Martin Hunter, one of the University of Miami School of Law’s renowned adjunct professors in the White & Case International Arbitration LL.M. Program, passed away on October 9 at the age of 84, according to Global Arbitration Review.
Professor Hunter was a barrister at the Essex Court Chambers practicing in the field of international arbitration. He was a partner at Freshfields for 27 years and co-founded the firm’s first arbitration group in the mid-1980s. He also served as counsel or arbitrator in cases held under the rules of most of the world's principal arbitral institutions and arbitration centers. Professor Hunter was a well-known author who co-authored Law and Practice of International Commercial Arbitration with Alan Redfern in 1986. To date, this work continues to be one of the most-used practitioner’s guides in international arbitration generally known simply as the “Redfern/Hunter.” He has been published extensively in specialist arbitration journals over the last twenty-five years.
For many years, Professor Hunter taught a popular course on “Presentation of Evidence in International Arbitration” in the International Arbitration LL.M. Program at Miami Law, one of the first hands-on skills courses offered in the program. Professor Hunter believed that “[a] good LL.M. program offers its students more than merely sufficient 'knowledge' of a subject to enable them to pass a written examination at the end of the course. 21st century LL.M. students...also seek training in the skills that a credible practitioner needs in an increasingly specialist world.”
“Professor Hunter was a great mentor to our students in the International Arbitration LL.M. program, often taking them to lunch at the university bar known as the Rathskeller during his visits and judging practice rounds of Miami Law’s student team for the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Every year, at the Vis Moot Global Rounds in Vienna, he made sure to observe one of our final arguments to lend moral support to our students, which was greatly appreciated and showed his dedication to the training and mentorship of the next generation of international arbitration practitioners,” said Sandra Friedrich, Lecturer in Law & Director of Miami Law’s International Arbitration Institute and LL.M. Program.
“I remember his charming smile after the tough mooting session,” said Takashi Yokoyama, International Arbitration J.D./LL.M. ’18, and Counsel & Sr. Manager of SymBio Pharmaceuticals in Tokyo, Japan. “His mentoring successfully brought me into multiple opportunities – Energy Charter Secretariat and WilmerHale – to practice international arbitration during and after my studies at Miami Law. Indeed, he opened my eyes to the world of opportunities in international arbitration.”
“Professor Hunter…had the rare ability to connect with the young student, the plebian, the common person and it was my privilege to learn from him,” said Jason Duey, International Arbitration LL.M. ’16, and Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade, Florida. “An English gentleman with a keen smile; we connected immediately. We would regularly meet for drinks at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables where I learned that he and I shared a similar background. We were both self-made lawyers who used national service as a stepping-stone to transcend the legal profession. I admire him, and in him I found a friend… Professor Hunter’s uncommon advice to the common man like me was particularly impactful. And to him I owe a great debt.”
Diogo M. Pereira, J.D. ’10, and Founding Partner at De Almeida Pereira in Washington, D.C. also remarked on his fond memories of Professor Hunter.
“Professor Hunter had a cosmopolitan sophistication with a down-to-earth warmth about him,” said Pereira. “He explained complex international legal principles, guided moot teams in their advocacy, and signed his famous book with kind words of encouragement which I still glance at every time I open the cover. After graduating and taking up a position at Allen & Overy in London I had a particularly memorable chance to join Professor Hunter and some friends at a barber shop in central London for gin and tonics and a haircut. With empathy and inspiration, he brought together people from various walks of life and backgrounds – uniquely comfortable with both the intricacies of international business and jovial barber shop banter.”
“Professor Hunter was always eager and willing to support International Moot Court Program students,” said Paula C. Arias, Director of Miami Law’s International Moot Court Program. “When in Miami, he made himself available to training and passing along his knowledge and wisdom to the future of arbitration: our Miami Law students. We are grateful for his support and will tremendously miss the conversations and his advocacy tips.”
Professor Martin Hunter truly was one of the “giants of international arbitration,” and he will be missed dearly.
