24 May, 2018

Join us in Singapore to celebrate 60 years of the NY Convention

Enforcement of arbitration awards in SE Asia

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958, commonly referred to as the “New York Convention”.  As one of the most successful international treaties of the 20th century, and a primary tool in the promotion of arbitration worldwide, the Convention established a regime to facilitate international enforcement of arbitration awards in 159 countries.

This event will discuss the impact of the Convention in Southeast Asia, and whether its objectives have been successful in practice.  Following a keynote address by Justice Anselmo Reyes of the Singapore International Commercial Court, a series of presentations and panels will discuss the history of the Convention; how it shapes the day-to-day conduct of international arbitration; practical experience of enforcement in ASEAN states (with data from a new survey); and future prospects for similar regimes that aim to support international litigation and mediated settlements.

This event is jointly hosted by Singapore Management University (a premier university, internationally recognised for world-class research in the field of international arbitration); Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (a non-profit organization supported by the Ministry of Law, and Asia’s global thought leader for learning and research in negotiation and dispute resolution); and Herbert Smith Freehills (one of the world’s leading law firms, with a global reputation for international arbitration).

The event will be a SILE accredited CPD activity.

For more information on the programme and speakers, please click here.
Date:     Tuesday, 12 June 2018
Time:     Registration: 4:30pm
Event: 5:00pm to 7:30pm, followed by a cocktail reception
Venue:
NTUC Centre,
1 Marina Boulevard
Level 7, Stephen Riady Auditorium @ NTUC
Singapore 018989

Please click here to view map
RSVP: To respond to this e-invitation, click here

Please RSVP by Tuesday, 29 May 2018 to secure your seat. Spaces are limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis.
 

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Filed under Asia, Awards, Enforcement, New York Convention, News, Public International Law, Singapore, South East Asia

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23 May, 2018

HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS & ASIAN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION CENTRE

China’s Belt and Road Initiative will celebrate its fifth birthday in September. This US$900 billion roadmap for investment spans over 60 countries, and has already generated many large-scale infrastructure projects, deals and treaties.

Southeast Asia has a central role in the initiative, which has already stimulated significant infrastructure development and investment in the region. However, large-scale construction and infrastructure projects of this kind are vulnerable to disputes, particularly with multiple funders, contractors and governments involved.

Herbert Smith Freehills and the Asian International Arbitration Centre invite you to join us as we explore ways to manage risk and avoid major disputes on Belt and Road projects.

Please click here to view the programme.

Date:                   Friday, 22 June 2018

Time:                   Registration: 9:30am

Conference: 10:00am to 5:45pm

Cocktail reception to follow

Venue:                Asian International Arbitration Centre

Bangunan Sulaiman

Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin

50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Admission is free with limited seats available. Registration is required.

For registration or more information, please contact us at Malaysia.Invitations@hsf.com.

 

Peter Godwin
Peter Godwin
Regional Head of Practice - Dispute Resolution, Asia. Managing Partner, Kuala Lumpur
Email | Profile
+60 3 2777 5104

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22 May, 2018

First insight – the new UAE Federal Arbitration Law and the future for UAE arbitration

On 3 May 2018, HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, issued Federal Law No. 6 of 2018 promulgating the country’s much anticipated new Federal Arbitration Law (the “New Law“). The New Law, which is heavily based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, will replace and supersede Articles 203 to 218 of the Civil Procedures Code (Federal Law No. 11 of 1992 (as amended)) which currently govern arbitrations seated onshore in the UAE (the “Civil Procedure Code“).  The New Law applies to any arbitration conducted in the UAE, unless the parties have agreed that another law should apply, (Article 2) and to ongoing arbitration proceedings, even if the arbitration agreement was concluded before the Law came into effect (Article 59).

The New Law will take affect one month after its date of publication in the Official Gazette.  This article highlights some of the most significant developments and identifies key similarities and differences between the New Law and the UNCITRAL Model Law on which it is based. Continue reading →

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18 May, 2018

Global Pound Conference report published

The Global Pound Conference series – a unique and ambitious initiative to inform how civil and commercial disputes are resolved in the 21st century – brought together over 4000 dispute resolution stakeholders, at 28 conferences spanning 24 countries worldwide.

Herbert Smith Freehills, global founding sponsor of the series, has teamed up with PwC and IMI (International Mediation Institute) to identify key insights that emerge from the extensive voting data collected during the series. With a focus on the needs of corporate users of dispute resolution, this ground-breaking report challenges the traditional and fundamental notions of what clients want and how lawyers should represent them in a dispute. We identify four key global themes along with four notable regional differences.

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18 May, 2018

English Court holds that arbitration clauses in individual sales contracts govern the disputes arising from corrupt arrangement to induce the contracts when an “umbrella agent agreement” is silent about dispute resolution

In a decision dated 24 April 2018, the English Commercial Court (the “Court“) dismissed  challenges brought under s67 and s32 of the English Arbitration Act 1996 (the “Act“) by Dreymoor Fertilisers Overseas PTE Ltd. (“Dreymoor“).

The case concerned the construction and application of arbitration clauses to disputes arising out of a complicated business structure with multiple contracts between Eurochem Trading GMBH (“ECTG“), a fertiliser seller, and Dreymoor, an international trading company. Dreymoor sought to challenge the jurisdiction of tribunals constituted in two arbitrations (one LCIA and one ICC) commenced against it by ECTG, arguing (1) for a narrow interpretation of an LCIA arbitration clause to exclude non-contractual claims brought against it by ECTG; and (2) that there was no agreement to arbitrate between ECTG and Dreymoor in respect of the ICC arbitration.

