Maarten Draye

8 September 2020

Maarten studied for an intercollegiate University of London LLM in International Business Law at Queen Mary in 2005-2006. During his LLM, Maarten took the majority of his modules at the School of International Arbitration (SIA). He was also a member of Queen Mary’s moot team, which won first place overall at the Willem C. Vis moot competition as well as honourable mentions for both claimant and respondent’s memoranda. “Having focused on international business law during my law studies in Belgium,” Draye says, “I came to London to further enhance my education. Within the vast array of modules offered, I found what I was looking for in the courses offered by the SIA. The moot court experience was the icing on the cake”.

Now focusing on international arbitration and complex litigation as a partner at Brussels boutique firm Hanotiau & van den Berg, Maarten says there are two aspects of his studies that stood out for him. “Coming from a more traditional civil law style of education, I very much enjoyed the teaching style at the SIA, which did not focus exclusively on knowledge but more on identifying legal issues and how to solve them.” He added, “while it is difficult for any education to really prepare for life at work, I felt this training provided me with the tools necessary to become a good lawyer.” He maintains that a second benefit was the international network. “London is one of the most diverse capitals of the world and this was reflected in the student population of the school.” For Maarten, this international environment was enriching. “Discussing legal issues with people from different backgrounds offers you different perspectives and pushes you to rethink legal concepts”, he says.

It is therefore not surprising that Maarten is one of the founding members of the Alumni & Friends of the School of International Arbitration (“AFSIA”). “I did not have to think twice about getting involved. For me, this was a chance to keep in touch and expand the network I built up during my studies at Queen Mary,” he recalls. “Our goal is to create a platform allowing SIA alumni to meet and stay in contact”. Today, Maarten is President of the AFSIA Steering Committee. “While it has not always been an easy process amongst everyone’s busy schedules, the feedback from those attending our events is overwhelmingly positive.” In addition to a number of smaller events, AFSIA organised its Fifth Annual Alumni of the School of International Arbitration Conference in June 2019. “A tradition that started alongside the SIA’s 30th anniversary celebrations,” he explains, adding that “this is an event by and for alumni, in which we make an effort to fill the programme with alumni as speakers.” AFSIA also regularly organise drinks in London and are looking to expand their activities to other jurisdictions where large groups of SIA alumni are practising. Maarten invites alumni of the SIA to reach out and get involved. “Having a cross-border network is an invaluable asset for any international business lawyer, especially when focusing on cross-border dispute resolution,” he says. “AFSIA welcomes anyone who has taken courses at the SIA as part of their LLM (whether at Queen Mary or one of the other colleges of the University of London) or diploma and anyone who has done a PhD at the school and maintains an interest in arbitration.”

If you would like to be added to AFSIA’s mailing list or would like to get involved, please email the Steering Committee.

Useful links:

• Find out more about AFSIA Chapter.
• Join AFSIA Chapter LinkedIn Group.

Would you like your story featured or establish a new Alumni Chapter? Contact ccls-alumni@qmul.ac.uk.

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