Law Commons^™

The Rise Of Transnational Commercial Courts: The Astana International Financial Centre Court, Ilias Bantekas

Pace International Law Review

The proliferation of international commercial courts aims to boost income from legal services and serve as a catalyst for newly found rules of law and thus attract investor confidence. The latter is the underlying purpose for the creation of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) and its Court. The Court’s legal framework is set out in the tradition of its competitors in the Gulf and similarly employs an impressive lineup of former senior judges from the United Kingdom. It is a unique experiment because it strives to create a balance between maintaining a judicial institution of the highest caliber while …

A Litigator’S Guide To The Galaxy: A Look At The Pragmatic Questions For Adjudicating Future Outer Space Disputes, Michael J. Listner, Joshua T. Smith

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Since the beginnings of the space age, outer space activities have been the realm of government with ancillary involvement by non-governmental actors. The international legal framework for outer space contemplated the involvement of non-governmental actors, but in creating dispute resolution mechanisms the role of non-governmental entities was not considered ripe. The surge of direct non-governmental involvement in outer space activities in recent years again raises the issue of dispute resolution and exemplifies the lack of dispute resolution mechanisms designed to address differences between sovereign states. As the pace of non-governmental activity increases, so does the likelihood of disputes arising between …

Mediation And Appropriate Dispute Resolution, Nadja Alexander, Shou Yu Chong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

2019 was a significant year for mediation. On 7 August 2019, 46 states – an unprecedented number – came together in Singapore to sign the United Nations Convention on International Mediated Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (“Singapore Convention”). The Convention, which comes into force on 12 September 2020, provides a legal framework for the recognition and enforcement of mediated settlement agreements across borders and thereby addresses one of the major criticisms of international mediation, namely, the lack of an internationally recognised expedited enforcement mechanism. The Singapore Convention aims to be for mediation what the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement …

Global Dispute Resolution Conference: Reflections, Trends, And Continued Development, Alexine Carr, Sukhsimranjit Singh

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The Global Dispute Resolution Conference brought together scholars, students, attorneys, and professionals from across the country. Co-hosted by Pepperdine’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, the event drew perspectives from a wide range of cultures, areas of ADR, and career experiences. Grouped into two full days with distinct focuses, the conference covered topics from commercial ADR to the significance of history, culture, and faith. To open the discussion, Professor Muamar Salameh of PMU spoke to the audience on the importance of accepting the global differences in legal systems within international dispute resolution. His remarks were …

Law And Covid-19, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez, Yihan Goh, Mark Findlay

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This book is a collection of essays from scholars at Singapore Management University School of Law analysing the challenges and implications of COVID-19 from the perspective of different areas of law, including private law, corporate law, insolvency law, data protection, financial laws, public law, privacy law, commercial law, constitutional law, law and technology, and dispute resolution. It also analyses how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the judicial system, the study of law, and the future of the legal profession. Beyond considerations of the pandemic’s influence on law and legal service delivery the authors consider how law can help facilitate the …

Mediation: The New Normal?, Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Imagine a tightrope walker, walking along a tightrope, holding a long, light rod. To help her balance, the performing artist continually moves the rod, changing the angle of the rod to maintain a constant – her balance in space. If she were to hold the rod in a fixed position, what would happen? She would fall off. In other words, the variation of the rod has the function of maintaining the deeper continuity which enables the artist to make it to the other end, alive. In this essay, the tightrope walker offers a metaphor for dispute resolution systems. In order …

Taking Disputes Online In A Pandemic-Stricken World: Do We Necessarily Lose More Than We Gain?, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Online dispute resolution (ODR) used to be a secondary feature of the courts, arbitration institutions and mediation providers. ODR systems involving problem diagnosis, facilitation and online adjudication were primarily utilised for low value claims and not extended to all legal claims. Private mediation was largely conducted only on online platforms to bridge physical distances. However, the COVID pandemic has very abruptly compelled the courts and other dispute resolution practitioners to shift face-to-face processes to the virtual environment. ODR is likely to be the mainstream, and no longer the alternative, way of managing disputes in the immediate future.

