COVID-19, Cybersecurity

(CyberArb) and / /Leave a comment
Young ICCA

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the interest in alternative dispute resolution, especially arbitrations conducted online. The greater utilization of online platforms and digitization has coincided with the growing frequency and sophistication of cyber-attacks. Reportedly, by 2021 a business will fall victim to cyber-attacks every 11 seconds. Therefore, it is critical for…

AfCFTA, Africa, Investment, Protocol

(United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD)/ /1 Comment

Negotiations on the Investment Protocol of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are set to start later this year. An AfCFTA Investment Protocol would provide significant opportunities for African countries. However, the negotiations will be complex, taking place amidst a backdrop of existing African international investment agreements (IIAs) already negotiated at the bilateral and…

Arbitration Agreement, Arbitration institution, China, Recognition and enforcement of arbitral award

(JunHe LLP) and (Altenburger)/ /Leave a comment

Since the enactment of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) Arbitration Law (1994), Chinese arbitration commissions have had exclusive access to the mainland China arbitration market. This is primarily because the establishment and operation of arbitration institutions are subject to the prior approval of the “administrative department of justice of the relevant province, autonomous region…

Corruption, Latin America, Peru, Red flags standard, Standard of Proof

(GST LLP) and (Georgetown University Law Center)/ /Leave a comment

The Rutas de Lima v. Metropolitan Municipality of Lima case shows how arbitral tribunals deal with corruption allegations in disputes related to government contracts. The tribunal, chaired by current ICC International Court of Arbitration President, Alexis Mourre, issued its Award this May, which came to light when the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima (the “Municipality”) requested…

International arbitration, kompetenz-kompetenz, Lithuania, National Courts, National Treatment, Seat of the arbitration

(Ellex Valiunas ) and (TGS Baltic)/ /Leave a comment

Global arbitration centers such as Paris or London are well known and need no introduction. In contrast, there are many other arbitration sites around the world that seek a larger role on the international stage of dispute settlement. Lithuania and its capital Vilnius in particular is no exception. In 2014 the Vilnius Court of Commercial…

Conference, Diversity

(Greenwood Arbitration) and (Advocate, Arbitrator and Mediator)/ /1 Comment

Like many other industries, the field of international arbitration has adjusted to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hearings have gone virtual; arbitrators, counsel and experts have adapted to working from home; and conferences have become webinars. The transition from in-person conferences to online webinars has brought great opportunities. Rather than being limited to candidates that would be available in a particular…

Applicable Law, Arbitration Agreement, Set aside an international arbitral award, Sweden

(University of Aberdeen)/ /Leave a comment

In a recent judgement in the proceedings for setting aside an arbitral award, the Swedish Court of Appeal addressed issues concerning the law applicable to an arbitration agreement, the validity of an arbitration agreement, the due process standard applicable in cross-examination, and the procedural error of rendering an award without considering all the arguments raised…

China, Civil Procedure, Court Proceedings, Discretion, Fair and Equitable Treatment, Procedural Fairness

(Zhong Lun Law Firm)/ /Leave a comment

The “right of clarification” (in German: Aufklarungsrecht) is a product of the inquisitorial method of hearing. It refers to a judge’s right to ask, suggest to or require the parties to clarify or supplement their ambiguous, insufficient or improper claims, submissions or evidence. In international arbitration, which is strongly influenced by the adversarial system, arbitral…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Expedited arbitration, Reform, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL WG II Series, Working Group II

(Greenberg Traurig, LLP)/ /Leave a comment

Expedited arbitration is often associated with smaller value disputes. For example, the International Chamber of Commerce suggests expedited arbitration for disputes of $2 million or less, while the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre has a $3 million threshold for expedited arbitration. Expedited arbitration makes procedural tradeoffs that are deemed warranted because there isn’t that much…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Early Determination, Early Dismissal, Expedited arbitration, Reform, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL WG II Series, Working Group II

(University of Oslo)/ /Leave a comment
Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)

Introducing a regulation of early determination in the context of expedited proceedings, highlights a series conflicting interests. Therefore, the UNCITRAL Working Group II on dispute resolution has not yet taken a final position on whether such a regulation should be inserted in the context of expedited arbitration, or whether it should rather be considered as…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Efficiency, Expedited arbitration, Reform, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL WG II Series, Working Group II

, (Chaffetz Lindsey LLP)/ /Leave a comment

UNCITRAL’s Working Group II (“WGII”) resumes next week its work on drafting expedited arbitration provisions (“EAPs”) for use with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (“UARs”).  One of the key “aims” underlying development of these procedures is “to improve the efficiency and quality of arbitral proceedings.”  This post examines why efficiency matters, how the EAPs encourage efficiency,…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Due process, Expedited arbitration, Reform, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL WG II Series, Working Group II

(New York International Arbitration Center)/ /Leave a comment

60 member states and several more non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will soon gather (in person in Vienna and virtually) to commence the 72nd Session of UNCITRAL Working Group II (WGII).  The topic and issues of Expedited Arbitration Procedures (EAPs) was primed at the 69th Session of the WGII in New York, including how best to improve…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Consent, Expedited arbitration, Reform, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL WG II Series, Working Group II

(Stockholm University)/ /Leave a comment
Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)

