Hire, Promote or Appoint: The New List of Arbitrators of African Descent

Professor Benjamin Davis, a faculty member since 2003 and tenured since 2008, is a graduate of Harvard College (B.A.), Harvard Law School (J.D), and Harvard Business School (M.B.A.) where he was articles editor of the Harvard International  Law Journal. Professor Davis teaches in the areas of Contracts, Commercial Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Arbitration, Public International Law, International Business Transactions, and 3L Extended Bar Preparation.

Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Davis was an associate professor at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now Texas A&M University School of Law). Between 1983 and 1986, he worked in Paris, France as a development consultant in West Africa, and as a strategic business consultant with Mars & Co in Europe. In 1986, he became the American Legal Counsel at the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) where he supervised directly or indirectly over 5000 international commercial arbitration and mediation cases, made filings before courts around the world on behalf of the ICC, assisted with the drafting of arbitration laws in countries such as India and Sri Lanka, and led conferences in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia. In 1996, he was promoted to director, conference programmes and manager of the Institute of World Business Law where he organized training sessions on international contracts, dispute resolution, project finance, and electronic commerce.

Malcolm has over 35 years of litigation and commercial experience in a wide variety of matters including business/commercial, construction (defect and coverage issues), employment disputes, administrative proceedings, trade secrets, probate, media and entertainment, intellectual property, partnership dissolutions, and real estate. Malcolm has 25 years of experience resolving civil disputes as a mediator and is a panel mediator for the United States District Court, Central District of California.

 Malcolm has litigated issues for a wide variety of businesses including those in the venture capital formation, retail, entertainment, textile, manufacturing, import/export, real estate investment, aviation, and publishing. He is keenly aware of the legal and business needs of his clients, and provides strategic solutions to commercial disputes that help enable his clients’ businesses to keep moving forward. He also has experience in cross-border negotiations and has an established network of colleagues globally assisting foreign countries as needs arise. Malcolm’s practice has included representation of clients in most forums, including a range of administrative forums, statewide and nationally. Known for his leadership and accomplishments, particularly for clients with business interests in China, Malcolm is a panel member on the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, the Beijing International Arbitration Commission, and the Harbin Arbitration Commission. Malcolm serves as the co-leader of ArentFox Schiff’s International Group, and is the president of the Beverly Hills Bar Association.