Arbitrators, Conflicts of interest, Corruption, Decision Making, IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest, ICSID, In House Counsel, Independence and Impartiality, Institutional Arbitration, International arbitration, ISDS, Law Firms, Technology, UNCITRAL

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International arbitration is a constantly evolving field, shaped by global shifts, technological advancements, and changing expectations. On 31 August 2023 and 1 September 2023, the ICAL Alumni Association held the ICAL 20th Anniversary Conference entitled “Evolution or Revolution: Have We Mastered International Arbitration or Do We Need a New Blueprint for the Future?”. Carolyn Lamm’s (White &…

Abu Dhabi, DIFC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

(Habib Al Mulla & Partners) and (Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi)/ /Leave a comment

On 29 September 2023, the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”)’s recently published Federal Law No. 15 of 2023 (“Amendment Law”) entered into force, effectively amending Federal Law No. 6 of 2018 On Arbitration (“2018 Arbitration Law”) that was adopted a mere five years earlier. The 2018 Arbitration Law was itself a long-awaited and significant rehaul of…

ACICA, Australian Arbitration Week, Investment agreements, Investment protection, Investor-State arbitration

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ACICA

A beautiful Perth morning on Thursday, 12 October 2023 saw the convening of the panel – “Resolving Disputes on Major Projects – Lessons Learned from Recent Arbitration Proceedings”. The panel was moderated by Brian Millar of Francis Burt Chambers, and was generously hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills. The panel was conducted under the Chatham House…

Australian Arbitration Week, Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sport arbitration

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On the third day of Australian Arbitration Week, Clifford Chance’s Perth office hosted a panel discussion on “Australian sports tribunals and lessons learnt from international sports arbitration”. The session was moderated by Jamie Calvy (Senior Associate, Clifford Chance) with a panel comprising: Stephen Meade (General Counsel, Australian Football League); John Boultbee AM (Inaugural CEO, National…

Arbitrability, Australia, Australian Arbitration Week, Competition Law, Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property Rights, science, WIPO

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On 10 October 2023, Corrs Chambers Westgarth hosted a panel discussion on the topic of “The next new variant? Arbitration in the healthcare and life sciences sector” as part of Australian Arbitration Week. The panel was moderated by Cara North of Corrs Chambers Westgarth and comprised: The Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC, retired judge…

ACICA, Australia, Australian Arbitration Week, England, Interviews with Our Editors, National Courts

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The Honourable Wayne Martin AC KC is an arbitrator, mediator, and former Chief Justice of Western Australia (2006-2018). As Chief Justice, Mr Martin was a notable pioneer, particularly for his creation of the Supreme Court of Western Australia’s Arbitration List. Prior to becoming Chief Justice, Mr Martin was a senior member of the Western Australian…

Canada, Intellectual Property, NAFTA, Social media

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The pending NAFTA-based investor-State dispute settlement case Einarsson v. Canada has been noteworthy for matters of both procedure and substance. The claimants are a father and two sons, all holding US citizenship, and their Canadian-incorporated company, Geophysical Services Incorporated (GSI). They claim that by violating copyright and trade secret protections of GSI’s seismic data, which…

b-Arbitra | Belgian Review of Arbitration

(Hanotiau & van den Berg) and / /Leave a comment

b-Arbitra is the Belgian Review of Arbitration, issued biannually, with publication of judgments, notes and commentaries on arbitration related topics. 2013 was a landmark year for arbitration in Belgium. On 1 January 2013, CEPANI introduced new arbitration rules. On 1 September 2013, a new Belgian arbitration law entered into force. And last but not least,…

Applicable Law, Governing Law, Lex Arbitri, lex contractus, Lex Fori, Limitation period, Place of arbitration, Procedure, Seat of the arbitration, Substantive Law

(Francis Burt Chambers)/ /1 Comment

Part One of this blog post discussed how uncertainty can arise in determining the Limitations laws that apply in international commercial arbitration proceedings. Part Two will now discuss some potential solutions.   One Solution The United Kingdom modified the traditional common law approach with the enactment of the Foreign Limitation Periods Act 1984 (UK), which…

Applicable Law, Governing Law, Lex Arbitri, lex contractus, Lex Fori, Limitation period, Place of arbitration, Procedure, Seat of the arbitration, Substantive Law

(Francis Burt Chambers)/ /Leave a comment

This two-part blog post discusses applicable limitation laws, i.e., legislation purporting to limit the time period within which claims in international commercial arbitration proceedings must be commenced (Limitation laws). It raises questions regarding how arbitral tribunals ought to decide whether to apply such Limitation laws and whether attempts to classify them as matters of ‘substance’…

Code of Conduct, Institutional Arbitration, International Commercial Arbitration

(Equanimity Arbitration) and (Al Owais Advocates & Legal Consultants)/ /1 Comment

As the pool of international arbitrators has grown, and continues to grow, acting as an arbitrator is now seen more as a career path as opposed to a retirement plan. In fact, we can now confidently say that a profession of arbitrators exists. With this, the identity of a typical arbitrator has significantly changed, and the…

Competence-Competence, England, English Arbitration Act, Jurisdiction

(Khan Saifur Rahman & Associates)/ /Leave a comment

The UK Law Commission recently proposed drastic reform to section 67 of the English Arbitration Act 1996 that deals with the challenge of an award on the ground of lack of substantive jurisdiction in an English seated arbitration. The Law Commission’s First Consultation Paper published in September 2022 initially recommended the challenge under section 67…

