Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons^™

Symposium Transcript: Pepperdine Drlj Symposium 2018, Jenna King

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Columbia Law School Arbitration Newsletter, Center For International And Commercial Investment Arbitration

Center for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration

This Newsletter is prepared under the flagship of Center for International Commercial & Investment Arbitration (CICIA). The Center has become one of the most active research incubation centres in the realm of international arbitration, both commercial and investor-State, and with this new initiative, we welcome readers to be informed and explore the new avenues available for becoming associated with real time projects that would benefit the readers through greater information and ideas.

The Blurring Of The Public/Private Distinction Or The Collapse Of A Category? The Story Of Investment Arbitration, Guillermo J. Garcia Sanchez

Faculty Scholarship

The paper is a response piece to Deborah Hensler and Damira Khatam’s new article, Re-inventing Arbitration: How Expanding the Scope of Arbitration Is Re-Shaping Its Form and Blurring the Line Between Private and Public Adjudication. Their main argument regarding the public-private distinction is that the arbitral procedure has changed as a consequence of the substantive issues resolved in this particular ADR system. According to them the arbitral system, which was originally conceived for commercial purposes, has become another way of litigating public law, but without the accountability mechanisms attached to public courts. In this paper, I agree in large part …

Cross-Examination In International Arbitration: A Clash Among Common Law Traditions, Robert H. Smit

Faculty Scholarship

Cross-examination, like it or not, has become a regular feature of international arbitration. As with other procedural cross-roads converging upon international arbitration from different legal traditions, cross-examination invites controversy and debate. This tends to focus on the procedural differences between civil-law “inquisitorial” and common-law “adversarial” systems, and how they inform the (un)desirability of cross-examination, or the need to modify it, in international arbitration. Less explored is how the practice of cross-examination differs in different common-law jurisdictions, including between prominent arbitral seats in the United States and England, Hong Kong and Singapore among others, and how those differences inform the approach …

Third-Party Funding In International Arbitration, Victoria Sahani

Shorter Faculty Works

Third-party funding, also known as litigation funding, is a financing method in which an entity that is not a party to a particular dispute funds another party’s legal fees or pays an order, award, or judgment rendered against that party, or both. Third-party funding is a growing phenomenon that is becoming more mainstream in both the litigation and the international arbitration communities. The leading jurisdictions worldwide — in terms of volume and sophistication of third-party funding arrangements — are Australia, the U.K., the U.S. and Germany. In the past, third-party funding was a smaller niche market, but in recent years, …

Public Policy Exception In Enforcement Of Foreign Judgments: Setting Aside An Award In The Country Of The Seat Of Arbitration, Amir Seyedfarshi

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

American courts may enforce and recognize international commercial arbitral awards pursuant to the New York Convention. An arbitral award can be subject of scrutiny before the courts of the country of the seat of arbitration and courts of the seat of arbitration may annul an award. Once an award is annulled, the question is whether a decision to annul an award renders it void, or a court outside of the seat of arbitration may refuse to enforce the judgment annulling the award and enforce the award. Courts may treat the judgment annulling an award as a judgment for the purpose …

Reshaping Third-Party Funding, Victoria Sahani

Faculty Scholarship

Third-party funding is a controversial business arrangement whereby an outside entity—called a third-party funder—finances the legal representation of a party involved in litigation or arbitration or finances a law firm’s portfolio of cases in return for a profit. Attorney ethics regulations and other laws permit nonlawyers to become partial owners of law firms in the District of Columbia, England and Wales, Scotland, Australia, two provinces in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and other jurisdictions around the world. Recently, a U.S.-based third-party funder that is publicly traded in England started its own law firm in England. In addition, some U.S. …

Qui Custodiet Custodes? A Hard Look At International Arbitral Institutions, Jan Paulsson

Articles

No abstract provided.

Beyond Trade Deals: Charting A Post-Brexit Course For Uk Investment Treaties, Lise Johnson, Lorenzo Cotula

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

The Brexit referendum has raised questions about the future terms of the United Kingdom’s engagement with the world economy. While a debate over the UK’s future approach to trade deals has already begun, a similar discussion has yet to develop on the treaties that govern foreign investment. As this briefing note by Lorenzo Cotula of the International Institute for Environment and Development, and Lise Johnson of CCSI highlights, the stakes are high: ill-designed treaties could leave the UK excessively exposed to legal claims by foreign companies and could fail to address relevant economic, social and environmental challenges. While meaningful negotiations …

International Fisheries Regulation, John P. Rivers

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Convergence Awakens: How Principles Of Proportionality And Calls For Cooperation Are Reshaping The E-Discovery Landscape, Tevor Gillum

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Corruption In International Arbitration, Inan Uluc

