English Law

Arbitration Act 1996, Arbitration Agreement, Arbitration clause, England, English Arbitration Act, English courts, English Law, Helice Leasing, LCIA Rules

, , (Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP)/ /Leave a comment

In a recent High Court case, it was held that a reference in a contract to the “court” did not mean a court at all but meant instead – perhaps alarmingly – arbitration. This decision in Helice Leasing S.A.S. v PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) TbK [2021] EWHC 99 (Comm) may be a cause of concern…

Annual Report, Brazil, Diversity, English Law, Governing Law, International arbitration, LCIA Arbitration

(PLMJ Law Firm) and (Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates)/ /Leave a comment

On 19 May 2020 the London Court of International Arbitration (hereinafter the LCIA or the Court) issued its annual casework report for 2019. This paper aims to present and analyse the numbers revealed in the report. The focus will be on the development of international arbitration in terms of market, diversity and inclusion, and applicable…

Arbitral seat, Arbitral Tribunal, Arbitration Act, Arbitration Agreement, English Law, Express choice, Governing Law, Separability, UK

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Introduction Whenever the court is confronted with the task to determine the governing law of an arbitration agreement on the basis of knowing only (1) the stipulated governing law of the main contract and (2) the seat, a three-folded test will be applied. It inquires into (i) express choice, (ii) implied choice and (iii) closest…

Arbitration Agreement, English Law, Estoppel, Jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal, No oral modification clauses, Non-signatory, Separability, UK

(WilmerHale)/ /Leave a comment

On 20 January 2020, the Court of Appeal delivered its judgment in Kabab-Ji SAL (Lebanon) v. Kout Food Group (Kuwait) [2020] EWCA Civ 6. This post will focus on the Court’s findings on “no oral modification” (“NOM”) clauses and the impact that such clauses have on whether non-signatories to a commercial contract can be bound…

Adjournment, Arbitration, Arbitration Proceedings, Enforcement, England, English Law, Nigeria

(Clyde & Co)/ /Leave a comment

In the recent judgment of AIC Limited v The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria [2019] EWHC 2212, the English High Court adjourned the decision to enforce a Nigerian arbitral award in exercise of its discretion pursuant to section 103(5) of the Arbitration Act 1996 (which gives effect to Article VI of the New York Convention)…

Arbitration, England, English Arbitration Act, English courts, English Law, International arbitration, Precedent

(Beechey Arbitration)/ /1 Comment

The topic of precedent in international arbitration is not an idle one. It is widely accepted that the existence and use of precedent in any legal system leads to predictability, consistency and equality of treatment. Indeed, one of the eight strands that according to the late Lord Bingham (as summarised by Lord Neuberger) make up…

Arbitration, Commercial Arbitration, Commercial Law, English Law, Hybrid arbitration clause, Insolvency, party-appointed, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Third party funding

, (Gabriel Arbitration AG) and (Walder Wyss Ltd.)/ /Leave a comment

On 7-8 June 2019, the ninth (Romanian) National Conference on Commercial Law in Cluj-Napoca was organized by the Department for Company Law and Corporate Governance of the Law Faculty of the University Babeş-Bolyai in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), together with the Center for Commercial Law of the West University of Timişoara (Romania), supported by the Romanian National…

England, English Arbitration Act, English courts, English Law

(Chartered Institute of Arbitrators)/ /2 Comments
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)

The Roebuck lecture, delivered this year on 13 June 2019, is an annual gathering of renowned scholars, practicing lawyers, arbitrators, students and arbitration enthusiasts. It pays tribute to Professor Derek Roebuck MCIArb, the arbitration historian who made an invaluable contribution to the Institute’s work and development, in particular as editor of the CIArb’s prestigious academic…

Arbitration, Arbitration Awards, Arbitration Proceedings, England, English Arbitration Act, English courts, English Law, International arbitration, LIDW 2019, London, Maritime Arbitration, Shipping

(Queen Mary University of London)/ /Leave a comment

Shipping disputes might range from minor issues to complex jurisdictional claims with several parties involved in the contracts. Due to the popularity and observed benefits of arbitration, such as the privacy of the arbitral process and perceived certainty in the binding nature of arbitral awards, arbitral agreements have grown in use with the increase in…

Additional Award, Allocation of costs, Arbitrability, Arbitral Award, Arbitration, Arbitrator's Fees, Arbitrators, Dispute, England, English Arbitration Act, English courts, English Law

, , (Signature Litigation)/ /1 Comment

A little under ten years ago Sir Rupert Jackson proposed significant reforms to reduce the costs of litigation in England and Wales. It is fair to say that while his reforms have received both praise and criticism over the past decade, they are largely considered to have been a success in curtailing the costs of…

Anti-suit injunction, Brexit, English courts, English Law

(Enyo Law LLP)/ /Leave a comment

In one of Voltaire’s most famous tales, two characters continuously dispute their visions of the world, and whilst Pangloss is always looking for a cause for all small events fitting into a broader system, Candide, optimistic, prefers to look at how he himself can change the world not by pursuing its meaning, but with his…

