The 2010 World Cup may have come and gone (good, or perhaps bad news, depending where you stand on this), as by the looks of it (at least from where I’m sitting in London, SE1), has our short-lived summer. Thoughts spring to mind: why did we ever complain about the sweaty carriage on the London Underground, the lack of air conditioning, or the lack of outside tables with umbrellas to sit and enjoy our summer Pimms?? So, for all those who are not reveling in Spain’s World Cup victory, and need a summer ‘pick-me-up’, here it comes …
The last time I had the pleasure of blogging was back in December, when I introduced several significant enhancements to Kluwer Arbitration, including a new search engine. Seven months on, it gives me really great pleasure to announce that earlier this week (Monday 12th July) we introduced a brand NEW ‘Practice Tools’ section on the website. For those that haven’t already had a chance to use them, I don’t want to spoil the surprise entirely – do check them out for yourself at www.kluwerarbitration.com – the intention here, to merely ‘whet your appetite’.
The ‘Practice Tools’ (located in the top left-hand corner of the homepage) are something completely new (and exciting) for Kluwer Arbitration, and I’m convinced you’ll find them really useful aides to assist you with your research. So, what are they? They can be divided into two distinct elements; (1) a set of three easy-to-use Question-and-Answer Smart Charts, edited by Audley Sheppard, Clifford Chance LLP (and a dedicated team of country contributors), and (2) a search-for-an-arbitrator tool, the IAI Arbitrator Tool, developed together with the International Arbitration Institute (IAI).
The aim of the Smart Charts is to allow users to quickly examine and compare specific content by particular jurisdiction or arbitral institution. By selecting questions (as general or specific as you require) and then relevant jurisdictions, you are very quickly able to create a comparative summary on a particular topic/question. The results are presented in a table, in both ‘chart’ and ‘matrix’ format, and can be printed and exported. The subjects covered so far are Drafting Arbitration Agreements, State Immunity, and Arbitral Institutions. We are delighted to work with Clifford Chance LLP on this project.
“To provide the best advice to clients about where to arbitrate or where to enforce an award, arbitration practitioners need easily accessible information about multiple jurisdictions and institutions, such as provided by these Smart Charts,” said Audley Sheppard, Clifford Chance LLP.
The IAI Arbitrator Tool allows users to search for and compare profiles of arbitration specialists from the IAI directory. Searches can be run based on name or a number of criteria: country of residence, nationality, languages spoken or experience (both as arbitrator or counsel). In addition, where available, links will be included to the text of publications and awards on Kluwer Arbitration.
“IAI profiles now include links to publications authored and awards rendered by IAI members. That will prove to be extremely useful to all those who seek to identify the best candidate for an arbitrator appointment,” said IAI President Emmanuel Gaillard. “This is a significant step in achieving greater transparency in international arbitration, which has been among the goals that our organization has been pursuing all along.”
I trust you will enjoy using the ‘Practice Tools’. Understanding our customers’ needs and requirements, has enabled us to launch these tools (and previous enhancements). Please do keep communicating with us by letting us have your feedback on the IAI Arbitrator Tool and Smart Charts. Please direct all feedback to me at eleanor.taylor@kluwerlaw.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Eleanor Taylor, Kluwer Law International
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