An emerging consideration in international arbitration is the use of evidence acquired illegally. Illegally obtained evidence can take a variety of forms, including, for example, illicit recordings, information obtained by trespass, and ‘hacked evidence’. ‘Hacked evidence’ refers to materials obtained through unauthorised access to an electronic system (either directly or through a third party), and…
What does the future hold for investment protection in Europe? A colossal question that resonates across board rooms and government halls on both sides of the Channel. With a consortium of investment law experts including Nikos Lavranos (NL Investment Consulting), Ayse Lowe (Bench Walk), Gordon Nardell QC (Twenty Essex), and Laura Rees-Evans (Fietta LLP) joining…
On 31 May 2021, the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (“JCAA”), Japan International Dispute Resolution Center (“JIDRC”), and the Japanese Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) co-hosted a webinar on developments in arbitration in Japan and Japan’s potential as an international arbitration hub. Some of the key takeaways from the event include: positive experiences with the physical and…
Independence and impartiality of an arbitrator are sine qua non in an arbitration proceeding. It is for this reason that jurisdictions, all across the globe, have taken significant measures to elaborate on the circumstances that may raise justifiable doubts as to the independence and impartiality of an arbitrator. However, one sphere remained untapped, until recently….
The issue of dual nationals’ access to investor-state dispute settlement (“ISDS”) has once again taken the center stage through the recently issued Carrizosa v. Colombia award. Resolved under the auspices of the 2013 UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, the PCA tribunal unanimously dismissed the entire case for lack of jurisdiction ratione personae, in accordance with the provisions…
International arbitration is changing at a fast pace, and opportunities arise every day in this field. In this context, on May 25, 2021, Young Arbitral Women Practitioners, Holland & Knight, and Rising Arbitrators Initiative co-hosted a webinar to discuss emerging fields of practice for arbitration lawyers. This post offers an overview of the variety of…
In the last decade, fifteen cases have been filed by foreign investors against India under various bilateral investment treaties (BITs). Of these, three major cases were spurred by the ill-reputed retrospective taxation by India in 2012, allegedly targeted towards certain foreign investors namely: (i) Vodafone International Holdings BV v. The Republic of India (Vodafone case);…
The story of counsel ethics in international arbitration is very much like Cinderella’s fairytale. Once the clock struck midnight, all that remained was her glass slipper. This left the prince to search the kingdom for a maiden with the perfect fit for a “happily ever after”. Counsel ethics in international arbitration similarly involve an ongoing…
The Vienna International Arbitral Centre (“VIAC”) announces its most recent update to the VIAC Rules of Arbitration and Mediation (the VIAC Rules of Arbitration and Mediation 2021) taking effect on 1 July 2021. The revision of the VIAC Rules of Arbitration and Mediation was triggered by the drafting of the new standalone set of VIAC…
On June 21, 2021, Ecuador’s Ambassador to the United States, Ivonne Juez Abuchacra de Baki, signed the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (the “ICSID Convention“) on behalf of the Republic of Ecuador (“Ecuador“). With Ecuador, the number of signatory States to the ICSID Convention is now…
The approach historically taken by Canadian courts to playing the role of guardian with respect to domestic commercial arbitration has sometimes been both confused and confusing, a situation only cofounded by recent Supreme Court of Canada (“Supreme Court”) jurisprudence. With the release of Sattva in 2014 and Teal Cedar in 2017 , the Supreme Court…
On 12 March 2021, a tribunal issued an award in the case of Naturgy v. Colombia (ICSID Case No. UNCT/18/1) under the Colombia-Spain BIT (2005) (the “BIT”). The decision is the first in a wave of four decisions decided in the first half of 2021 in favor of Colombia. Naturgy is noteworthy for its engagement…
Confidentiality is one of the distinctive features of arbitration and is often promoted as an advantage of arbitration. Most arbitral institutions require arbitral tribunals and parties to preserve confidentiality of arbitral proceedings. Having said that, commercial disputes which are subject to arbitration agreements most often do not simply disappear from the limelight. Quite the opposite,…
Calls for investor-State dispute settlement (“ISDS”) reform have persisted for some time (see blog coverage here). Competing calls for retaining the status quo, modifying the system, or abandoning the system altogether have each gained traction. With a drastic increase in the number of investment cases being brought, accompanied by the “mega” awards, the international community…
This blog post examines the approaches of Belarusian law and judicial practice to the application of public policy rules. Considering specific cases, the author makes suggestions for mitigating the risks to challenge of arbitral awards on the grounds of non-compliance with Belarusian public policy. Supreme Court Resolution on Public Policy Under Belarusian law, Belarusian…
More than a year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, we hope we are getting closer to the end of this and will soon be able to enjoy our freedom again in full. However, before going back to “normal” and resuming business as usual, we should think if there are any positive…
The use of the group of companies doctrine in India to join non-signatories to an arbitration is an interesting but underexplored topic. First, since its adoption in 2012, Indian courts have either: (i) applied the doctrine in conjunction with other doctrines including alter ego and piercing of the corporate veil, or (ii) focussed on specific…
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to test nearly every industry and break the idea of “normal” in both our personal and professional lives. Even as large segments of the population receive vaccines and look forward to once again meeting friends, hugging grandparents and traveling to foreign countries, the international arbitration service industry has entered a new…
Despite the prominence of Italian industry in international trade – Italy is one of the G7 countries – the country has long struggled to build a reputation in international arbitration as a reliable and arbitration-friendly seat. Italy’s court system is notoriously among the slowest in Europe, and the slowest to reach a conclusion through its…
The Chinese Arbitration Act (1995) recognizes the principle of competence-competence in Article 20, under which a party challenging the validity of the arbitration agreement may request the relevant arbitration commission to make a decision or apply to the court for a ruling. Ultimately, though, it is the reviewing courts in PR China that shall have…
The Abu Dhabi Global Market Arbitration Centre (“ADGMAC”) introduced its Protocol for Remote Hearings (“Protocol”) in June 2021. The Protocol provides parties, their lawyers and the Tribunal with a set of procedural and logistical arrangements for the conduct of hearings that may be conducted remotely (whether fully or in part). Previously, in September 2019, ADGMAC…
Under Article 13(3) of the UNCITRAL Model Law, a party challenging an arbitrator may ‘appeal’ a decision of the tribunal or other body hearing that challenge to a court or other authority (the “Challenge Appeal Mechanism”). The purpose of the Challenge Appeal Mechanism is to make the arbitral process more efficient by permitting judicial review…
The 2005 Choice-of-Court Agreements Convention (“Convention”) has been widely promoted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (“Hague Conference”) and others. This post continues the discussion in two prior posts (Part I and Part II) in this series which argued that it was inappropriate to transpose the New York Convention’s basis structure and terms…
The 2005 Convention on Choice-of-Court Agreements (“Convention”) has been vigorously endorsed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (“Hague Conference”) and others as an alternative to the New York Convention, appropriate for ratification by all states. The first post in this series discusses the Convention’s drafting history and proponents’ claim that the Convention ensures…
