In February 2025, the Court of Appeal of England & Wales unanimously dismissed Russia’s appeal against the English High Court’s decision that issue estoppel applies to its determination of the applicability of exceptions to state immunity under the State Immunity Act 1978 (“Immunity Act”) (“CoA Decision”). The case forms part of long-running, multi-jurisdictional proceedings surrounding…
As part of the 9th edition of the Paris Arbitration Week (“PAW”), the Dutch Arbitration Association (“DAA”) and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (“ICDR”), co-organised an event entitled “Transatlantic Views on Med-Arb/Arb-Med: Convergence or Chasm?” The panel was moderated by Marcio Vasconcellos (King & Spalding LLP), and composed of Vanessa Alarcon Duvanel (King &…
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…
Dating apps are now a central part of many people’s lives. Yet many users perhaps overlook that use of this kind of app usually comes with an arbitration agreement. Almost all major dating apps—including Bumble, eHarmony, Grindr, Hinge, Match, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, and Tinder— incorporate broad arbitration clauses in their terms of service (“TOS”)….
The doctrine of sovereign immunity has long been a cornerstone of international law, shielding states from enforcement actions. Sovereign immunity can be subdivided in two: immunity from jurisdiction and immunity from execution. While immunity from jurisdiction means that domestic courts are prevented to hear and decide cases involving another sovereign state, immunity from execution precludes…
Since ChatGPT’s launch in November 2022, the ‘end of lawyers’ narrative has found new life. From Goldman Sachs predicting that 44% of tasks performed by corporate lawyers would be automated by Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) to GPT-4 passing the bar, AI has put the legal profession on notice. Even the infamous case of a lawyer who…
Keeton v. Tesla addresses a significant question: whether a section of the California Arbitration Act (CAA) is preempted by the United States Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). The California Court of Appeal concluded that Section 1281.98 of the CAA is not preempted by the FAA, although, due to procedural nuances under the California Rules of Court,…
With Procedural Order No 4 on Bifurcation (hereinafter “PO 4”), the Tribunal of Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission v. USA issued a decision on bifurcation at the request of the Respondent following, as many others, Glamis Gold. While in Glamis Gold the request to bifurcate proceedings was rejected, this Tribunal decided to grant the application. The…
The chasm between the Section 1782 and arbitration worlds just got wider. In Webuild S.p.A. v. WSP USA Inc. (“Webuild S.p.A.”), the Second Circuit determined that a tribunal in an arbitration administered by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (“ICSID”) was not a “foreign or international tribunal” under Section 1782, the U.S. federal…
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…
In 2023, the United States courts expanded the role of international arbitration under existing law and wrestled with the application of new arbitration law and fact patterns. This post reviews some highlights and looks forward to developments anticipated during 2024. At the top, the United States Supreme Court delivered significant rulings in Coinbase Inc,. v….
In June of 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Coinbase, Inc. v. Bielski, which settled an important circuit court split with significant relevance to arbitrations. In Coinbase, the Supreme Court considered whether a U.S. federal district court proceeding is automatically stayed during an interlocutory appeal of a denial of a motion to…
Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in ZF Automotive US, Inc. v. Luxshare, Ltd., 142 S. Ct. 2078 (June 13, 2022), certain Circuits permitted parties to private international commercial arbitrations to avail themselves of U.S. discovery proceedings via 28 U.S.C. §1782 (“§1782” or “Section 1782”). The Supreme Court’s decision in ZF Automotive removed that option….
On October 2-4, 2023, the Atlanta International Arbitration Society (“AtlAS”) hosted its 12th Annual Conference, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Attendees from around the nation were treated to engaging, collaborative discussions and panels organized by AtlAS, the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (“ITA”), and the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). Christopher Smith (Senior Associate, King & Spalding LLP…
On June 30, 2020, an era of international investment law and dispute resolution came to an end as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) concluded its 27-year tenure with the entry into force of United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA). Three years later, a further milestone is now marked: today, Canada, which…
On 22 June 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion in the combined cases of Yegiazaryan v. Smagin et al. and CMB Monaco v. Smagin et al., Case Nos. 22-381 & 22-383 (U.S.). The case resolves divergent lower appellate rulings in the United States over whether a non-U.S. domiciliary may sustain a…
Columbia Arbitration Day (CAD), held on April 14, 2023, enjoyed record attendance levels this year and was held in the historic Low Memorial Library, a fitting venue for the first in-person CAD since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Judiciary in International Arbitration Proceedings The morning began with a panel moderated by Professor Alejandro Garro…
2022 was a busy year for the United States Supreme Court’s arbitration docket. The Court spent significant time defining the role of federal courts in arbitration-related litigation: it curbed Section 1782 discovery in support of international arbitration, limited the preferential treatment given to arbitration over litigation, protected the right to individualized arbitration, and limited the…
28 U.S.C. § 1782(a) allows U.S. federal district courts to order discovery against any person or entity “found” in the U.S. “for use” in a proceeding in a “foreign or international tribunal” upon application by “any interested person.” In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court in Intel Corp. v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. held that the…
Designed by the United States (“U.S.”) government to enhance the success of its primary sanctions programs, secondary sanctions are intended to prevent, on a global basis, third parties from trading with countries that are subject to sanctions. In a dispute involving the transfer of U.S. dollars between two non-U.S. persons located outside U.S. jurisdiction, these U.S. secondary…
On the third day of the Inaugural California International Arbitration Week, Silicon Valley Arbitration & Mediation Center (“SVAMC”) held a webinar on the locus of international disputes. The focus of the session was the shifting seat of international disputes, as arbitration’s centre of gravity is steadily advancing to the Pacific. This westward (from a United…
The inaugural California International Arbitration Week (“CIAW”) took place on March 14 through 18, 2022 and highlighted the attractive features of arbitrating international commercial disputes in California. What better way to begin CIAW than in Hollywood, with a discussion on recent international dispute developments and trends in the film and entertainment industry. The panel featured…
“If they can’t do it in California, it can’t be done anywhere.” – Novelist Taylor Caldwell From its sunlit beaches to its fog-spangled hills, California hosts the world’s fifth largest economy, boasting among its accomplishments Hollywood entertainment, Silicon Valley technology, and Central Valley agricultural produce. In addition to its strong trade ties within the…
This entry is the last in a series of three regarding issues faced by arbitral and financial institutions as a result of restrictions on transfers of funds under primary and secondary sanctions programmes. In the first post, the authors addressed the impact of asset freezes on arbitral institutions and their banks, while the second post…
