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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The intersection of arbitration and insolvency, ever since the onset of the pandemic, is becoming a topical area of focus. The Centre for International Legal Studies (an Austria based non-profit society) and Arbinsol (a platform dedicated to the research on arbitration and insolvency) have responded by organizing an ongoing series of “post-pandemic” webinars. The most…
Arbitration has been the default dispute resolution mechanism in the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) regime for a long time. Provisions for third-party procedures other than arbitration have been relatively rare in older generation bilateral investment treaties (BITs). Even where those have provided in advance for the option of ICSID (Convention or Additional Facility) Conciliation Rules,…
Since COVID-19, virtually everything that can be moved online has been moved online. The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”)’s flagship event, SIAC Congress, is no exception and as such, it was most befitting that the motion of the debate was “This House believes that Virtual Hearings are just as effective as In-Person Hearings“. The debate…
The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) hosted its Congress on 2 September 2020. For the first time, the Congress was held virtually. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of SIAC, Mr Davinder Singh, SC, in his welcome address thanked over 1,000 attendees for attending virtually from all over the world despite time zone differences. …
This year our Blog is providing live coverage of the SIAC Virtual Congress 2020. We kick off our coverage with our interview with Ariel Ye. Ariel has more than 35 years of experience in cross border commercial dispute resolution. She handled, together with her colleagues, the first international arbitration case since China instituted its open…
The allocation of pre-award interest is a standard feature of most international arbitration proceedings and is often contested before a tribunal. The complexity is accentuated when a tribunal is unable to render a timely award for procedural reasons beyond its own control and beyond the parties’ control. The delay caused by the rescheduling of evidentiary…
With the unfolding global pandemic, Brexit has largely taken a back seat. Yet, with the transition period due to end (at the time of writing) in just a few months, it is more important than ever to consider the implications for public international law (PIL) of the UK’s departure from the European Union. Exactly four…
The judgment issued by the High Court of England and Wales in Xstrata Coal Queensland P Ltd & Anor v Benxi Iron & Steel (Group) International Economic & Trading Co (Xstrata) is a rare example of a successful challenge brought under section 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (“the Act”). It serves as a reminder…
The newly released LCIA Rules 2020 have brought some exciting developments, which have already been subject to detailed analysis on this blog. However, there is more to the new rules than what catches the eye. This post addresses the new jurisdiction clause in the liability limitation provision (Article 31) of the LCIA Rules 2020. The…
The third of our series continues with a fireside chat with four of our fellow editors: Kiran Gore (Associate Editor), Mary Mitsi (Assistant Editor for Europe), Theresa Tseung (Assistant Editor for East and Central Asia), and Ylli Dautaj (Assistant Editor) (Investment Arbitration). Good day all and thank you for joining me today! Let’s…
The years since 2017 have witnessed a global trend of tightening foreign direct investment (FDI) screening processes. Major economies, including the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have moved towards stricter FDI rules. In all of these cases, security concerns and, in particular, the need to protect cutting-edge technologies against…
IN Memoriam Derek Roebuck (1935 – 2020) by Neil Kaplan With the passing of Derek Roebuck on 27 April the world of arbitration has lost its current and much-loved chronicler. Although Derek was a prolific author of legal texts he will long be remembered for his outstanding volumes on the history of arbitration from earliest…
In June 2020, the English High Court of Justice (Mr Butcher J) issued a judgment in Obrascon Huarte Lain SA & Anor v Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development dealing with an application under ss. 67 and 68(2)(b) of the English Arbitration Act 1996 (the “Arbitration Act”) for the setting aside an Addendum…
In normal times, the 32nd Annual ITA Workshop and Annual Meeting would have been an in-person summer event held in Austin, Texas. In this brave new world, the Workshop was completely reimagined to be held virtually via Zoom on 17 – 19 June 2020. Introduced by Joseph E. Neuhaus (ITA Chair, Sullivan & Cromwell), and…
12th August 2020 marks the 21st anniversary of the Indonesia’s Law Number 30 Year 1999 on Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (“Arbitration Law”).1)Any comments/views expressed in this article are those of the authors only. They do not reflect the views of KarimSyah Law Firm or AIAC unless otherwise stated. Culture wise, many countries, especially Indonesia, venerate…
The biennial 2020 Arbitration in Africa Survey Report (2020 Survey), which is the second in the series, is focused on top African arbitral centres and seats. It identifies the top and busiest arbitral centres in Africa. The survey was commissioned by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and sponsored by the law firm…
As the global pandemic has constrained in-person gatherings, many arbitration practitioners will have foregone most of their summer travel. Fortunately, for this summer’s holiday (quiz), we can all take a trip together to Transparency Land, where all arbitrators and institutions are above average, but may not all be equal in how they manage proceedings. With…
The revision process of Chapter 12 of the Swiss Private International Law Act (PILA), governing international arbitration in Switzerland, was initiated in 2008 through a parliamentary motion. It led to a general mandate for the Swiss government to “touch up” Swiss international arbitration law with a view to aligning the statutory text with Swiss case…
Nishith Desai Associates as part of its client continuing education program (“NDA cCep”) launched a two-part webinar series on “Women in Dispute Resolution”. The first session focused on perspectives of a Judge, an Arbitrator, In-house Counsel and law firm practitioners and dealt with the journey of each panelist. A sequel to this session, was recently…
