In Republic of Mozambique v Credit Suisse International and others [2020] EWHC 1709 (Comm) here, the English High Court gave directions to proceed to a hearing of an application for a stay of English court proceedings under s9 of the 1996 Arbitration Act (the “Act“). The court rejected arguments brought by a number of defendants … Read more
Herbert Smith Freehills’ Global Arbitration Practice has been showcased as being the third busiest in the world as part of the annual Global Arbitration Review (GAR) 30 rankings. The firm’s latest GAR 30 ranking appears in the 13th edition of the GAR 100, which was revealed last night at the tenth annual GAR Awards ceremony. … Read more
This eighth (and final) update to a blog post initially dated 7 April 2020 takes into account developments between 25 June – 9 July 2020. These include various institutional changes (set out in the table attached to the blog), as well as perspectives on the development of “hybrid hearings” as some venues start to reopen … Read more
Introduction In a decision dated 6 February 2020 (“Decision”), the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, “BGH”) confirmed the long-standing pro-arbitration friendly case law of German courts that the threshold of a valid arbitration agreement is low (BGH, 6.2.2020, I ZB 44/19). In this case it was held that the parties’ intentions to arbitrate could … Read more
In recent years, international arbitration has been changing to keep pace with new technologies and the trend towards digital. This trend is further accelerating in the wake of COVID-19, and a crucial aspect of the transition to a fully online process in international arbitration lies in the use of robust and secure online case management … Read more
In MVV Environment Davenport Ltd v NTO Shipping GMBH & CO, MV Nortrader [2020] EWHC 1371 Comm, the High Court (the “Court”) set aside an LMAA award on jurisdiction (the “Award”) under s67 Arbitration Act 1996 (the “Act“) on the basis that the arbitral tribunal (the “Tribunal“) lacked substantive jurisdiction over the dispute. Read more
On Wednesday, 1 July 2020, the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa (AFSA), launched its new International Arbitration Rules for public comment. The international Drafting Committee was chaired by Professor Dr. Maxi Scherer and included other high profile individuals including Ndanga Kamau, Jennifer Kirby, Lise Bosman, Chiann Bao, Remy Gerbay and Jonathan Ripley-Evans (Director, HSF Johannesburg). … Read more
In Bridgehouse (Bradford No. 2) Ltd v BAE [2020] EWCA Civ 759, the English Court of Appeal upheld a stay of court proceedings in favour of arbitration under s9 of the English Arbitration Act 1996 (the “Arbitration Act”). The issue in dispute related to a company’s claim for relief under section 1028(3) of the Companies … Read more
In February 2020, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (the “HKIAC”) and the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (the “VIAC”) jointly applied to the Russian Ministry of Justice (the “MOJ”) and the Council for the Development of Arbitration at the MOJ (the “Council”) for clarification of certain “grey areas” of Russian Arbitration legislation (the “Joint Request“). … Read more
