Huw Watkins

What is your current role, or what are you working on?
I am a dual-qualified barrister (Australia/UK) practising out of Victoria. I act as counsel and arbitrator on local, interstate and international arbitrations and other disputes. I work on many of my disputes both English and Japanese, which is great fun (although sometimes exhausting!). My main specialisation is commercial arbitration with particular experience in construction and stakeholder disputes. I often work on matters that require Japanese language skills.

In 2024, I was lucky enough to publish my first award as an arbitrator in an ACICA expedited arbitration and to have a lot of time on my feet with court matters in Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland. I also continue to teach International Dispute Resolution and Arbitration courses in Australia and Japan. I enjoy the teaching and think it is an important aspect of life as a legal practitioner.

At the start of the runway for 2025, I have already made a couple of international trips for witness proofing and am looking forward to what looks to be another exciting year.  

What is your proudest achievement?
I am very proud of the work that I do in trying to drive the uptake and understanding of arbitration more generally in Australia. I work across multiple organisations (Resolution Institute, Australian Bar Association, Arbitration Victoria, Victorian Bar). I am grateful to fellow co-conspirators Rob Heath KC, Adam Rollnik, and others for their support (and the odd shove in the back). 

I am also proud to be one of the few barristers that can handle highly technical engineering disputes and arbitrations in Japanese.

Outside of work, it would be my two children.

There are now 25 hours in a day! How would you spend your extra hour?
Escaping work to pitch in more in wrangling the children and preparing for the week ahead. Otherwise, reading the ever-growing list of arbitration cases.

If you weren't a lawyer, what would you do?
I think I would try to be in a similar place as either a comparative law professor (with a focus on Asia) or a linguistics professor. I have always loved languages and the interactions between people and culture.

Your favourite food haunt is...?
Okamaru Sanuki Udon in Yotsuya, Tokyo for a quick bowl of noodles. Otherwise, across the road at Suzu Sushi.