The rapid migration …

What Users Say About Technology In Mediation: 2020 Sidra Survey, Part 3, Nadja Alexander, Allison Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this post on the Kluwer Mediation Blog, the use and appreciation of technology in mediation among client users is analysed.

Blending Scripture And The Law: The Lack Of Christian Law And The Dangers It Presents In Christian Arbitration, Emily Holland

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This paper will examine the ways in which a lack of an established substantive law within the Christian faith tradition affects the Christian arbitration process and explore the possible means to address these issues. It will outline the history and functions of Christian tribunals, highlighting the unique space within the justice system that these special tribunals fill. Next, it will discuss the differences between the application of law in tribunals of other religious faith traditions and the application of law in Christian arbitration. This paper will demonstrate how a lack of concrete and applicable law creates issues in the enforceability …

What Users Say About International Mediators And Mediation Institutions: Part 2, Nadja Alexander, Allison Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this post on the Kluwer Mediation Blog, the key factors that influence users' choice of mediation institution and choice of the mediator are explored.

Sidra International Dispute Resolution Survey: 2020 Final Report, Nadja Alexander, Vakhtangi Giorgadze, Allison Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The International Dispute Resolution Survey: 2020 Final Report presents the findings of the Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy’s inaugural examination into the preferences, experiences, practices and perspectives of international dispute resolution users around the globe. The survey examined three major international dispute resolution mechanisms: international commercial arbitration, international commercial mediation, international commercial litigation, as well as hybrid dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation-arbitration and arbitration-mediation. The survey also inquired into the use of technology in international dispute resolution, such as predictive analytical tools and negotiation support systems, and asked the users to express whether they were satisfied with the use …

Why And How Users Make Choices In International Dispute Resolution: 2020 Sidra Survey, Nadja Alexander, Allison Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this post on the Kluwer Mediation Blog, the experiences and views of legal and client users from common and civil law jurisdictions on why and how they choose dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve cross-border disputes are analysed.

Interpretation Of Article V Of The New York Convention In The Eleventh Circuit: Industrial Risk Insurers, Juan C. Garcia, Ivan Bracho Gonzalez

University of Miami Law Review

The widespread use and growing preference for international arbitration over cross-border litigation is primarily due to the existence of a clear and straightforward regime for the enforcement of arbitration agreements and awards. Even though this was not always the case, through the appearance of the New York Convention and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (“UNCITRAL”) Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, the treatment and acceptance of international arbitration in different legal regimes has undergone a harmonization process which has served to develop consistency. That harmonization process, however, has not been completed. Several jurisdictions, even within their own …

A Cure For Every Ill? Remedies For “Pathological” Arbitration Clauses, Harout J. Samra, Ramya Ramachanderan

University of Miami Law Review

Defective arbitration and dispute resolution clauses—widely called “pathological clauses”—may undermine parties’ intent to seek recourse to arbitration rather than the courts. Questions concerning the existence and validity of arbitration clauses are subject to state contract law despite the wide sweep of the Federal Arbitration Act. This Article examines selected common “pathologies” and reviews recent court decisions, including from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and its constituent federal district courts, concerning the enforcement of such clauses.

Mass Torts: Dispute Resolution In France And The United States--The Vioxx And Mediator Cases Compared, Fred Einbinder Mr.

Washington International Law Journal

Dispute resolution in legal systems has largely been designed for handling issues between small groups of individuals or organizations. Obtaining legal redress for those injured by mass torts and using the law as a means to prevent future occurrences has presented challenges for the development of effective dispute resolution mechanisms to obtain relief for plaintiffs and deter future tortfeasors. A comparison of French and American mass tort law and practice offers a fertile field for useful comparative study given the significant differences in approach taken by each country’s legal system. These differences derive as much from history, politics, the attitudes …

International Mediation And Covid-19: The New Normal?, Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

What is the SIMC COVID-19 Protocol? The Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC) has just launched the SIMC COVID-19 Protocol to provide businesses with an expedited, economical and effective route to resolve any international commercial disputes during the COVID-19 pandemic period. SIMC’s Covid-19 protocol is a great example of a leading mediation service provider reaching out to a market severely disrupted by Covid-19. The option for Singaporean and international parties to mediate online means for a highly accessible, time and cost effective path to resolve disputes that have emerged in the wake of Covid-19.