Arbitration Tech Toolbox, Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes

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An unsteady camera lens captures figures enshrouded in the flickering semi-darkness of the room. Men in suits whisper in Spanish over a heavy wooden table. The Equatorian judge, his face captured by the concealed camera, stands up, signalling acceptance of the proposition: his decision for a $3 million bribe. This scene was forever etched into…

Arbitration institution, International Law, State Responsibility, Türkiye

(Akbaba Legal)/ /1 Comment

The Istanbul Arbitration Centre’s (the Centre) inception, driven by the Turkish Government’s ambition to elevate Istanbul as a global financial centre, presents a compelling case for legal scrutiny. This blog post seeks to unravel the intricate web of legal complexities surrounding the Centre’s statutory foundation, organisational structure, and financial framework, alongside the potential attribution of…

Advocacy, Arbitration, Arbitrator Selection, Arbitrators, Australia, Culture, Evidence, Witness

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ACICA 45

The rapid growth of international arbitration in the Asia-Pacific has sparked many discussions about how different cultural practices and legal traditions impact advocacy in cross-border disputes (see, for example, Global Arbitration Review’s The Guide to Advocacy). On 3 August 2023, ACICA45 and King & Wood Mallesons in Sydney hosted a session titled “Clash of Cultures…

Artificial Intelligence, Asia-Pacific, Energy Dispute, Insolvency, Intellectual Property, Northeast Asia, SIAC, SIAC Symposium 2023, Southeast Asia, Technology, Trade

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YSIAC

Following the morning session which explored the geopolitics of international arbitration, the next generation of dispute resolution and the freshly-minted draft SIAC Rules (see Part 1), the afternoon session probed into regional and topical dimensions of international arbitration through six technologically-driven and interactive panel discussions.   I. Regional Developments, Trends & Forecasts   Illuminating Top…

Appointment of arbitrators, Asia-Pacific, Climate change, Court Assistance, Expedited arbitration, Expedited Proceedings, Insolvency, Institutional Rules, Investor-State arbitration, Northeast Asia, SIAC, SIAC Symposium 2023, Singapore, Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Southeast Asia, Technology

(Sidley Austin LLP) and (Allen & Overy LLP)/ /Leave a comment
YSIAC

The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) held the SIAC Symposium, its flagship conference, during the Singapore Convention Week on 28 August 2023. The SIAC Symposium featured a conversation with Minister K Shanmugam, SC (Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, Singapore) and a plenary address by Justice Judith Prakash (Justice of the Court of…

Arbitration Agreement, China, Separability

(Anjie Broad Law Firm (Xiamen Office)) and (China University of Political Science and Law)/ /Leave a comment
CIETAC Hong Kong Arbitration Center

In 2010, the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China (the “SPC”) issued the Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Case Guidance (the “Provisions”). The Provisions are widely considered to establish a unique case guidance system in China, under which courts at all levels should refer to the selected guiding cases when…

ACICA, Arbitration, Arbitrators, Australia, Diversity, Public Interest

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ACICA

Efforts to promote diversity in arbitration continue to garner awareness and support from arbitral institutions, legal practitioners, experts, and the arbitration community in general (see e.g., here and here). Unconscious bias is a significant barrier to achieving greater diversity and can hinder opportunities, progression, and careers. It is often tricky to address because, as its…

Choice of Law, Conflict of Laws, Dispute Resolution, Enforcement

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On 24 March 2023, the Metaverse Dispute Resolution Colloquium was organised by the Digital Law Center (University of Geneva), the Geneva Center for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS) and MetaverseLegal to explore selected legal issues arising from disputes in/about the metaverse. Previous contributions to this blog have explored metaverse-related issues here. After the introductory remarks by…

New York Convention, Timor-Leste

(Clifford Chance)/ /Leave a comment

On 17 January 2023, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (“Timor-Leste”) became the 172nd country to accede to the United Nations Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958 (the “New York Convention”)1)United Nations, Timor-Leste accedes to Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2023/unisl339.html.. Thereafter, in accordance with the convention’s…

Annulment, Brazil, Brazilian Arbitration Act, Dissenting opinions, Latin America

(Wilmer Hale ) and (King & Spalding )/ /2 Comments

The São Paulo Court of Appeals (“TJSP or “Court”) recently annulled a quantum arbitral award and referred the case back to the arbitral tribunal because one of the three arbitrators had failed to issue a dissenting opinion. The Court held that the co-arbitrator’s abstention amounted to a failure in the part of the arbitral tribunal…

Appointing Authority, Case Management, Latin America, Permanent Court of Arbitration

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Asociación Latinoamericana de Arbitraje (ALARB)

On July 26, 2023, the Latin American Arbitration Association (ALARB) organized a webinar on New Developments of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). The discussion was introduced by Claus von Wobeser (Von Wobeser y Sierra, México) and led by Sandra González (Ferrere, Uruguay) and Juan Manuel Marchán (PBP, Ecuador), who posed several topics that were…

Hungary, New York Convention, Set aside an arbitral award, UNCITRAL Model Law

(SMARTLEGAL Schmidt & Partners)/ /Leave a comment

Making an awkward legislative step, the Hungarian legislator introduced a new ground for annulling construction arbitration awards from 5 June 2023, which applies where arbitrators fail to deliberate the opinion of a domestic expert body. While many commentators have criticised this amendment because of its potential retroactive effect and its disharmony with the current international…