Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP is delighted to announce the appointment of Special Counsel Professor Maxi Scherer and Partner Jonathan Lim to the International Court of the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (“AFSA”), a leading African arbitration institution.  

The AFSA International Court plays an important administrative role under the 2021 AFSA International Rules, including in the confirmation, appointment, challenge and replacement of arbitrators. The AFSA International Court comprises 20 members who are respected former judicial officers in Africa, experienced members of the South African bar, and leading arbitration practitioners and experts from the region and internationally.  

Professor Maxi Scherer was the Chair of AFSA’s Drafting Committee and Advisory Board that was responsible for the latest revision of AFSA’s International Arbitration Rules that culminated in promulgation of the 2021 AFSA International Rules, which came into force on 1 June 2021. The Drafting Committee and Advisory Board consisted of leading individuals from the region and all over the world, including senior members of the South African bar, prominent arbitrators from the African continent, senior in-house practitioners and practitioners with extensive experience in leading global arbitral institutions. Partner Steven Finizio was a member of the Advisory Board, and Jonathan Lim was Secretary to the Drafting Committee.

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Professor Maxi Scherer, who is based in WilmerHale’s London office, has extensive experience with arbitral practice both in civil and common law systems. She has been involved in more than 120 arbitrations as counsel and arbitrator in commercial and investment. Winner of the 2023 GAR Best Arbitrator Award and regularly ranked by Chambers, Who’s Who Legal, The Legal 500 etc. as a leading arbitration practitioner, Professor Scherer has been identified amongst the top 20 “Global Elite Thought Leaders” and described by peers and clients as “one of the greatest and most complete arbitrators of her generation,” “a brilliant legal mind,” “one of the most prominent arbitration scholars in Europe,” “excellent academic and arbitrator” and “one of the very best in both commercial and investment arbitration proceedings.

Jonathan Lim is a leading London-based international arbitration practitioner with a broad practice representing clients in all types of commercial and investment treaty arbitrations seated in common law and civil law jurisdictions worldwide, including England, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Brazil, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. He has represented both private sector and government clients in the aerospace, construction, energy, financial services, insurance, telecommunications, technology, and retail sectors, among others.  As part of an ADB engagement, Mr. Lim advised Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Timor Leste on their accessions to the New York Convention, and he worked closely with ADB and UNCITRAL to advise governments in the South Pacific on the drafting of arbitration legislation. He is regularly listed for his expertise in international directories, including as one of a handful of “Global Elite Thought Leaders” in the under-45 category by Who’s Who Legal.  Clients and peers describe him as "a very smart all-round lawyer with a strong work ethic" who “provides top-of-the-class legal and strategic advice,” “highly intelligent, articulate and very professional,” and "a sure bet as a future global leader.”