ICC UK Annual Arbitration & ADR Conference: Promoting the Rule of Law

Our Global Head of Arbitration Paula Hodges KC will be speaking at the ICC UK Annual Arbitration & ADR Conference: Promoting the Rule of Law on 5 October 2023, the second day of the conference. Paula will be joining the panel discussing “The Future of International Arbitration”.     Date and Time: Thursday, 5 October … Read more

Law Commission publishes Final Report and draft Bill for amendments to the English Arbitration Act

The Law Commission today published its much anticipated Final Report on the English Arbitration Act (the Act), accompanied by a draft Bill. Although the Law Commission has emphasised that “root and branch reform is not needed or wanted“, the report nonetheless makes several significant recommendations for change and proposes other more minor amendments. The main … Read more

New Rules for Emergency Arbitration in Chile

On August 11, 2023, the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CAM Santiago) introduced new rules on emergency arbitration (EA) to its domestic Arbitration Rules, through the inclusion of a new article 21 bis and a new Title IX (EA Regulation).  The EA Regulation will enter into force on September 1, … Read more

Informal networking breakfast on Friday 22 September 2023 at ArbFest Edinburgh

The inaugural Edinburgh International Arbitration Festival (ArbFest), hosted by the Scottish Arbitration Centre, will be held on 21 and 22 September 2023, a year on from the record-breaking International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Congress which was also held in Edinburgh. Herbert Smith Freehills is a proud sponsor of ArbFest 2023 and both our CEO Justin … Read more

THE ARBITRABILITY OF EMPLOYMENT DISPUTES IN AUSTRALIA

In Reeves v Alt Advisory (Jersey) Limited and Alt Financial Group Limited [2023] VSC 249 (Reeves), the Supreme Court of Victoria has enforced a private binding foreign arbitral award (arbitral award) issued pursuant to an arbitration agreement contained in an employment contract. The Court, of its own motion (the respondent did not appear in the … Read more

English Commercial Court rejects consumer’s public policy challenge to arbitration award due to insufficiently “close connection” of the contract to UK

In Eternity Sky Investments Ltd v Mrs Xiaomin Zhang [2023] EWHC 1964 (Comm), the English Commercial Court has rejected a challenge to an arbitration award on the grounds of public policy. Although the applicant argued that the terms of the underlying contract were unfair for the purposes of English consumer legislation, the court held that … Read more