On 7 August 2024, the High Court of Australia (“Court”) delivered judgment in the much-anticipated Tesseract International v Pascale Construction [2024] HCA 24 in which the Court held that proportionate liability statutes apply in arbitration. This post seeks to draw attention to critical aspects of the decision of Australia’s highest court, and suggests that, properly…

The advantages of exclusive jurisdiction agreements (“EJAs”) are well known; chiefly, that of knowing where a party can sue and be sued. In Brazil, EJAs are widely used in both cross border litigation and in the context of domestic contractual relations. Even in contracts providing for arbitration, it is typical for sophisticated parties to agree…

On 12 July 2024, the Dutch Supreme Court (the “Supreme Court”) rendered its much anticipated decision on whether clauses providing for mediation as a procedural step before arbitration (or court litigation) are binding upon the parties, requiring an arbitral tribunal (or court) to decline jurisdiction to hear the case or, at least, requiring a stay…

The recent decision by the Bahrain Court of Cassation (“COC”) in Case No. 31 of 2023, issued on 8 January 2024 (“COC Judgment”), marks a significant development in the application of arbitration clauses to non-signatories for Bahrain-seated arbitrations. The case centred on the interpretation of an arbitration clause in a sub-subcontract (“Sub-Subcontract”) and its applicability…

What happens when an arbitrator refuses to answer fundamental questions about their impartiality that only they can address? Questions like, “Have you received any promises or gifts from any of the parties: Ms Aphrodite, Ms Hera or Ms Athena?” or even “Do you have any interest in or connection to Ms Helen, a person associated…

The judgment of the Singapore Court of Appeal (“Court”) in Voltas Ltd v York International Pte Ltd [2024] SGCA 12 (“Voltas v York”) helpfully settles the question of whether or not an arbitrator is able to impliedly reserve his or her jurisdiction after rendering a final award as a matter of Singapore law. Additionally, the…

On 5 May 2024, the Civil and Commercial Court of the Qatar Financial Centre (“Court”), rendered its judgment in B v C on a setting aside application brought under the QFC Arbitration Regulations 2005 (“QFC Arbitration Regulations”). This is an important judgment because it is the first Court judgment commenting on the setting aside of…

Latvia has recently taken significant steps to amend its arbitration law, introducing a set-aside mechanism among other necessary changes. This article provides an overview of the background to these changes, the specifics of the new set-aside mechanism, and other amendments made to the Latvian arbitration law.   Background Elimination of any or all grounds for…

In a recent judgement rendered in H1 and another v W and others [2024] EWHC 382, the English Commercial Court removed a sole arbitrator under section 24 of the English Arbitration Act 1996 (the “EEA”).  This removal was based on statements made by the arbitrator regarding the way he would treat expert witness evidence that gave rise…

On March 11, 2024, an ICSID arbitral tribunal (Juan Fernández-Armesto (President), Wendy Miles, Alexis Mourre), rendered an award in Encavis AG and Others v. Italy. The controversy follows some other 14 disputes initiated by EU investors against the Italian State under the Energy Charter Treaty (“ECT”) (some of these discussed here) and falls into the…

On 5 March 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR” or “the Court”) delivered its judgment in Iliria S.R.L. v. Albania (“Iliria”), a case concerning a complaint under Article 6(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR” or “the Convention”) relating to a more than 17-year delay in the conclusion of recognition (exequatur) proceedings…

South Africa’s evolution into the premier destination for international arbitration in the Southern African Development Community (“SADC“) region exemplifies its commitment to legal modernity, accessibility, and the highest international standards. South African legal jurisprudence has come to enjoy significant influence in an increasingly globalised world where political, economic, social, and legal activities transcend territorial borders….

On 18 March 2024, the first day of the Paris Arbitration Week (“PAW”), the School of International Arbitration at Queen Mary University of London and Université Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne held a joint conference on crypto assets and arbitration. The first roundtable, moderated by Professor Mathias Audit and Dr. Maria Fanou, provided a general introduction on…

On 29 November 2023, speakers from various jurisdictions met at a conference at Heuking in Düsseldorf, organised by the European Chinese Arbitrators Association (ECAA) and the Asian European Arbitration Centre (ASEAC), to discuss whether we are currently experiencing “A New Dawn of Arbitration in Asia”. Professor Sundra Rajoo, Director of the Asian International Arbitration Centre,…

Clyde & Co LLP partnered with Jus Mundi and Queen Mary University of London (“QMUL”) School of International Arbitration to bring together a number of speakers on the development of arbitration and practice of investment in the Latin American (“LatAm”) region. The event kicked-off with a review of Jus Mundi’s latest energy arbitration report which…

Expert witness evidence plays a pivotal role in the outcome of arbitrations, particularly in construction disputes. Rarely do construction disputes turn on significant differences between the parties’ versions of the facts, which are flushed out under dramatic, Boston Legal-style cross-examination. More often, it is the skilful application of settled facts by the parties’ legal counsel…

On January 28, 2009 we launched the Kluwer Arbitration blog with the goal of featuring “posts of the highest possible quality” as an “interactive publication” that would render Kluwer’s arbitration offerings even more complete.  As Roger Alford wrote in his first post in January 2009, “[g]iven the nature of international arbitration, it is astonishing that…

Svetlana Vasileva-Stratenwerth is the Secretary General of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) International. She manages the AFSA International Secretariat, where she oversees the administration of international arbitrations. Her professional journey spans over two decades, specialising in international trade, investment, and commercial disputes. She is passionate about championing alternative dispute resolution across Africa and…

In a region characterized by infrastructure projects and ambitious architectural feats that shape the nation’s skyline, arbitration has emerged as a common choice in the industry for settling construction disputes. This preference arises as foreign parties can sidestep entwining with local courts, enjoy privacy, and present their matters to arbitrators who are well-versed with the…

At the Kluwer Arbitration Blog, December is the month to thank our readers and collaborators for their readership, contributions, and support. This is also one of the occasions in which we highlight and we praise our excellent editors.   The Kluwer Arbitration Blog will celebrate 15 years of existence in 2024. On 28 January 2009, the…

The Vienna International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (VIAC)’s Selected Arbitral Awards are intended to provide a unique and valuable insight into a diverse range of important and challenging procedural and substantive issues, which have arisen in international arbitration under the auspices of the Vienna Rules since its inception in 1975. The…

The Institute of Transnational Arbitration (ITA), in collaboration with the ITA Board of Reporters, is happy to inform you that the latest ITA Arbitration Report was published: a free email subscription service available at KluwerArbitration.com delivering timely reports on awards, cases, legislation and current developments from over 60 countries and 12 institutions. To get your free subscription to the ITA…

The rapid growth of international arbitration in the Asia-Pacific has sparked many discussions about how different cultural practices and legal traditions impact advocacy in cross-border disputes (see, for example, Global Arbitration Review’s The Guide to Advocacy). On 3 August 2023, ACICA45 and King & Wood Mallesons in Sydney hosted a session titled “Clash of Cultures…

Efforts to promote diversity in arbitration continue to garner awareness and support from arbitral institutions, legal practitioners, experts, and the arbitration community in general (see e.g., here and here). Unconscious bias is a significant barrier to achieving greater diversity and can hinder opportunities, progression, and careers. It is often tricky to address because, as its…