The Court followed the liberal interpretation propounded in Fiona Trust & Holding Corporation v Privalov [2007] UKHL 40. The LCIA arbitration clause covered “any dispute or claim arising out of this Contract“. Those words were wide enough to cover the non-contractual disputes which ECTG had referred to LCIA Arbitration and the s67 challenge was dismissed. In respect of the ICC arbitration, the Court again held that the terms of the arbitration clause were very wide and sufficient to cover the disputes referred under it against Dreymoor. The s32 action therefore also failed.

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Filed under Arbitration Act 1996, Challenges to awards, Europe, Jurisdiction

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18 May, 2018

English High Court refuses to set aside award made without awaiting outcome of relevant domestic court proceedings

In its recent decision in SCM Financial Overseas Ltd v Raga Establishment Ltd [2018] EWHC 1008 (Comm) (available here), the English High Court (“Court“) refused to set aside an award on the ground of serious irregularity in circumstances where the London-seated tribunal applying the LCIA rules (“Tribunal“) proceeded to issue an award rather than await the outcome of domestic court proceedings which could have had a significant impact on the issues before the Tribunal.

The Court’s decision is significant because it highlights the wide discretion afforded to tribunals to manage the proceedings as they see fit, and demonstrates that there is an high bar to a successful challenge under section 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (“Act“). The decision also provides interesting observations on the relationship between arbitral and domestic court proceedings, and the inherent risk of inconsistent decisions should a party choose to arbitrate.

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Filed under Arbitration Act 1996, Arbitration proceedings, Challenges to awards, Europe, Procedures in arbitration

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17 May, 2018

New South Wales CA imports arbitration clause from one entity to another, stays proceedings

In Warner Bros Feature Productions Pty Ltd v Kennedy Miller Mitchell Films Pty Ltd [2018] NSWCA 81, the New South Wales Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the New South Wales Supreme Court by referring a dispute to arbitration in California pursuant to the parties’ agreement and by ordering a stay on court proceedings pursuant to section 7(2) of Australia’s International Arbitration Act 1974 (Cth). The Court of Appeal applied a pragmatic approach to determine whether an arbitration clause found in standard term contracts used by other members of a company’s corporate group should be incorporated into the parties’ agreement.

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Filed under Arbitration clauses, Arbitration laws, Arbitration proceedings, Australia, Court intervention, Stays

15 May, 2018

Progress towards a Multilateral Investment Court? EU-momentum building and divisions in UNCITRAL Working Group III

In the past few years, discontent about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS, a recognised shorthand for ad hoc arbitration of investor-state disputes) has been fomenting in various parts of the world but nowhere more so than within the EU. The European Commission’s focus on ISDS has been so intense that far-reaching reform has been portrayed by many as inevitable. The Commission’s proposal is for the development of a multilateral investment court system (MIC). The proposal is ambitious, but may not be realistic or achievable. Last year, the ISDS debate moved into the auspices of UNCITRAL Working Group III (WGIII). It is recognised in the report of the 35th session of WGIII[1] that this “constitute[s] a unique opportunity to make meaningful reforms in the field”. Certainly the involvement of high level government representatives from across the world and the transparent nature of WGIII’s process suggest this forum provides the conditions for systemic reform. However, the features of the WG III process expose the Commission’s plans to global scrutiny at a relatively early stage in their development, potentially before the Commission has managed to gain significant support for wholesale change. One of the EU delegation, in its capacity as an observer, noted in the 34th session[2] that the EU was “confident that UNCITRAL is a forum where a solution can be found” even where the delegates start from different positions. The question will be whether the conclusion of the deliberations will lead to the reform that the Commission wants.

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Filed under CPTPP, Investment Arbitration, ISDS, News, Public International Law, Trade Agreements, Uncategorized

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14 May, 2018

Dawood Rawat v Mauritius: Dual-national claim dismissed based on treaty context interpretation

On 6 April 2018, a Tribunal constituted under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules rendered an Award on Jurisdiction in the case Dawood Rawat v. The Republic of Mauritius (PCA Case 2016-20).  Following a thorough analysis of the interpretation of the 1973 Investment Protection Treaty between the Republic of France and Mauritius (the “France-Mauritius BIT” or the “Treaty”), the Tribunal denied protection of the relevant investment protection treaty to a dual national – a French-Mauritian businessman – despite the treaty was silent on its application to dual nationals.  This approach was contrary to prior investment treaty decisions, such as Serafín García Armas and other v Venezuela, in which tribunals have rejected jurisdictional objections brought by respondent states where relevant the bilateral investment treaty (“BIT”) was silent on the exclusion of dual nationals.

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14 May, 2018

New UAE Federal Arbitration Law issued

The President of the United Arab Emirates has issued Federal Law No. 6 of 2018, promulgating the much anticipated new federal arbitration law in the UAE.  As we reported in March, the new federal law, which is based on the UNCITRAL Model Law, will replace and supersede Articles 203 to 218 of the Civil Procedures Law No. 11 of 1992, which currently govern arbitrations seated onshore UAE, and will provide a properly structured procedural framework for domestic and international arbitrations seated in the UAE. The law will be published in the Official Gazette of the Union, and will come into effect one month after the date of publication.

Craig Shepherd, Head of the Global Contentious Construction Practice at Herbert Smith Freehills and Head of the Dubai Dispute Resolution team, commented: “The new Federal Arbitration Law is a very exciting development for the whole of the UAE. While the state has developed a reputation as the pre-eminent seat in the Middle East for arbitration, it did risk falling behind other nations who have introduced comprehensive new laws.  That issue has now been addressed, and I am sure the new law will help cement the UAE’s position in the global arbitration market.”

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