Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Appointment definition

What does Appointment mean? In legal practice, an appointment is the contract by which a client/employer engages a professional consultant (for example an architect, engineer, quantity surveyor or project manager) and sets the services, fee basis and allocation of risk. The term is descriptive and used across multiple contexts; it is not generally defined by legislation, though particular regulations refer to specific appointments (for example, construction safety roles). An appointment may be executed as a deed or as a simple contract, including by a letter of appointment. In England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland this distinction affects limitation (typically around 12 years...

Appointing Arbitrators: Agreement Provisions, Selection Criteria, Conflicts and Disclosure, Tribunal Dynamics, Availability and Shortlisting

Published by a LexisNexis Arbitration expert

Practice notes

Selecting the appropriate arbitral tribunal is crucial to the success of an arbitration, both administratively and legally. Anyone involved in the selection or nomination should treat this phase with care to ensure the right individuals are chosen. In-house counsel will often contribute to this process—see Practice Note: The role of in-house counsel in international arbitration.

The relevance of the arbitration agreement

The first step is to review what, if anything, the arbitration agreement sets out regarding the constitution of the tribunal:

What does your Arbitration agreement stipulate? Are there defined criteria concerning qualifications, skill set, language, level of experience or, critically, the nationality of your arbitrator(s)?
Does the chosen seat or legal place of arbitration affect this (eg a requirement to be a lawyer, or to be a national of a particular jurisdiction)?
Provisions of any applicable arbitration rules—if the arbitration agreement incorporates a set of arbitration rules, those rules will typically govern how the tribunal is appointed and the timetable for doing so...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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