Jurisdiction

2019 In Review, Africa, Anti-suit injunction, Arbitration, Arbitration Proceedings, International arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Nigeria, Tanzania

(University of Oxford)/ /Leave a comment

2019 has been a busy year for international arbitration in Sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, the year has brought an interesting wave of precedents, new domestic statutes, modern international investment agreements, and arbitration events. This post highlights and summarises some of the African developments covered in the Blog in 2019, with many thanks to the authors who…

Arbitration, Arbitration institution, International arbitration, Madrid International Arbitration Center, Spain

(Clifford Chance)/ /Leave a comment

The swift and far-reaching development experienced by arbitration in Spain over the past few decades is unprecedented in the context of other arbitration-friendly jurisdictions. In little more than 40 years, a fully-fledged arbitration system was set up virtually from scratch. In 1977 Spain ratified the New York Convention without reservation, thus entering the international arbitration…

Abu Dhabi, ADR, Arbitration institution, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

(Blanke Arbitration LLC)/ /Leave a comment

This year, I had the extraordinary pleasure of speaking at the Emirate Maritime Arbitration Centre (the “EMAC”) inaugural event of Dubai Arbitration Week 2019 (for the full presentation, see here). The EMAC, as readers may know, is the only arbitration institution specialized in the administration of maritime disputes through arbitration in the UAE and the…

Arbitrator's Fees, Corruption, Impartiality, Odebrecht investigation, Peru

(Columbia Law School)/ /Leave a comment

A recent case has shocked the international arbitration community: pre-trial detention was issued against three renowned arbitrators. Their crime? Determining their fees based on the amount of the dispute and having meetings with both parties to discuss the applicable rules and who will act as the Chairperson. In other words, behave as any other arbitrator…

Africa, Investment, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment law

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

Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) is facing significant opposition in its current form. Whilst some parties are engaged to find new common ground, others have unilaterally implemented measures aimed at ousting investor-state arbitration altogether. Over time, more and more attention has been paid to the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and its…

Amparo, Colombia, Constitutional Court, International arbitration, International Public Policy, Tutela

(Talero Rueda & Asociados)/ /Leave a comment

In its recent decision T-354/2019, the Colombian Constitutional Court, through one of its chambers, declared that arbitration awards, issued in international arbitrations seated in Colombia, may be subject to constitutional challenges by means of the so-called acción de tutela.1)The acción de tutela is similar to the so-called recurso de amparo, a constitutional injunction widely known…

Arbitration institution, Belt Road Initiative, Central Asia, Interview, Interviews with Our Editors, Technology, Uzbekistan

(Law Offices of Kiran N Gore PLLC; The George Washington University Law School) and / /Leave a comment

Ms. Bayzakova, thank you for joining us on the Kluwer Arbitration Blog!  We are grateful to have the opportunity to learn more about the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre (TIAC), one of the youngest arbitration institutions, having launched in November 2018, when the President of Uzbekistan signed the Resolution contemplating its establishment under the Chamber of…

Arbitration, Arbitration Awards, Arbitration Proceedings, Enforcement, France, International arbitration

/ /Leave a comment

Under French law, the principle is that both a request to set aside an award and an appeal of a decision upholding enforcement (ordonnance d’exequatur) have no suspensive effect (Article 1526(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure, ‘CCP’), so that an international arbitral award is immediately enforceable. However, as an exception, stay or adjustment of…

Canada, ISDS, Mexico, USMCA

(Steptoe & Johnson LLP)/ /1 Comment
Young ICCA

Introduction The United States, Mexico, and Canada renegotiated the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2018. As a result of these renegotiations, the parties agreed on new terms to formulate “NAFTA 2.0” or the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the United States, the CUSMA in Canada and, the T-MEC in Mexico. The USMCA aims…

Arbitration, Guaidó, Recognition, United States Courts, Venezuela

(Università degli Studi di Trento)/ /Leave a comment

Interesting developments in disputes involving Venezuela and its national oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) took place after Juan Guaidò, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, took the interim Presidency of the State in January 2019. Since then, he has adopted a series of measures and intervened in a series of proceedings involving…

Advocacy, Dispute Resolution, Experts, SIAC, Singapore, YSIAC Conference

(Morrison & Foerster (Singapore) LLP)/ /Leave a comment
YSIAC

The Young SIAC (“YSIAC“) Conference 2019 took place earlier today in Singapore, attracting young arbitration practitioners from all across the globe. The theme of the 2019 Conference was “Arbitration 2.0 – Navigating New Frontiers in International Dispute Resolution”, which explored the impact of various trends, technologies and innovations in international arbitration. Nonetheless, while trends may…

Arbitrability, Armenia, Central Asia, Jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal

(Office of the Ombudsman for United Nations Funds and Programmes )/ /Leave a comment

More than four years have passed since the Armenian Cassation Court—the highest court in Armenia—held in its EKD/1910/02/13 (2014) decision (“Cassation Court Decision”) that only state courts may exercise jurisdiction over the issue of contract invalidity (see previous post). To recall, the Cassation Court reasoned that civil rights could be protected through judicial, administrative or…

Arbitration, Belgium, CEPANI, Dispute Settlement, Expert evidence, Experts, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules

