Alexis Martinez (Watson Farley & Williams) moderated an interesting panel discussion on the changes to the arbitration laws of England and the impending changes to the arbitration laws of France. The panel comprised of different experts, including two of whom were directly involved in the reform of the arbitration laws in England and France. Nathan…
As part of Paris Arbitration Week 2025, the Arbitration Association of Central and Eastern Europe (“ArbCEE”) hosted a roundtable discussion on “The Annulment of Arbitral Awards in the CEE.” The event was chaired by Rostislav Pekar (Squire Patton Boggs), hosted by Piotr Bytnerowicz (ByArb), and moderated by Veronika Korom (ESSEC Business School; Paragon Advocacy). …
In a recent case, the Swiss Federal Court upheld an arbitral award declining jurisdiction over a dual national’s claim against Venezuela under the Spain-Venezuela BIT. It confirmed that the BIT is silent on whether dual nationals qualify for protection under the treaty, and that this gap could be filled by having recourse to customary international…
Unilateral arbitration clauses (also referred to as asymmetrical arbitration clauses) have been the subject of considerable debate as they typically involve granting one party the right to choose between litigation and arbitration, while restricting the other party to one forum (as discussed here). As such, asymmetrical arbitration clauses create tension between the principles of party…
In line with the global movement of reform in Europe (see previous posts on recent reforms in the UK, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, Greece and Switzerland) and worldwide (e.g. China or Nepal), France also initiated in late 2024 the process of reforming its 14 years old arbitration law (discussed here). This post provides a concise overview…
On 17 January 2025, Mr. Justice Miles handed down judgment in Djanogly v Djanogly [2025] EWHC 61 (Ch), a case involving a long and bitter family dispute between a son, Saul Djanogly (“Son”), and a father, David Djanogly (“Father”). The dispute was referred by ad hoc agreement to the Golders Green Beth Din (“the Tribunal”)….
On 11 February 2025, the Federal Ministry of Justice Nigeria unveiled the National Policy on Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution for 2024-2028 (the Policy) to bolster commerce and establish Nigeria as a regional and international arbitration hub. The policy highlights Nigeria’s commitment to embracing global best practices by promoting arbitration and alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”)…
On July 15, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1903, which makes two major updates to existing California law helping to ensure that the state remains a sought-after destination for international commercial arbitration. Specifically, it (1) expands what qualifies as a written agreement to arbitrate, and (2) expressly allows tribunals to grant interim…
Last 13th January 2025, the Centre for Arbitration and Mediation of the Brazil Canada Chamber of Commerce (“CAM-CCBC”), the biggest and oldest arbitral institution in Brazil, announced the approval of its new regulation (“Regulation”) on the early production of evidence (“Early Production of Evidence”). This Regulation is based on the jurisprudential understanding, especially of the…
On 20 March 2025, a working group consisting of arbitration practitioners, judges, arbitrators, and academics submitted a report to the French Minister of Justice. The report included proposals to reform French arbitration law to enhance its efficiency and international appeal. These proposals will be presented and discussed during Paris Arbitration Week on 8 April 2025…
Arbitration in Mainland China offers many of the same advantages as arbitration in other jurisdictions, with lower costs and faster resolution. Still, foreign parties rarely choose arbitration in Mainland China, and typically do so only in cases of necessity. In recent years, China has endeavored to improve parties’ perceptions by promoting reforms aimed at opening…
In an attempt to further fortify its position as a leading arbitral institution, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) has introduced the 7th Edition of the Arbitration Rules of the SIAC (“Rules”), which came into effect on 1 January 2025. Much has already been written on various aspects of the draft Rules during the consultation…
The UniCredit saga has taken an unexpected turn, and the cascading legal drama shows no signs of abating. The English Court of Appeal (“EWCA”) in its recent decision dated 11th February 2025 (‘‘Revocation Order”) in UniCredit v. RusChemAlliance revoked the earlier granted anti-suit injunction by the EWCA (“ASI Order”), which was affirmed by the UK…
There is extensive commentary on South Africa’s evolution into a pro-arbitration jurisdiction. Its courts have long issued strong pro-arbitration judgments under the 1965 Arbitration Act (“Domestic Arbitration Act“) and, more recently, under the (relatively) new 2017 International Arbitration Act (“IAA“). Johannesburg also hosted the inaugural Johannesburg Arbitration Week in 2024, bringing together delegates from around the…
The Lahore High Court’s recent judgment in SpaceCom International, LLC v Wateen Telecom Ltd 2024 LHC 5494 (“SpaceCom”) is a landmark pronouncement that seeks to establish a balanced and principled interpretation of the New York Convention (“the Convention”). In brief, the Lahore High Court refused recognition and enforcement of a foreign arbitral award on an…
The Antrix-Devas saga continues to present twists and turns (see previous coverage on the Blog here, here and here). The latest is the recent decision of the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia (the “Full Court”) in Republic of India v. CCDM Holdings, LLC & Ors. [2025] FCAFC 2. This decision concerned the…
On January 30, 2025, the Constitutional Court of Chile issued a decision regarding a request for inapplicability due to the unconstitutionality of certain provisions of Law No. 19,971 on International Commercial Arbitration (“Law No. 19,971” or “International Commercial Arbitration Law”).1)Case Nº 15.144-2024, “Requerimiento de inaplicabilidad por inconstitucionalidad respecto de la expresión ‘sólo’, contenida en los…
Reflecting the ever-evolving landscape of international commercial arbitration, the latest edition of the ICCA International Handbook on Commercial Arbitration covers significant legislative developments from Greece and Israel, both of which have enacted new laws modernizing and aligning domestic frameworks with international standards. Greece’s Embrace of the UNCITRAL Model Law Greece has recently made significant…
The latest 2024 arbitration rules of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (“CRCICA”) have been in force since 15 January 2024 (“2024 CRCICA Rules”). As discussed in a previous post, the amendments introduced by the 2024 CRCICA Rules greatly promote CRCICA’s desirability as one of the leading arbitration institutions in the Middle East…
The freezing injunction, famously referred to as one of the law’s “nuclear weapons,” is a remedy developed for the purposes of preventing a judgment debtor (or potential judgment debtor) from unjustly dissipating their assets so as to prevent the judgment made against them from being enforced. This post explores how post-award freezing injunctions can be…
For decades, Italy was one of the very few countries in the world that prohibited arbitrators from granting interim relief. The situation changed in 2022 with the so-called “Cartabia” Reform, named after Professor Marta Cartabia, Italy’s Minister of Justice at the time and former president of the Constitutional Court (see also discussion here). Thanks to…
Dubai Courts’ reversal on recoverability of legal fees in arbitration under the ICC rules Earlier this year, the Dubai Court of Cassation (“DCC”) issued a judgment (“DCC Judgment 1”) setting aside an arbitral award issued under the ICC Rules of Arbitration 2021 (“ICC Rules 2021”) in part, concerning the recovery of legal fees of a…
Is there a statute of limitations applicable in France to requests for enforcement of foreign arbitral awards? On 10 December 2024, the Versailles Court of Appeal (the “Court”) responded in the affirmative and ruled that a request was time barred for having been filed more than 5 years after the issuance of the award (Case…
A five-judge Bench (“Constitution Bench”) of the Supreme Court of India (“SC”) recently delivered a landmark judgment in Central Organisation for Railway Electrification v. ECI-SPIC-SMO-MCML (JV) (“CORE-II”), on the validity of unilateral appointment clauses. The SC held that such clauses cast justifiable doubts on the independence and impartiality of arbitral tribunals. The judgment addresses various…