SJD Dissertations

Corruption represents a great menace to national and international development. It jeopardizes democracy, human rights, and social justice. Consequently, corruption is vehemently abhorred and denunciated by members of the international arbitration arena. Unfortunately, while these players purport repugnance towards corruption and do not condone corrupt acts, there has arisen a misplaced distrust of arbitral process as a proper dispute resolution system. Further, when amalgamating the inherent opaqueness of the arbitral process, its structure founded upon party autonomy, and the clear lack of authority for arbitrators to compel evidence, such distrust persists and encourages belief that arbitration is a venue where …

Gateway-Schmateway: An Exchange Between George Bermann And Alan Rau, George Bermann, Alan Scott Rau

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Introduction: International Arbitration And The Courts, Donald Earl Childress Iii, Jack J. Coe Jr., Lacey L. Estudillo

Pepperdine Law Review

What role do national courts play in international arbitration? Is international arbitration an “autonomous dispute resolution process, governed primarily by non-national rules and accepted international commercial rules and practices” where the influence of national courts is merely secondary? Or, in light of the fact that “international arbitration always operates in the shadow of national courts,” is it not more accurate to say that national courts and international arbitration act in partnership? On April 17, 2015, the Pepperdine Law Review convened a group of distinguished authorities from international practice and academia to discuss these and other related issues for a symposium …

Korea's "Bali Bali" Growth In International Arbitration, Grant L. Kim

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Gateway-Schmateway: An Exchange Between George Bermann And Alan Rau, Alan Scott Rau, George Bermann

Faculty Scholarship

What role do national courts play in international arbitration? Is international arbitration an “autonomous dispute resolution process, governed primarily by non-national rules and accepted international commercial rules and practices” where the influence of national courts is merely secondary? Or, in light of the fact that “international arbitration always operates in the shadow of national courts,” is it not more accurate to say that national courts and international arbitration act in partnership? On April 27, 2015, the Pepperdine Law Review convened a group of distinguished authorities from international practice and academia to discuss these and other related issues for a symposium …

Eyes Wide Shut On Isds, Lisa E. Sachs, Lise Johnson

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

Recent agreement among congressional leaders on a “fast-track” bill may have been a victory for the Obama administration’s trade agenda. However, members of congress should take a look at the recent Bilcon case, decided by a NAFTA tribunal, to understand what they are signing up for.

International Arbitration, Judicial Education, And Legal Elites, Catherine A. Rogers

Faculty Scholarship

One potentially devastating critique of investment arbitration is that it undermines or hampers development of national legal institutions. Investment arbitration was originally conceived of as a means of encouraging foreign investment and strengthening rule of law for investment protection. Critics often question whether it actually contributes to either of these goals. If investment arbitration could not deliver on intended goals related to improvements in local legal institutions, it would be disappointing. If, however, investment arbitration not only failed to deliver benefits to, but instead affirmatively undermined, local legal institutions, it would be devastating. While numerous critics have leveled this charge, …

Dramatic Sideshows At The Hearing, George A. Bermann

Faculty Scholarship

International arbitration has plenty of dramatic moments, strewn across the arbitration life cycle. They can surface quite early, as in the context of petitions for interim relief, document production, challenges to the arbitrator or various dispositive motions. They are less likely to occur at the post-award stage (i.e. annulment or opposition to the recognition or enforcement of awards), due in part to the fact that that stage typically plays out in the sober atmosphere of a national court. But more often than not, the drama associated with international arbitration takes place in and around the arbitral hearing room.

In my …

Arbitration's Discontents: Between The Pernicious And The Precarious, William W. Park

Faculty Scholarship

Arbitration has become a victim of its own success, as its wider use has triggered a flood of doubt, disapproval and denunciation. In consequence, higher visibility for arbitral proceedings and awards has led to increased criticism, both just and unjust, with respect to arbitrator independence and impartiality. A robust dispute resolution process requires balance between fairness and efficiency, keeping arbitrators free from taint while at the same time reducing the prospect of dilatory tactics aimed at sabotaging proceedings. If litigants hope to have their disputes resolved by intelligent and experienced individuals, criteria for arbitrator impartiality and independence will need to …

The Cohasset Marshlands Dispute: International Arbitration In Colonial New England, William W. Park

Faculty Scholarship

One of the earliest international arbitrations in the Americas arose from rival claims to hayfields contested between two groups of religious dissidents. The dispute resolution process which unfolded in 1640 between the Massachusetts and Plymouth colonies takes special significance as an epochal step toward the robust cross-border cooperation that ultimately united thirteen disparate colonies into a single nation.

