Charles Burdell visits Istanbul, Turkey
Charles Burdell recently returned from Istanbul, Turkey where he participated in a conference sponsored by the Union of Istanbul Bar Associations entitled Arbitration Practices Around the World. Turkish lawyers want to increase the use of arbitration to reduce court congestion in the Turkish judicial process. Burdell was asked to explain how arbitration works in the United States and, specifically, how it works in his practice at Judicial Dispute Resolution. Approximately 100 Turkish lawyers attended the all day conference. Sandra Stephens, an attorney with the firm of Wylie Rein of Washington D. C., also made a presentation. Ms. Stephens is the current chair of Alternative Dispute Resolution section of the American Bar Association. Her presentation included a description of arbitrations administered by the American Arbitration Association and arbitration practices in the insurance and re-insurance industries. Other speakers included attorneys from Russia, Italy, and Turkey.
Burdell was able to stay following the conference for two days to see the sights, which included the Sultan’s Topkapi Palace , the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia. Istanbul is divided by the Bosphorous, the waterway which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Black Sea and which divides Europe from Asia. The conference and Burdell’s hotel were on the European side. On the last day of his visit, Burdell got on the wrong ferry and ended up in Asia! Luckily, he was able to find the right boat back to Europe!!
