Dr. Aleka Mandaraka Sheppard (LL.B, LLM, Ph.D, Dip. I.A. CIArb)
International House, 1 St Katharine’s Way, London E1W 1UN
Tel: 020 70639736, 020 87474796, Mob: 07721 374360, 07909 446959
E: alex.sheppard@btinternet.com; asheppard@shippinglbc.com
Professional status
Maritime Arbitrator, Mediator and Consultant in risk management
Chairman: London Shipping Law Centre – Maritime Business Forum
Visiting Professor of Maritime Law (University College London)
Author of maritime law, risk management, dispute resolution
Professional Background
Barrister, attorney at law (Member of the Athens Bar Assoc.)
Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales (non-practising)
Managing Director, ORA Maritime Risk Management Ltd (ORA – MRM)
Professional profile
Over 30 years of varied experience in commercial shipping, the practice and teaching of maritime law and its application to dispute resolution
Pioneered maritime risk management education and practice
Promotes the furtherance of maritime law and practice, dispute resolution, quality shipping, as well as reform in the law and regulation
With strong innovative and leadership skills and a clear vision of market needs for business development
Maintains strong affiliations with international maritime organisations, the legal and commercial maritime sectors
Present Positions
Maritime arbitrator and Mediator
She is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and an aspiring full member of the LMAA. She accepts appointments under the LMAA Terms in a variety of disputes that have arisen out of charter parties, bills of lading, insurance, shipbuilding contracts, sale & purchase and other maritime contracts
In her arbitration practice, she is working with co-arbitrators who are either retired judges, or barristers, or from the LMAA membership
Her experience with LMAA procedure and the application of the Arbitration Act(s) commenced as early as 1982 when she was practising as a lawyer in arbitration and litigation with the firm of Holman Fenwick and Willan
Her commercial and technical understanding of the shipping business has been enhanced from her risk management consultancy to shipping companies and her earlier experience when she was working with insurance brokers (Sedgwick Forbes) the Britannia P & I club, and Holman Fenwick and Willan (HFW)
As a Mediator, being accredited by the ADR group and by the School of Psychotherapy and Counselling of Regent’s College London, she enjoys applying – during the mediation process – the psychology and the skills required in the handling of the initial anger of disputing parties, so that they can find an amicable and cost effective solution to their disputes through mediation .
Chairman, LSLC – Maritime Business Forum
As the Founder of the Centre, she was its Founding Director (1995 – 2009) and now acts as its Chairman. She has been leading the activities and projects of the Centre as well as the teams of people who contribute to the work of the Centre
Personally and through the Centre, she has been influential in areas of maritime law which needed reform and in changing attitudes (generally) to dispute resolution
Advisor in risk management since 1997
Established ORA-MRM Ltd for consultancy and tailor-made, in-house, training in risk management for shipping companies applying a multidisciplinary method and a holistic approach to loss prevention and dispute resolution
In her position as managing director of the company, she engaged experts of multidisciplinary skills
Delivered numerous presentations on the application of risk management in-house and at conferences
She advises ship owners in the management of risks (in the context of legal consequences) and about the best approach, in individual cases, to dispute resolution
Authorship
Book on ‘The Dynamics of Organizational Behaviour [1986] Gower
Three editions of ‘Modern Maritime Law & risk Management’ (2001) (2007) and the 3rd edn. is now published (2013) Informa Law from Routledge
Contributing chapter to ‘Modern Law of Marine Insurance’ [1996] Informa
Numerous articles on many aspects of shipping law and insurance, including the ISM Code, ship owners’ liabilities and regulation, arbitration and mediation
reviewer of a number of legal decisions and maritime law books
Previous positions
Head of the shipping law courses, University College London 1993-2006
Established and led the Shipping Law Unit, UCL, for postgraduate students of the University of London; engaged and managed a team of part-time lecturers; directed the LLM and Ph.D studies in maritime law; wrote the syllabi of the subjects, taught and examined students in Admiralty law, Carriage of Goods by Sea and Marine Insurance; guided students in their careers and achievements
Founded the London Shipping Law Centre, now renamed: LSLC –Maritime Business Forum, for continuing professional education in maritime law, regulation, insurance, risk management, commercial practice and dispute resolution, for the benefit of all sectors of the maritime industry
In partnership with Regent’s College London, School of Psychotherapy, established a joint mediation & training course for shipping and commercial dispute resolution and participated in the teaching faculty
Appointed as Professor of Maritime law in 2006 (Visiting)
Legal and commercial practice 1979 -1993
After a brief practice as a barrister in Athens, and an interruption for further studies in London (UCL and KCL), she worked with insurance brokers, a P & I club and Richards Butler, solicitors (1979-1981) before she joined Holman Fenwick & Willan (HFW) in 1982
At HFW she practised, during the initial years, as an assistant litigant in a variety of maritime claims while studying English law and procedures part-time; having obtained her formal qualification to practise as a solicitor, she worked with HFW as a senior assistant in litigation and arbitration of maritime disputes until September 1993
During this time, she dealt with fascinating cases involving a variety of disputes arising from the carriage of goods by sea, shipbuilding, sale and purchase contracts, insurance, as well as from serious casualties, such as fire, engine breakdown, or total loss of a ship; travelled to obtain witnesses’ statements; conducted settlements, arbitration and court proceedings including managing court hearings at the House of Lords
Education
Embirikion Classical and Empirical High School of Andros, Greece – served as Head of the school (1st Class Hons certificate)
University of Athens, Law Faculty (1st Class Hons LLB)
University College London, Law Faculty – LLM in Maritime Law
Kings College London, Law & Social Science Faculty: Ph.D in organisational behaviour
City of London Law School – English law and Law Society Finals on Court procedures
Trained as a solicitor with HFW
Accredited as mediator by the ADR group and by the School of Psychotherapy & Counselling of Regent’s College London
Awarded the Diploma in International Arbitration by CIArb
Memberships
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Full member, eligible for Fellowship)
London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA, supporting & aspiring full member)
British Maritime Law Association (BMLA)
European Maritime Law Organisation (EMLO)
Conferences and presentations
She has delivered papers at international conferences and in-house at shipping companies; delivered lectures at Universities in the UK and abroad
She represents LSLC and speaks at its events and conferences
Leisure
Theatre, opera, music, writing radio plays and reading broadly; regular gym workout, pilates, and fashion.
Modern Maritime Law (3rd edition) in 2 volumes is now published.
This edition has been fully revised and restructured into two self-contained volumes, the first covering jurisdictional issues and risks and the second exploring the diverse aspects of maritime law, risks and liabilities.