REUTERS | Darrin Zammit Lupi
July 9, 2020

Impact of restructuring and insolvency on arbitration (Part 1)

Increasing global pressures on businesses have and will for the foreseeable future lead to an increase in corporate restructurings, as businesses attempt to weather the current economic and commercial storm.

With corporations relying increasingly on arbitration to resolve their disputes, particularly those engaging in cross-border trade, it is only a matter of time before parties are faced with having to deal with the effects of restructuring and insolvency processes on arbitration proceedings and awards. Continue reading →

REUTERS | Mike Hutchings
July 7, 2020

The Africa Arbitration Academy Protocol on Virtual Hearings in Africa: taking virtual hearings to the 21st century

In April 2020, the Africa Arbitration Academy released a Protocol on Virtual Hearings in Africa. While not the first protocol to be released on the subject, it is a timely initiative for African practitioners, especially given that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to strict social distancing measures and travel restrictions in many countries, has brought about a surge in the use of virtual hearings in international arbitration. Continue reading →

REUTERS | Navesh Chitrakar
July 6, 2020

The hitchhiker’s guide to virtual hearings (Part 2)

When considering virtual hearings in arbitration, there are a number of matters which require discreet consideration beyond that of an ordinary face-to-face hearing. For ease, I would put those into five categories, the first and second of which I addressed in Part 1, with an analysis of the remaining categories in this second blog:

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REUTERS | Ralph Orlowski
July 2, 2020

Evolving expectations? Bar associations and chambers of commerce launch major initiatives on climate change in legal practice and dispute resolution

International bar associations and chambers of commerce are increasingly recognising both the central role and evolving expectations of the legal profession in responding to climate change. The International Bar Association (IBA), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC) and the American Bar Association (ABA), among others, have recently issued statements and reports covering various topics related to climate change and the legal sector. These initiatives provide guidance on how lawyers, legal practice and dispute resolution processes can help states, businesses, communities and individuals address contributions to, and impacts from, climate change. Continue reading →

REUTERS | Luke MacGregor
June 29, 2020

COVID-19 related delay in international commercial arbitrations seated in England and Wales

Generally speaking, commercial arbitrations which are seated in England and Wales must be conducted as expeditiously as possible. However, as well-intentioned as the tribunal and parties may be, COVID-19 continues to cause much delay in the conduct of international arbitration. Since the pandemic began, legal counsel have been fielding and responding to requests for delay and alterations to the regular procedure of ongoing arbitrations. This post doesn’t seek to express a view on the merits of such applications but attempts to shine a light on the kinds of applications that practitioners are now facing on a day-to-day basis.

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REUTERS | Hannah McKay
June 25, 2020

Agile arbitration during a pandemic: change for the better?

Arbitrating commercial disputes has often been considered an agile resolution process, and the reaction of arbitral institutions to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been further evidence of this. However, as the economic impact of the lockdown begins to take its toll, companies and their legal teams will be looking to achieve cost and time efficiency in the conduct and management of commercial disputes. In-house lawyers, under pressure to keep costs down, will watch with interest to see whether the emergence of alternative, more digitised and expedited arbitration services will create a new landscape for arbitration.

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REUTERS | Rebecca Naden
June 24, 2020

Arbitration agreement scope and arbitrability: Bridgehouse (Bradford No. 2) Ltd v BAE Systems Plc

How pro-arbitration are the courts of England and Wales? How pro-arbitration should they be? A recent decision of the Court of Appeal indicates that the answer to both questions is “very much”. The decision, and the proceedings which led to them, illustrate just how far the system encourages arbitration now. Continue reading →