In God We Trust (Unless We Change Our Mind): How State Of Mind Relates To Religious Arbitration, Skylar Reese Croy

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Arguably, binding religious arbitration agreements are constitutionally problematic because they hinder freedom of religion: They inhibit parties’ ability to change their beliefs. However, religious arbitration agreements also offer an outlet for the religiously inclined to further practice their beliefs. This Article offers a middle ground: If a party to a religious arbitration agreement changes religion, he or she can claim a “conscientious objector” status if he or she can prove the agreement violates his or her sincerely held religious beliefs. Courts are allowed to inquire into the sincerity of a person’s religious beliefs. The religious question doctrine — which restricts …

Aging Out Arbitration For Wrongful Death Suits In Nursing Homes, Courtney Dyer

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The first section of this article will discuss the significance of removing arbitration agreements from wrongful death claims and implementing mediation instead. The second section will detail the background of arbitration clauses in nursing homes. The third section will review state acts that have opposed the use of arbitration agreements for wrongful death claims in nursing homes. The fourth section will analyze cases that have challenged arbitration agreements in nursing homes for wrongful death claims. The fifth section will propose compulsory mediation and multi-tiered dispute resolution clauses as substitutes for arbitration clauses. Finally, the sixth section will consider potential objections …

Comment On Us Trade And Investment Agreements Submitted To Ustr, Columbia Center On Sustainable Investment

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

Comments to USTR Re: U.S.-Kenya Trade Agreement (April 28, 2020): CCSI, in response to the United States Trade Representative’s request for public comment to inform its approach to a U.S.-Kenya Trade Agreement, submitted Comments elaborating on our main points that (1) investor-state dispute settlement should not be included in any U.S.-Kenya agreement and (2) principles that should guide an investment chapter or investment provisions in any such agreement should (a) strategically support cross-border investment that produces positive development outcomes for the U.S. and Kenya, (b) facilitate and support good governance of investment projects, and (c) enhance cooperation to solve challenges …

Adr: Disputing With A Modern Face, Or Bargaining For The Bargain Impaired?, Robert J. Condlin

Faculty Scholarship

The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) movement might turn out to be one of the most important chapters in the history of the American judicial system. Or, it might not. In its most grandiose form, ADR turns disputing on its head, transferring control over outcome from third-party decision-makers to the disputants themselves, and defining disputing procedure in ad hoc, party-constructed guidelines tailored to the circumstances rather than fixed, generic, and categorical rules applicable uniformly in all situations. In its less grandiose form, ADR simply institutionalizes a system of multi-party bargaining in which third-party neutrals help disputants identify individual interests and find …

An Intentional Conversation About Adr Interventions: Eviction, Poverty And Other Collateral Consequences, Sharon Press

Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice

No abstract provided.

Mediating Disputes That Divide Communities: What Constitutes “Success”?, Joseph B. Stulberg

Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice

No abstract provided.

Dispute Resolution In Pandemic Circumstances, George A. Bermann

Faculty Scholarship

The peaceful resolution of disputes is among the most important earmarks of a regime attached to the rule of law. Even in countries in which, for one reason or another, courts do not work especially well, civil peace is of paramount importance. The absence of effective institutions for the administration of justice between and among private parties would spell a high degree of social disorder.

Even in the absence of a crisis such as we are experiencing, justice systems face a number of challenges in this day and age. Does a jurisdiction have a sufficient number of persons qualified to …

Costs Allocation In International Arbitration: What Normative Source, If Any?, George A. Bermann

Faculty Scholarship

Costs in arbitration is one of those many issues that arises constantly (at least in any arbitration that gets underway), but as to which there is by no means any universally accepted standard of judgment. It is also not particularly usual for parties to address the issue of costs directly in their arbitration agreement, or for the matter to be addressed in the law of arbitration of the seat. If the rules of arbitral procedure that the parties may have incorporated into their arbitration agreement address the matter, they may not do so in highly informative terms. The Rules of …