California International Arbitration Week

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Young California Arbitration (Young CalArb)

In a world where trade tensions and geopolitical pressures are increasingly shaping the landscape of international relations, particularly between the U.S. and China, the panel “Arbitrating in Time of Trade War” brought together a distinguished group of experts to explore the complexities and evolving dynamics of international arbitration. The panel featured insights from Luke Sobota…

CJEU, Corruption, Enforcement, Immunity, Intra-EU ISDS, Investment Arbitration, Paris Arbitration Week, Public Policy

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As part of 2024 Paris Arbitration Week, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP hosted a webinar on “Swords and Shields: Navigating Current Trends in Enforcing Arbitral Awards.” The event featured Sebastiano Nessi, Loujaine Kahaleh, and Juan Perla, and was moderated by Geoffroy Lyonnet. The panel examined recent trends in the enforcement of arbitral awards, starting…

CJEU, EU Competition Law, EU Law, ISU v Commission, Sport arbitration

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On 21 December 2023 the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) handed down its decision in Case C-124/21 P, International Skating Union v. European Commission. The CJEU agreed with the 16 December 2020 judgment of the General Court of the EU (“GCEU”), and with the  European Commission in CASE AT. 40208 International Skating…

Bolivia, Illegality, Investor-State arbitration, Latin America, Unclean Hands

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For several years, the uncertainty of the (un)clean hands principle has been subject to debate due to the diverse approaches taken by arbitral tribunals. However, in September 2023, the tribunal in Glencore Finance (Bermuda) Ltd. v. The Plurinational State of Bolivia (PCA Case No. 2016-39) may have indirectly settled the uncertainty. The case proposes a…

Enforcement, India, New York Convention

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The Territorial Reservation under Article 1(III) of the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, 1958 (“Convention”) presents an interesting conundrum. Despite widespread acceptance of the Convention, the Territorial Reservation continues to be a domestic limitation on the Convention’s applicability. In this post, we analyse how the Territorial Reservation ought…

Appeal, Arbitral seat, Hong Kong, Interim measures, Jurisdiction, Singapore

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Hong Kong and Singapore often take the top spots as the preferred arbitral seats in Asia and globally.1)See for instance the 2021 and 2018 Queen Mary University London International Arbitration Surveys. Hong Kong and Singapore rank top three as the most preferred seats in the 2021 survey, and top three in the 2018 survey. These…

Climate change, Investment Arbitration

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On the 7th of March, Wolters Kluwer hosted a webinar to mark the launch of the book Investment Arbitration and Climate Change, edited by Anja Ipp and Annette Magnusson (co-founders of Climate Change Counsel) and published by Wolters Kluwer in January 2024. The webinar featured four of the book’s contributing authors: Caline Mouawad (Partner at…

Assignment, Bulgaria, International arbitration

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In an interpretative judgment rendered on 21 February 2024 (“Interpretative Judgment”), the highest court of Bulgaria had the occasion to decide whether, in case of an assignment of rights under a contract, the arbitration agreement contained in the contract is transferred automatically to the assignee so that such arbitration agreement becomes effective and binding in…

Enforcement, Hong Kong, Russia, Sanctions

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In a world where present geopolitical tensions continue to worsen and the current global order continues to show signs of disintegration, sanctions have emerged as a key strategic tool to pressure third countries to comply with their international law obligations and further prevent additional violations of international agreements. With this comes disputes in a myriad…

Ecuador, Latin America

(Pérez, Bustamante & Ponce) and (Pérez Bustamante & Ponce)/ /Leave a comment

On 22 December 2023, a Tribunal composed of Prof. Bernard Hanotiau, Prof. Brigitte Stern and Dr. Andrés Rigo Sureda (President) issued a final award (“Award”) in an investment treaty case PCA 2019-15 (“Dispute”), between Worley International Inc. (“Worley” or “Claimant”) and The Republic of Ecuador (“Ecuador” or “Respondent”). The dispute arose in connection with agreements…

Arbitration, International arbitration, Johannesburg Arbitration Week, Seat of the arbitration, South Africa

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South Africa’s evolution into the premier destination for international arbitration in the Southern African Development Community (“SADC“) region exemplifies its commitment to legal modernity, accessibility, and the highest international standards. South African legal jurisprudence has come to enjoy significant influence in an increasingly globalised world where political, economic, social, and legal activities transcend territorial borders….