Growing Pains And Coming-Of-Age: The State Of International Arbitration In India, Jory Canfield

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article offers information on the history, development and significance of international arbitration in India. It analyzes the decision of the Indian Supreme Court in the case of Bharat Aluminium Co. v. Kaiser Aluminium Technical Services Inc., which marks the era of major changes in Indian law regarding international arbitration. It mentions that development of Indian arbitration law enhances global standards and attitudes toward international dispute resolution in India.

Challenges To The Territorial Integrity Of Guyana: A Legal Analysis, Thomas W. Donovan

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Appeal Of Icsid Awards: How The Aminz Appellate Mechanism Can Guide Reform Of Icsid Procedure, Christopher Smith

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Finding Order In The Morass: The Three Real Justifications For Piercing The Corporate Veil, Jonathan Macey, Joshua Mitts

Faculty Scholarship

Few doctrines are more shrouded in mystery or litigated more often than piercing the corporate veil. We develop a new theoretical framework that posits that veil piercing is done to achieve three discrete public policy goals, each of which is consistent with economic efficiency: (1) achieving the purpose of an existing statute or regulation; (2) preventing shareholders from obtaining credit by misrepresentation; and (3) promoting the bankruptcy values of achieving the orderly, efficient resolution of a bankrupt's estate. We analyze the facts of veil-piercing cases to show how the outcomes are explained by our taxonomy. We demonstrate that a supposed …

Stop! In The Name Of Ethics, Before You Break My Bank Account: The "Conflicting" Rights Guaranteed To Parties In International Arbitration By Hrvatska V. Slovenia And Rompetrol V. Romania, And Their Potential As Tactical Weapons, Misbah Farid

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

International arbitration offers many rights, such as the right to counsel of choice and the right to an independent and impartial arbitration panel and proceeding. However, these guarantees, while they ensure the rights of parties and allow international arbitration to be a viable dispute resolution forum, can also be used as weapons. The viability of these rights as weapons is what reconciles the seemingly conflicting cases of Hrvatska v. Slovenia and Rompetrol v. Romania. Hrvatska sets forth an arbitration tribunal's inherent right to ensure and regulate the proceedings so as to guarantee the rights offered by international arbitration, while …

Mass Procedures As A Form Of "Regulatory Arbitration" - Abaclat V. Argentine Republic And The International Investment Regime, S. I. Strong

Faculty Publications

This article takes a unique and intriguing look at the issues presented by Abaclat, considering the legitimacy of mass procedures from a regulatory perspective and using new governance theory to determine whether a new form of regulatory arbitration is currently being developed. In so doing, the discussion describes the basic parameters of regulatory litigation and analyzes the special problems that arise when regulatory litigation is used in the transnational context, then transfers those concepts into the arbitral realm. This sort of analysis, which is entirely novel as a matter of either public or private law, will shape future inquiries regarding …

American Exceptionalism In Consumer Arbitration, Amy J. Schmitz

Faculty Publications

“American exceptionalism” has been used to reference the United States’ outlier policies in various contexts, including its love for litigation. Despite Americans’ reverence for their “day in court,” their zest for contractual freedom and efficiency has prevailed to result in U.S. courts’ strict enforcement of arbitration provisions in both business-to-business (“B2B”) and business-to-consumer (“B2C”) contracts. This is exceptional because although most of the world joins the United States in generally enforcing B2B arbitration under the New York Convention, many other countries refuse or strictly limit arbitration enforcement in B2C relationships due to concerns regarding power imbalances and public enforcement of …

When Bad Guys Are Wearing White Hats, Catherine A. Rogers

Faculty Scholarship

Allegations of ethical misconduct by lawyers have all but completely overshadowed the substantive claims in the Chevron case. While both sides have been accused of flagrant wrongdoing, the charges against plaintiffs’ counsel appear to have captured more headlines and garnered more attention. The primary reason why the focus seems lopsided is that plaintiffs’ counsel were presumed to be the ones wearing white hats in this epic drama. This essay postulates that this seeming irony is not simply an example of personal ethical lapse, but in part tied to larger reasons why ethical violations are an occupational hazard for plaintiffs’ counsel …

The Politics Of International Investment Arbitrators, Catherine A. Rogers

Faculty Scholarship

Arbitrators are the lightning rod for investment arbitration’s most contentious political debates. Investment arbitration was originally conceived as a means to depoliticize international investment law. The regime was designed to extricate investment disputes from national courts and gunboat diplomacy, entrusting them instead to a neutral law-bound process. According to its critics, however, investment arbitration is neither a neutral, nor a legitimate law-bound process. They lay most of the blame with international arbitrators. Critics contend that, instead of law and appropriate policy considerations, investment arbitrators’ decisions are often the product of extra-legal factors — from their own ideology, to the nature …