One often maps the path of history as the sordid account of one bloody war after another. But if one were to mark history by the great moments of peace, then the modern era began at 2:00 p.m. on May 18, 1899. From across the globe, representatives of the world’s most powerful nations gathered for…
As the field of international arbitration continues to mature, our community grows alongside it. Last year, Dr Maria Fanou and I wrote about this topic from the lens of virtual platforms. We optimistically opined that the increasingly virtual world presented an opportunity for greater collegiality and equity. In late 2020, Maguelonne de Brugiere and Cherine…
In 2021, ICSID conducted an extensive survey of dispute resolution clauses in bilateral investment treaties (BITs), free trade agreements (FTAs) and other treaties (including model treaties). The data set comprised more than 900 treaties, from which nearly 350 clauses were identified for closer analysis. The overarching goal of the survey was to see to what…
Delos Dispute Resolution (Delos) has introduced its first significant update to the Delos Rules of Arbitration (the 2021 Delos Rules) which entered into force on 1 November 2021. The new rules range from including new provisions which align with other major arbitral institutions, for example on joinder and consolidation, to more radical innovations such as…
The recently surfaced award in IC Power Asia Development Ltd. v. Guatemala dated 7 October 2020 reveals the reasoning of the Tribunal’s majority in dismissing IC Power’s claims on the merits. A majority of Albert Jan van den Berg (chair) and Raúl Vinuesa (Respondent’s appointee) dismissed IC Power’s claims on the merits, while Guido Santiago…
On November 3, 2021, a decision rendered by the Third Panel of the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice in the Special Appeal No. 1.953.212-RJ (OSX Construção Naval v. AGF Engenharia) was published under the opinion of Minister Nancy Andrighi. The decision addresses relevant issues for arbitration in Brazil and demonstrates the support given by Brazilian…
Confidentiality is perceived to be one of the advantages of international (commercial) arbitration. Despite this, institutional arbitration rules are largely (or even completely) silent on the parties’ confidentiality obligations, leaving such issues to be determined by the parties and/or the tribunal or, in many cases, the applicable law. Defining what the duty of confidentiality –…
The Second Edition of the Washington Arbitration Week (WAW) took place from 29 November to 3 December 2021, hosting 16 panels. This post discusses the key issues raised in the panel called ‘Is the EU a Recalcitrant Entity? The Case of Domestic and Regional Judicial Decisions Non-Compliant with Investment Awards’. Gene Burd (Fisher Broyles) moderated…
The second edition of Washington Arbitration Week (WAW) drew attention to areas of synergy between corporate social responsibility (“CSR”), human rights assessments and international arbitration. Consistent with these themes, the panel “What can Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights Assessments teach to International Arbitration?” discussed the current legal status of this topic and future developments….
As of January 1, 2022, the Conciliation and Arbitration Center of the Uruguayan Chamber of Commerce and Services (“Center”) has new Arbitration Rules (the “2021 Rules”) in force. They apply to cases filed from January 1, 2022 onwards. Following the trend of several other institutions in the region, who updated their rules in 2021, in…
Insolvency-related claims arising from contracts containing arbitration clauses continue to culminate in intriguing cases before the England and Wales High Court (a previous post on the Blog analysed the Riverrock Securities Limited v International Bank of St Petersburg (Joint Stock Company) [2020] EWHC 2483 (Comm)). In a recent case titled The Deposit Guarantee Fund for…
Established in 1986, the Vancouver International Arbitration Centre (“VanIAC”, formerly known as the British Columbia International Commercial Arbitration Centre) is an organization committed to offering additional dispute resolution paths, providing services to individuals and businesses who wish to resolve conflicts through mediation and arbitration. Barry Penner Q.C. serves as VanIAC’s Managing Director. Mr. Penner, thank…
The recent judgment of the United Kingdom Supreme Court (the UKSC) in Kabab-Ji v Kout Foods (the Kabab-Ji judgment) has reopened issues concerning the differing approaches of English and French courts to determining the law governing arbitration agreements. The Kabab-Ji saga provides a case study on the English-French law divide and has been discussed at…
While the second wave of Covid-19 hit India harder in 2021 than in 2020, this did not hamper progression in the legal sphere. 2021 saw several notable arbitration-related developments including another amendment to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (“Indian Arbitration Act”). Following on the tradition of the “2020 in Review: India” and “2019 in…
Following a fruitful 2020, 2021 also brought some noteworthy developments in France, that this post proposes to review on a general level. Overall, the Paris Court of Appeal (“the Court”) seems to have taken a slightly more exigent approach towards arbitration this year, while the Cour de cassation has overturned regrettable decisions. Admissibility and Waiver…
A party to arbitration proceedings may incur ancillary litigation costs, such as those associated with interim measures. Most academic commentary considering whether such expenditures actually constitute arbitration costs refers to professor Hanotiau, who states that costs related to litigation proceedings ancillary to arbitration do not generally fall under the umbrella of arbitration costs. As such,…
Cyprus is a hub for international business transactions and tax structures. It is also a place where the assets of numerous multinational corporations and businesses are maintained. As such, it is a place which where the enforcement of international arbitration awards is frequently sought. In light of the above, one would expect Cyprus to be…
The year 2021 has been the busiest year for Ukraine since 2008, with four investment arbitrations initiated against Ukraine. The odds were not always in Ukraine’s favour. Having secured the dismissal of the case for lack of jurisdiction in Littop and others v. Ukraine, Ukraine was defeated by the investor in Olympic Entertainment v. Ukraine….
We are happy to report that the latest issue of the ASA Bulletin is now available and includes the following articles and case; we also add a brief glimpse of the articles of the first issue of 2022. ARTICLES Felix DASSER, Calling a Spade a Spade In his message ASA President Felix DASSER invites…
A key characteristic of an international commercial arbitration award is its binding nature, although parties may still consent to non-binding arbitration. A consent to non-binding arbitration is problematic when the applicable law explicitly prescribes arbitration to be binding. Mainland China is such a jurisdiction. Thus, the issue of the validity of a non-binding arbitration agreement…
The extent to which different dispute resolution fora are willing to pay deference to the Court of Justice of the EU’s (“CJEU”) seminal (and controversial) Achmea decision is being closely observed by investors and States alike. 1) Not to mention the European Commission, which has sought to make itself heard in numerous proceedings relating to intra-EU…
The distinction between jurisdiction and admissibility (the “Distinction”) has important consequences in international arbitration. Chief among these is the determination of the permissible extent of a national court’s intervention regarding a final award;1)Gretta Walters, “Fitting a Square Peg into a Round Hole: Do Res Judicata Challenges in International Arbitration Constitute Jurisdictional or Admissibility Problems?” (2012)…
We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions: Kimberley A. Wade & Ula Cartwright-Finch, The Science of Witness Memory: Implications for Practice and Procedure in International Arbitration Witness evidence plays a lead role in international arbitrations, yet the reliability of witness…
Conflict of laws issues can have a pivotal effect on the effectiveness of arbitration when state courts are asked to enforce arbitration agreements. Has the approach of Hungarian courts crystalized in the last few years in this respect? Can the contemporary Hungarian judicial practice and the new domestic legislation be characterized as arbitration friendly? This…