AfCFTA, CAJAC, Johannesburg Arbitration Week, South Africa

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The Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) will be hosting the first Johannesburg Arbitration Week (JAW) at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 9 to 11 April 2024. Originally scheduled for March 2020, the event was, of necessity, postponed when COVID-19 swept away all before it. With that aberration now consigned to…

ISDS, ISDS Reform, Paris Arbitration Week

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As part of the 2024 Paris Arbitration Week (“PAW”), Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP hosted a webinar on “Amplifying the Voices of Developing States in ISDS Reform.” This was the third installment in the “Affaires d’Etats” series on Investor-State Dispute Settlement (“ISDS”) initiated by Curtis during 2022 PAW. As the criticisms of ISDS intensify,…

Uncategorized

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The Supreme Court decision of January 24, 2024 granted the exequatur of a foreign arbitration award and authorized it to be enforced in Chile (the “Decision”). The Decision reaffirms the basic “pro-international arbitration” and “minimal intervention” principles, that posit Chile as an arbitral-friendly jurisdiction so that it could be selected as the seat of many…

ADR, Brazil, ICC Arbitration Day

(Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados – BMA) and / /Leave a comment

On 7 March 2024, the National Branch (“ICC Brasil”) and the ICC Court of Arbitration (“ICC Court”) held the 12th ICC Brazilian Arbitration Day (“ICC BAD” or “Conference”) in São Paulo. Since its inception in 2015, the ICC BAD has enjoyed consistent success, and in 2024 arbitration practicing lawyers and clients had further reasons to…

ICSID, Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award, Sovereign Immunity, UK, Zimbabwe

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On 19 January 2024, the High Court of Justice of England and Wales gave judgment in Border Timbers Ltd v Republic of Zimbabwe [2024] EWHC 58 (Comm). The decision of Dias J considered, in detail, the application of the UK State Immunity Act 1978 (“SIA”) to the registration, enforcement, and execution of ICSID arbitral awards…

Perjury, Sovereignty, Virtual hearings, Witness

(TGS Baltic; Vilnius University)/ /Leave a comment

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many arbitration proceedings from a physical to a virtual format, including witness interrogations. Even though virtual examinations offer many well-known advantages, they introduce dangers as well, especially to the witness’ credibility, inter alia, by facilitating the possibility of perjury. Adding another layer of complexity, this post addresses situations where the interrogation…

Arbitrability, France

(Diamantis & Partners)/ /2 Comments

57 years ago, the French Cour de Cassation’s Galakis decision (Civ. 1re, 2 May 1966) laid down the principle that French public entities may, exceptionally, submit to arbitration disputes arising from international contracts. Some would even consider that this principle was already in existence with the San Carlo case (Civ. 1re, 14 April 1964) where…

Articles of State Responsibility, Investment Arbitration, ISDS

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In the commentary to the ILC draft Articles on State Responsibility it is suggested that interest is not “a necessary part of compensation in every case.” (See Article 38, Commentary 1). However, in investor-State disputes, it has become usual for parties to request, and for tribunals to include, interest on top of compensation. The awards…

Investment, Investment Disputes, Mining Sector, Mongolia

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Mongolia is a country rich in natural resources. Its estimated mineral wealth is $1-3 trillion, with coal, copper, and gold making up the primary reserves. Having been so well endowed by Mother Earth, Mongolia would seem to be an obvious choice for international investors with capital and expertise to exploit these valuable opportunities. However, the…

ESG, Paris Arbitration Week

(NL-Investmentconsulting) and (ESSEC Business School, Paris; Paragon Advocacy)/ /Leave a comment

On Monday 18 March 2024, ESSEC Business School and EFILA co-organized a panel discussion within the framework of the Paris Arbitration Week (“PAW”) 2024, discussing the interactions between Human Rights, Environmental, Societal and Governance (“ESG”), Civil Society and investment arbitration. The event was hosted by Prof. Veronika Korom (ESSEC) and the panel consisted of Grégoire…

Annulment, Public Policy, Spain

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Herbert Smith Freehills

Spanish regional High Courts of Justice (Tribunales Superiores de Justicia) have heard applications to annul awards since the 2011 amendment to the Spanish Arbitration Law (“SAL”). The most active among the seventeen regional courts has been the High Court of Justice of Madrid (“TSJM”), in charge of hearing annulment proceedings of Madrid-seated arbitral awards. According…

Paris Arbitration Week, right to regulate

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On the second day of the 2024 Paris Arbitration Week (“PAW”), Addleshaw Goddard hosted another roundtable event titled “Evolving Perspectives on the Right to Regulate: Shaping Investment Treaty Arbitration.” The firm had assembled a five-star panel comprising Dr. Crina Baltag (Professor, Stockholm University), Marcin Kaldunski (Professor, Nicolaus Copernicus University), Nico Leslie (Barrister, Fountain Court Chambers)…

Energy, Energy Dispute

(Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP)/ /Leave a comment
Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)

This year’s ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration (the “Conference”), co-organised by the Institute for Transnational Arbitration was a whistle-stop tour of the new frontiers facing arbitration practitioners focused on the energy sector. There were, however, two themes that emerged as particularly significant: (i) the transition towards lower carbon economies; and (ii) the effects…