The UNCITRAL Working Group II (“WG II”) will continue its work on drafting expedited arbitration provisions (EAPs) at its next session in Vienna on September 21 – 25, 2020. This post briefly considers some of the key points that will be addressed at the session relating to the form and scope of the EAPs. This…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Efficiency, Expedited arbitration, ICSID, Investment Disputes, ISDS, Reform, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL WG II Series, Working Group II

(Stockholm University)/ /Leave a comment

Arbitrating investment disputes has its peculiarities stemming out of the nature of the dispute, as well as from the parties involved, which become relevant when assessing the feasibility of implementing expedited arbitration provisions. ICSID Arbitration Rules and UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, the main arbitration rules currently used for investment arbitration proceedings, are in the process of…

Arbitration, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Efficiency, Expedited arbitration, Reform, UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, UNCITRAL WG II Series, Working Group II

(Mihaela Maravela Law Office)/ /Leave a comment

Next week, the seventy-second session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law’s (“UNCITRAL”) Working Group II (“WG II”), considering the issue of expedited arbitration, will be held in a hybrid system, with participants being able to take part in the session either in person, in Vienna, or remotely, via an online platform. The…

Yearbook Commercial Arbitration

(General Editor, ICCA Publications; Amsterdam Center for International Law, University of Amsterdam)/ /Leave a comment

The fourth upload of ICCA Yearbook materials in 2020 is now available on KluwerArbitration.com. It features a total of twenty-one court decisions applying the New York Convention – from Austria, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Luxemburg, Malaysia, the Russian Federation, Seychelles, Switzerland, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uzbekistan – as well as two decisions…

China, Interviews with Our Editors, Online Dispute Resolution, Shanghai International Arbitration Center, SHIAC

(Clifford Chance Asia)/ /Leave a comment
Shanghai International Arbitration Center (SHIAC)

Dr Ma Yi is the Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the Shanghai International Arbitration Center (“SHIAC”) – SHIAC is also one of our Blog’s newest Permanent Contributors. Before joining SHIAC, he was actively involved in the growth of Shanghai’s legal scene as a Director at the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice and the Deputy Secretary…

Arbitral Tribunal, Costs, Document Production, Procedure, Quiz

(Bocconi University), (MDisputes), (Association ARBITRI), and (Arbitrator Intelligence)/ /Leave a comment

The Summer 2020 Kluwer Arbitration Quiz was met with a very enthusiastic response: 271 submissions from around the world! The quiz focused on how the conduct of arbitrations may differ, depending on industries and regions, as revealed by data collected to date by Arbitrator Intelligence. That data is collected through responses submitted by parties and…

Intra-EU BITs, Intra-EU Investment Arbitration

(Konrad Partners)/ /Leave a comment

After more than two years of an ever-evolving Achmea-saga, we shall now reap the fruits. Many arbitral tribunals have rejected the application of the CJEU’s findings, such as in the ICSID arbitration UP and C.D. Holding Internationale v Hungary or the ECT arbitration in Vattenfall v Germany (see e.g. here). More recently in June 2020,…

Enforcement, Investment Arbitration, Sovereign Immunity, Sweden

(SCC Arbitration Institute) and (MAGNUSSON)/ /Leave a comment
YIAG

The latest decision in the long running investment dispute saga of Stati, Ascom and others v. Kazakhstan came in June 2020, when the Svea Court of Appeal (Svea hovrätt) in Sweden annulled the Swedish Enforcement Agency’s (Kronofogden) (EA) attachment decisions. In this case, the Court of Appeal’s decision effectively expanded the definition of property covered…

COVID-19, Hearings, Opening Statements, Witness

(WilmerHale & Queen Mary University of London)/ /1 Comment

Once one gets past the fact that the word “asynchronous” is impossible to pronounce or spell, it is an interesting concept, including for international arbitration. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “not existing or occurring at the same time, not coinciding in time.” If you think about TV shows, for instance, some are broadcast…

Annulment, Brazil, Conflicts of interest, Duty to Disclose, Multiple appointments

(Souto, Correa, Cesa, Lummertz & Amaral Advogados)/ /Leave a comment

On 11 August 2020, the Court of Appeals of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, annulled an arbitral award1)1ª Câmara Reservada de Direito Empresarial do Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo. Apelação Cível no. 1056400-47.2019.8.26.0100 [Appeal no. 1056400-47.2019.8.26.0100]. on the grounds that the chair of the arbitral tribunal had failed to timely disclose his appointment…

Applicable Law, Arbitration Agreement, Conflict of Laws, France, French Law, International arbitration, Non-signatory, Third Party

, (LALIVE)/ /Leave a comment

Almost a decade after the Dallah saga, the French and English courts are once again considering the enforcement of the same award yet reaching conflicting solutions. On 29 March 2019, the High Court of England and Wales, followed on 20 January 2020 by the England and Wales Court of Appeal both refused to enforce an…

Arbitration, Data Protection, Disclosure, Egypt

(School of Law, Christ University)/ /Leave a comment

Egypt recently set out a legal framework for the protection and regulation of personal data. The legislation was brought about to regulate the protection of personal data which is stored and processed electronically. However, the law is silent on its application to arbitration and arbitral proceedings. The intersection between arbitration and data protection is not…