Arbitrator’s Conduct on Social Media

My LLM dissertation “Arbitrator’s Conduct on Social Media” has been published in Journal of International Dispute Settlement (JIDS). The target audience is academic and practitioners in the field of arbitration. However, I tried to write it to be understood by general public to the extent an academic article could possibly be written in layman terms.

 

I did not record how many hours I spent working in this article. As an LLM student, there was no requirement for me to fill in timesheet. In retrospect, maybe I should have recorded the time spent ‘working’ on LLM my studies. That way I could have quantified (albeit not exact or perfect) the amount of hours converted to money I am investing in my academic and professional development.

 

I remember the hardest part of writing was finding the topic. One winter early morning (that’s 3am), I woke up and started writing a concept for dissertation topic. It was about comparative private international laws in South East Asia. I worked on that concept for hours. However, in the end, I jettisoned the concept when I found that nobody has ever written about Arbitrator’s Conduct on Social Media.

 

When writing the article, I tried to make it as regular as work. I started coming to the library at 10am and finished at 5pm, no matter how little I wrote that day. Of course, there are “overtimes” when I got the inspiration. I even worked to 3am, missing the only morning London was covered in snow during my LLM year, before a meeting with my supervisor to ensure it will be an effective one.

 

I got a distinction for the dissertation. However, when I sent it to JIDS, they request “major” revision. The request was given with comments and suggestions from high calibre academics that did not sugarcoat anything, pointing every deficiency in my writing. I admit my heart sank and I was distressed that the distinction grade does not guarantee publication. Nevertheless, those comments and suggestions are the constructive criticisms I needed.

 

I submitted the first draft manuscript on October 2015, after much revisions I finally got the unconditional offer of publication on December 2016. Therefore, I spent more than two years on this article.

 

I would like to say that this is another gift from London. However, I realised it is not. It is a reward, but I earned it. I paid for it in full.

 

You can read the full text article here. Alternatively, you can download the pdf copy JIDS-2017-Sanubari-idw026

 

Your comments and criticisms are highly appreciated.

 

I am happy that I contributed something to the development of law. I received so much and it feels good to give back something. To create something that will be a precedent. I stood on the shoulders of giants. And it feels good knowing someone will stand on my shoulders.

 

P.S. I still regret that I did not wake up to see the snow (see picture, taken by @adindaaditha). Come to think of it, I should have been okay if I was sleep deprived for one day.

Originally posted on Instagram on 19 January 2017.