(Hanotiau & van den Berg / KU Leuven) and (The Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation )/ /Leave a comment

Located in the heart of Brussels, Europe’s capital and home to international organisations such as NATO, CEPANI, the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, was founded on 25 September 1969. At that time, Belgium had just acceded to the Geneva Convention and was exploring ways to update its obsolete legal arbitration framework. Much has changed…

Accountability, Dispute Resolution, Exhaustion of Local Remedies, Investor-State arbitration, Pakistan, Prevention

(University of Sussex, University of Turku)/ /2 Comments

Introduction In July this year, an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) based arbitration tribunal ordered the Government of Pakistan (GOP) to pay a massive $5.8 billion to Tethyan in compensation. The legal battle between Tethyan and GOP started in 2011 when GOP refused to grant a mining lease to Tethyan after it…

Domestic arbitration, Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), United States

(Penn State Law)/ /Leave a comment

The progression of arbitration law in the American legal system has been steadfast. Despite a few uneasy rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court (“SCOTUS” or “the Court”) has provided resolute support for arbitration and proclaimed the legitimacy of its enhanced adjudicatory role. The few rulings that strayed from the contemporary judicial evaluation of arbitration1)Wilko v. Swan,…

Arbitration Agreement, England, Insolvency, Jurisdiction, Spain

(King's College London)/ /1 Comment

One of David Guetta’s most famous songs is “When Love Takes Over”. Recent weeks have shown him that insolvency can also “take over”. The Commercial Court in Santander (Spain) ruled recently that an arbitration agreement signed by the agents of David Guetta ceased to produce effects due to the insolvency of the counterparty, the Spanish…

Counterclaims, Damages experts, Ecuador, Environment, Independent experts

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

After 11 years and more than US$ 89 million in costs,1)Perenco claimed US$ 57,923,322 in legal costs and other expenses, while Ecuador claimed US$ 31,620,369.27 for legal costs and other expenses and an additional US$ 49,629.76 for Petroecuador’s legal costs (a total of US$ 31,701,618.76). an international tribunal rendered a final decision awarding damages in…

Appeal, Arbitration, Awards, Challenge of Arbitral Award, Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), Manifest disregard, Manifest Disregard Doctrine, Manifest disregard of the law, New York, United States

, (Reed Smith)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction In domestic award enforcement proceedings, the U.S. federal Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (“Second Circuit”) in New York recently reversed a lower federal trial court’s decision to vacate that award on grounds that the arbitrator manifestly disregarded the law.  See Weiss v. Sallie Mae, Inc., Dkt. No. 18-2362, Slip Op. (2d Cir….

Enforceability, Enforcement, New York Convention, Uzbekistan

(Dentons)/ /1 Comment

The national courts in Uzbekistan have not commonly been noted by arbitration lawyers and foreign investors for having a pro-arbitration judicial attitude. However, since President Mirziyoyev took office in 2016, Uzbekistan has been trying to build a reputation as an investment-friendly country. It was hoped that the reforms in various sectors would extend as far…

Emergency Arbitrator, India, Singapore International Arbitration Centre, UNCITRAL Model Law

(SIAC)/ /1 Comment

This post covers an interesting discourse during the Singapore International Arbitration Centre’s Summit in New Delhi on 30 and 31 August 2019. In particular, the post focuses on the discussions during Panel Session 1: ‘Masterclass on the use of Institutional Procedures in Arbitration’ held on the second day of the summit. This session was moderated…

Applicable Law, Blocking regulations, Economic Sanctions, EU Law, European Union, Government intervention, Iran, Lex Arbitri, Lex Fori, Sanctions, United States

and (Steptoe & Johnson LLP)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction The United States announced the reinstatement of sanctions on Iran in May 2018. Following that, the EU responded by revising their Blocking Regulation (Regulation 2271/96) in August 2018. The Blocking Regulation was designed to safeguard European entities from the extraterritorial reach of the U.S. sanctions. The uncertainty surrounding the scope of application and the nature of blocking…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Arbitration Proceedings, Case Management, Efficiency, International arbitration, Poland

(Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego) and (Kocur & Partners)/ /Leave a comment

Essential Role of Effective Case Management in Arbitration Throughout the second half of the 20th century, arbitration has become a dominant and preferred method for resolving international disputes. Its advantages are widely known. This being said, international arbitration suffers nowadays from increasing costs and duration of the proceedings. It is less efficient than it promises….

Awards, Colombia, Constitutional Court, International arbitration, Tutela

, (Zuleta Abogados)/ /1 Comment

On August 6, 2019, the Fifth Revision Chamber of Colombia’s Constitutional Court (the “Court”) issued judgment T-354/19 resolving a constitutional injunction (tutela)1)The tutela is a constitutional injunction that aims to protect fundamental constitutional rights when they are violated or threatened by the action or omission of any public authority. This mechanism is incorporated in Article…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Asia, Asia-Pacific, Energy

(White & Case LLP)/ /Leave a comment
Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)

The ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration was held in Singapore in September, examining the future of international energy disputes in the region. There was a focus on the client perspective, with insights from a variety of speakers. The range of participants and speakers was impressive, with practitioners, in-house counsel and institution representatives covering…