The imminent arrival of Riyadh International Disputes Week (“RIDW“) is a natural opportunity to reflect on the Gulf/Middle East disputes market and the factors that will impact on the success of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (“SCCA“) which will undoubtedly be at the heart of RIDW. As with all things in the Gulf/Middle East…
The German Federal Court of Justice (“BGH”) set off a heated debate when it vacated an arbitral award based on the false application of certain sections of the German Competition Act (GWB) on September 27, 2022 (BGH KZB 75/21), conducting a full review of the arbitral award on the merits. German practitioners were concerned that…
In 2023, Canadian courts were called to rule on a multitude of fascinating issues, including distinguishing arbitration from expert determination (Clearspring Capital Partners II v. Logistik Unicorp Holdings), exercising their inherent powers to appoint a notable international arbitration law firm as amicus curiae (Hypertec Real Estate Inc. v. Equinix Canada Ltd.), and holding that a…
This Part 2 continues reflections on key arbitration-related developments in Canada during 2023. Whereas Part 1 addressed the courts’ approaches to arbitrator independence and impartiality and the unconscionability of arbitration agreements, this Part 2 shines light on different takes on procedural fairness and “fresh evidence” in post-award proceedings. What is “Proper Notice”? The past…
The inaugural Riyadh International Disputes Week (“RIDW”), commencing on 3 March 2024, is a milestone event for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”) and the disputes field, uniting key players in the field to explore the alternative dispute resolution landscape in the KSA and beyond. RIDW, the first event of its kind in the KSA,…
India ADR Week (“IAW“) 2023 was hosted by the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (“MCIA“) across three cities – Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. Gathering over 700 attendees from a cross-section of the arbitration community, IAW featured more than 40 events over six days in a series of in-person and virtual panels. The breadth and diversity…
The General Division of the High Court of the Republic of Singapore (“SGHC”) in the matter of Beltran, Julian Morena and another v. Terraform Labs Pte Ltd and others [2023] SGHC 340 recently dismissed an appeal against an Assistant Registrar’s decision denying a stay in favour of arbitration on the basis that the First Defendant…
The Indian arbitration bar was waiting for an important judgment of a 7-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court (“Judgment”), which reviewed its own earlier judgment in NN Global Mercantile Private Limited v. Indo Unique Flame Ltd. and Ors. (“NN Global”) covered in a previous blog post here. The issue before the Indian Supreme Court…
On 22 November 2023, the Brazilian Arbitration Committee (“CBAr”) and the Brazilian Association of Jurimetrics (“ABJ”) officially launched the final report on the Arbitration Observatory project (“Report”), in an in-person event at the Attorney’s Association of São Paulo that attracted many law students, lawyers, and arbitrators (see here for further details). The Report aims at…
On 1 November 2023, the Grand Chamber of the Ukrainian Supreme Court – the highest judicial body in the country – opined on the extension of the arbitration clause to non-signatories in its judgement in case No. 910/3208/22 (Berezan Processing Plant v Grain Power, hereinafter ‘Berezan case’). This judgement is a landmark one because it…
In 2023, the international arbitration landscape in California continued to develop and grow. This blog post highlights the past year’s most notable events impacting international arbitration practitioners in the Golden State. 2nd Annual California International Arbitration Week, and Plans for 2024 In March 2023, California Arbitration (CalArb) and California Lawyers Association (CLA) hosted the 2nd…
This post provides a recap of notable arbitration-related developments in France in 2023. Far from being an exhaustive account, it focuses on French court decisions in the areas identified below. Overall, French courts have not only consolidated their approaches on recurring topics—as was the case in 2020, 2021, and 2022—but have also taken a slightly…
An arbitration agreement is an agreement to resolve disputes through arbitration. Its existence precludes disputing parties from bringing their dispute to court: see Article 3 of the Arbitration and ADR Law of the Republic of Indonesia (“Arbitration Law”), which stipulates that Indonesian courts have no jurisdiction to try disputes between parties bound by an arbitration…
2023 stands out as a pivotal year marked by substantial advancements in arbitration across the African continent. Despite global challenges such as the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and projections of a slow recovery in Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) in the continent, African practitioners have demonstrated unwavering resilience and commitment to propelling the field…
The Bahrain Court of Cassation (“Court of Cassation”) recently examined the relationship between arbitration and a pre-required mediation step in its decision of 19 June 2023 in Case No. 815 of 2022. The case concerned a multi-tiered dispute resolution clause providing for mediation then arbitration. The parties’ agreement in this case, however, was atypical, as…
The Fourth Edition of the Washington Arbitration Week (WAW) took place from 27 November to 1 December 2023. This post highlights the panel titled ‘The Ukraine Crisis and Post-War Scenarios’. Jose Antonio Rivas, SJD (co-founder of WAW/Xtrategy), introduced the panel by remarking that despite the fact that the Russian invasion had already lasted for almost…
The 11th annual Dublin International Arbitration Day took place on 17 November 2023 at the Distillery Building, Dublin 7. A conference famed for its action-packed schedule, range of panels on hot topics, and eminent supporters, the event was exceptionally well attended by international and domestic attendees with one of the biggest turn-outs yet. Keynotes from…
Precautionary measures in international arbitration is a topic that never ceases to raise new questions and enhance further advancements due to its growing use and constant development. For instance, Mexico has experienced some improvements in these last decades regarding aspects such as anti-arbitration injunctions, powers of the court to order interim measures, the scope of…
Assuring a speedy resolution of potential disputes is a very important concern for most parties entering into arbitration agreements. One means to ensure a speedy arbitration can be a fixed deadline for the arbitral tribunal’s decision. With a focus on Italian law –under which Article 820(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure fixes a 240-day…
In the ever-evolving landscape of international commercial disputes, the co-existence of arbitration and insolvency-related proceedings has become a focal point. This comparative piece delves into the legal position in three key jurisdictions – Singapore, the United Kingdom, and India – and focuses on the pro-arbitration approach of deferring to the arbitral tribunal and staying (or…
In McConnell v. Advantest Am., Inc., the 4th District Court of Appeal in California (the “Court”) vacated an arbitral order compelling nonparties to appear at a discovery hearing for the sole purpose of receiving documents allegedly in their possession. 92 Cal. App. 5th 596. The subpoenas asked the nonparties to produce their communications with the…
Under Article 34 of the UNCITRAL Model Law (“Model Law”), an arbitral award may be set aside if the arbitration agreement is “not valid”. A more controversial issue is whether setting aside avenues should also be available in the opposite scenario, i.e., when a tribunal found that no valid arbitration agreement existed and declined jurisdiction….
The Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (“CRCICA”) issued its latest set of Arbitration Rules 2024 (“2024 Rules”), which enter into force from 15 January 2024. The 2024 Rules are presently available in English and Arabic, with a French version expected to be made available soon. Last updated in 2011, the CRCICA 2011 Rules…
Introduction East and Central Asia sees further efforts to promote arbitration through legislative and regulatory developments. Domestic courts clarified issues fundamental to arbitration and the judicial enforcement of arbitral awards. Domestic legislative and judicial bodies and arbitral institutions continue to grapple with recent trends and come up with innovative solutions that reflect the unique experience…
