Dubai: Sir Anthony Colman, a former High Court and Presiding judge in London and Deputy Chief Justice of Dubai International Financial Centre Court from 2010 until May 2013, has died. He was 79.
Sir Colman was also the Chairman of Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre overseeing settlement of disputes within the maritime sector in the UAE.
He split his time between Dubai and London after his first appointment to the DIFC Court on January 28, 2008.
Until his appointment, Sir Colman was a Judge of the Commercial Court in the High Court, London from 1992 to 2007, “specialising in commercial litigation of all kinds, in particular: international oil and gas industry disputes; international sole agency and joint-venture disputes; primary insurance and reinsurance disputes; international banking and credit disputes; commercial fraud; and hearing innumerable cases on arbitration law and practice,” according to the DIFC.
He was sworn in by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Sir Colman’s death marks the end of a highly influential presence that guided the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre (EMAC), the organisation said in a statement on Monday.
Majid Obaid Bin Bashir, Vice-Chairman and Secretary General, EMAC, lamented the loss of such a high-calibre professional at the helm and extended his sympathies to the Colman family.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Anthony Colman, Chairman, Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre on 27 July 2017. It is his life of achievements and contributions, spanning more than 50 years, that we celebrate,” Bin Bashir said in a statement.
“Sir Anthony was a driving force for EMAC from the very beginning. He was pivotal in directing the focus of our independence, impartiality and efficiency. Thanks to his leadership and vision our foundation is based on international best practices and guidelines. Through his guidance, EMAC has been able to embed itself as a reliable organisation within the region,” he said. “As a former judge and international arbitrator, Sir Anthony continued to advocate EMAC’s development as a milestone for the region, provided it keeps its core values. We will honour his memory by dedicating ourselves to carrying out his vision for EMAC. Each one of us not only grieves at the passing of an incredible individual, but also for his family’s loss.”
In a chairman’s message on the centre’s website, Sir Colman said he worked with the EMAC’s aim to “settle local and international maritime disputes using methods of alternative dispute resolution efficiently and effectively. Its goal is to enhance the maritime arbitration procedures to be fairer.”
In an interview published in Counsel magazine’s September 2014 issue, Sir Colman advised young lawyers entering the profession “to have complete command of the necessary findings of fact. The devil is in the detail and the facts are the detail.”
Asked how did he relax, Sir Colman replied: “Two places. One, in my garden which is far too big for any normal or sane person to believe they could control. I am sufficiently insane to believe I can. The other is the Island of Siphnos in Greece. It is a very different lifestyle: trying to get plants to grow in individual flower pots once they’ve dried out.”
