DESTINATION KAZAKHSTAN
AIFC Court and IAC - an integral attribute for international business
We met with the Registrar of the AIFC Court and the International Arbitration Centre and talked about the peculiarities of English common law and how the new Court in the AIFC in Kazakhstan provides unique opportunities for lawyers working in the corporate sector in Kazakhstan .
Christopher Campbell-Holt , Registrar & Chief Executive , AIFC Court & International Arbitration Centre
" Any Kazakhstani lawyer with professional legal qualifications may represent the interests of a client in the AIFC Court ".
Mr . Campbell-Holt , tell us a little about yourself and your work experience ?
After graduating from the Faculty of Law at University College London in England , where I was fortunate to learn from academics who were leaders in their fields and from connected professional mentors , I worked in the law for 15 years .
During this time I combined academic work with practice at international law firms and participated in legal projects with Lord Woolf , including a highly publicized inquiry and law publications . In 2010 I moved to Qatar where I worked as the Registrar of the Court at the Qatar Financial Centre , and after that I worked for some time for a legal practice in Qatar that was partnered with a US law firm .
My background is a combination of legal practice , academic work , authorship of various legal publications , and experience in developing and managing Court operations in new international financial centres .
The reason I chose to pursue a career in the law was to not follow any family tradition . Many of my family in fact pursued medicine as a career . What attracted me to the law was the desire to protect peoples ’ rights as well as the challenge of legal argument . The law is also a profession that provides new challenges every day . It provides opportunities to positively influence systems and peoples ’ lives . The AIFC project is one such opportunity to which I have been so fortunate to contribute .
Tell us about the peculiarities of English law , how does it differ from the continental law that is applied in Kazakhstan ?
In Kazakhstan , the legal system is based on civil or continental law . Many countries , especially in Europe , also have such legal systems , with roots in Roman law .
Common law primarily developed in England . Civil law is often written in code and the law of cases often has little or no influence on the law . Common law has been found to provide flexibility in the modern commercial world .
Judicial systems of civil and common law also differ in practice . For example , in Kazakhstan there is a focus more on documentation and written submissions than oral advocacy . There are also numerous differences in court rules and procedures for witness testimony and the presentation of evidence .
The origins of English common law date back hundreds of years when the legal system in England had little or none of the characteristics it has today . Powers slowly moved from the monarchy to the people and every day practical solutions were
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