathi Kemicha is one of the Arab world’s leading international lawyers and arbitrators.

He is a prominent member of the international arbitration community and served as sole arbitrator, chair, and party appointed arbitrator both ad hoc including UNCITRAL and under the Rules of several arbitral institutions such as : International ICC Court of Arbitration-ICC, – Permanent Court of Arbitration -PCA -The Hague, London Court of International Arbitration LCIA, Dubai International Financial Centre DIFC LCIA, Dubai International Arbitration Centre-DIAC, Abu Dhabi Commercial Arbitration and Conciliation Centre-ADCCAC and The Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration-CRCICA.

He is also on the panel of arbitrators of the ADGM- Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts Arbitration Centre, CCJA-OHADA, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre-HKIAC and Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC).

He is an Advisory member of the Governing Board of the International Council of Commercial Arbitration (ICCA)since April 2017 and a member (May 2007- April 2017).

He was a member of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre-DIAC (November 2004- 2020),Vice-President of the London Court of International Arbitration -LCIA- (May 2002-May 2005), Member of the Court of the London Court of International Arbitration -LCIA- (September 1989-May 1995 and May 1998- May 2002), Vice-Chairman, the Commission on Arbitration -International Chamber of Commerce – ICC (January 2008- January 2011), Vice-Chairman of the Arab Regional Forum (ARF) of the International Bar Association IBA (2013-2014), member of the “Experts Group on Arbitral Practice -United Nations Commission on International Trade Law-UNCITRAL (Vienna), Member (Arbitrator) of the Iraq Arbitration Panel (2005-2006&2008) Iraq Commercial Debt Settlement Offer.

He was Secretary-General of the Arbitration System of the Euro-Arab Chambers of Commerce – Paris and founder and Secretary-General of the Euro-Arab Forum for Arbitration and Business Law- Paris

Dr Kemicha has equally an extensive experience as an international public law expert. He was a member of the United Nations International Law Commission (ILC)in Geneva (2002 to 2011).

He has appeared as counsel to the State of Pakistan in the case concerning the aerial incident of 10 August 1999 (Pakistan v India) before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. He has also appeared as counsel to the State of Bahrain in the case concerning maritime delimitation and territorial questions between Qatar and Bahrain (Qatar v Bahrain), again before the ICJ.

He was also a member and the chair of the World Bank Sanctions Board-Washington D.C. (2007-2012) and was the first appointed secretary general of the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Bahrain (2003 to 2005).

Fathi Kemicha is the author of numerous publications on arbitration and international law and the general editor of “Euro-Arab Arbitration” Proceedings of the First Euro Arab Arbitration Congress, Tunisia 1985 – Lloyd’s of London Press, 382 pages. “Euro-Arab Arbitration II” Proceedings of the Second Euro Arab Arbitration Congress, Bahrain 1987 – Graham & Trotman, London, 227 pages. “Euro-Arab Arbitration III” Proceedings of the Third Euro Arab Arbitration Congress, Jordan 1989, Graham & Trotman, London, 265 pages.

He recently coauthored with Dr.Gordon Blanke, Chapter 13 on “The Conduct of the Hearing”, pages: 281-299 in G. Blanke and S. Corm-Bakhos (eds), THE MENA LEADING ARBITRATORS’ GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION, JURIS 2023.

He published recently « Memoirs in a path for tomorrow: The Journey of an itinerant lawyer” Archway Publishing from Simon& Schuster – 2023. – Foreword Jan Paulsson.

He is a member of the bars of Paris (Emeritus) and Tunisia. He has a diploma from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris-Sciences Po (1977), a Doctor of Law from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (1984) and was a visiting scholar at Yale Law School (1996).

Fathi Kemicha is a national of Tunisia, France and Bahrain and is fluent in Arabic, French and English.

He was awarded by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain & The Order of Bahrain” (First Class) – 2 May 2001. He was also made by President Jacques Chirac, President of the French Republic, Knight of the French Legion of Honour – Chevalier de L’Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur – April 2007.