Laws, treaties and soft law

A panel at the inaugural GAR Live Mumbai considered proposed reforms to India’s arbitration law, including controversial provisions for a regulatory body with the power to grade institutions and new qualification requirements for arbitrators.

08 July 2019

The Singapore ministry of law has opened a public consultation on proposed amendments to the country’s international arbitration statute, including the possibility of appeals on questions of law, enforcement of confidentiality obligations and waiver of annulment grounds.

26 June 2019

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators has issued guidelines on witness conferencing in international arbitration that it hopes will help to “minimise the risks of the process going awry”.

30 April 2019

As Singapore announces it is considering allowing appeals of arbitration awards on a point of law, Kohe Hasan and Justine Barthe-Dejean, partner and associate at Reed Smith (in alliance with Resource Law) in Singapore consider whether such a reform would be a move in the right direction.

18 April 2019

The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre is to become the first foreign arbitral institution licensed to administer cases in Russia after receiving approval from a regulatory body established under the country’s 2015 arbitration reforms.

09 April 2019

Following a public consultation, ICSID has published a second draft of its proposed amendments to the centre’s rules, including new provisions on third-party funding, arbitrator disqualifications and expedited proceedings.

18 March 2019

The European Parliament has voted to approve free trade and investment protection agreements between EU and Singapore, including provisions for an “investment court system” that the European Commission views as a stepping stone towards multilateral reform of investor-state dispute settlement.

15 February 2019

The ICC International Court of Arbitration has released updated guidance on the conduct of arbitration under its rules – seeking to assist arbitrators with disclosure of potential conflicts, facilitate the constitution of tribunals and enhance transparency among other goals – and adapted its model clause to take account of a controversial judgment in Russia.

20 December 2018

California – the world’s fifth-largest economy – looks set to overhaul its reputation as an arbitral hub after its governor approved a bill expressly permitting out-of-state and foreign lawyers to appear in international arbitrations seated there.

19 July 2018

A “New York-style Convention” aimed at ensuring the cross-border enforceability of international settlement agreements arising from mediation is one step closer to fruition after the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law finalised the text of the draft treaty earlier this week.

29 June 2018