Arbitration, Arbitration Awards, Brussels Regulation, Enforcement, English courts, English Law, European Law, New York Convention

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The Brussels Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters of 27 September 1968 was superseded by Council Regulation (EC) 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters. The latter was subsequently repealed by Regulation (EU) 1215/2012 of the…

Antitrust arbitration, Arbitration, Arbitration Agreements, Arbitration Proceedings, Competition Law, Enforcement, England, English Arbitration Act, English courts, English Law, European Law, European Union, International arbitration

(University of Aberdeen)/ /Leave a comment

My previous blog post on this topic dealt with two issues stemming from the juxtaposition between the current arbitration legal framework and necessary due process requirements which are specifically developed for antitrust damages proceedings: (1) the necessary regulation of complex arbitration specifically designed for antitrust damages matters, and (2) the need to address information asymmetry…

Domestic Courts, Due process, England, English Arbitration Act, English Law, Uncategorized

(Hughes Hubbard LLP) and (Enyo Law LLP)/ /Leave a comment

The first blog in this two-part series, published last year, discussed the growing concern of arbitration users over “due process paranoia”. In that first blog, due process paranoia was defined as the perceived reluctance by arbitral tribunals to act decisively (for example by rejecting applications for extensions of time, refusing amendments to submissions, rejecting new…

Costs in arbitral proceedings, English Arbitration Act, English Law, Third party funding

(Herbert Smith Freehills)/ /Leave a comment
Herbert Smith Freehills

A new development in the third party funding arena prompts an increased analysis of the theoretical foundations of the nature of third party funding. At the moment, there are divergent views on its proper place and treatment, and with increased prevalence a piecemeal approach with little theoretical groundwork risks creating a minefield resulting in unpredictability…

Arbitration, Bias, England, English Arbitration Act, English Law

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Introduction As noted in Part 1 of this two-part series, the ability to select an arbitrator is widely considered one of the most valuable characteristics of international arbitration. While Part 1 focused on removal of arbitrators for apparent bias, this Part 2 focuses on the parties’ ability to remove an arbitrator if he/she proves unable,…

Arbitration, Bias, England, English Arbitration Act, English Law

(Stewarts Law)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction The ability to select an arbitrator is widely considered one of the most valuable characteristics of international arbitration.  According to the Queen Mary University and White & Case 2015 International Arbitration Survey, selection of arbitrators was considered its fourth most important characteristic, with 38% of respondents rating it among their top three. Surely, then,…

Due process, England, English Law

(Hughes Hubbard LLP)/ /2 Comments

A few months ago, Queen Mary University of London and White & Case released their third International Arbitration Survey entitled “Improvements and Innovations in International Arbitration”.  One of the many interesting findings of this survey is the apparent growing concern of some users of arbitration with what can be termed “due process paranoia”. Due process…

Ad hoc arbitration, Arbitral seat, DIFC, English Law, MENA, UAE

(Blanke Arbitration LLC)/ /Leave a comment

In a blog earlier this year (see here), I reported on the emergence of the Abu Dhabi Global Market, in shorthand ADGM, as a free zone seat of arbitration in its own right, offering a viable alternative to seating an arbitration in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). To recap, choice of the ADGM as…

Ad hoc arbitration, Arbitral seat, DIFC, English Law, MENA, UAE

(Blanke Arbitration LLC)/ /Leave a comment

In a recent long-anticipated move, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has finally expanded its own arbitration offering by adding a further arbitration facility in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). More specifically, on 17 December 2015, the Board of Directors of the ADGM enacted the so-called ADGM Arbitration Regulations 2015, following an initial consultation process,…

England, English Law, Guatemala, Honduras, Latin America, Mexico, Permanent Court of Arbitration, Trans-Pacific Partnership

(20 Essex Street)/ /2 Comments

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and should not be regarded as representative of, or binding upon ArbitralWomen and/or the author’s chambers. The legal landscape in Latin America is rapidly changing. Not only has Latin America more bilateral Trade Agreements than any other region in the world, but it…

Arbitrability, Criminal law and arbitration, England, English Law

(Church Court Chambers)/ /3 Comments

The recent Court of Appeal of England and Wales (“the Court”) judgment in the case of The London Steamship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association Ltd v The Kingdom of Spain and The French State [2015] EWCA Civ 333 (“the Judgment”) will make interesting reading for those concerned with the subject of arbitration. The judgment rendered covers…

Arbitral Award, Enforcement, England, English Law, Set aside an arbitral award, Set aside an international arbitral award

(University of Aberdeen)/ /2 Comments

The Main Approaches Regarding Enforcement of Annulled Foreign Awards The ongoing issue of whether an award that was set aside in the country of origin should be enforced has recently arisen in England and Wales. This issue has divided jurisdictions in two camps: the first camp is comprised of jurisdictions that are ready to enforce…