Many parties fail to realize that the wording of an arbitration clause is important for arbitration to function smoothly. In practice, one may observe, however, recurrent scenarios where arbitration clauses contain defective wording and, thus, are subject to unnecessary incidents and procedural debates. Such clauses are called “pathological clauses“. They are defined in Fouchard, Gaillard, […]
Initiating Arbitrations Under Multiple Arbitration Agreements
The filing of arbitrations based on multiple arbitration agreements, contained in two (or more) separate contracts, in a single arbitration proceeding may be possible, but must be done with caution. The development of major projects in the fields of engineering, construction, oil and gas, and mining often give rise to situations where related disputes regarding […]
Advance on Costs in SCC Arbitration
When an arbitration agreement provides for arbitration with the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (“the SCC”), the parties should bear in mind that they will be required to pay several costs over the course of the proceedings. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss the regime of the advance on costs in […]
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Courts: Moving from Litigation to Arbitration?
The global difficulties caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19), various State measures imposing restrictions on the movement of people, social distancing and complete lockdowns, while necessary to protect health, are inevitably having an impact on litigation in national courts, globally. In certain countries courts have had to limit, or to even entirely close, their operations due […]
Refusing to Participate in Arbitration Proceedings
Parties who signed a binding arbitration agreement are, in principle, bound by its terms. Once a dispute arises and a claimant commences arbitration proceedings against a respondent, a general assumption is that the parties will cooperate and actively participate in the proceedings. In practice, however, it can happen that the other party, usually the respondent, […]