Independence and impartiality of an arbitrator form the bedrock of effective and fair legal proceeding. However, there are many requisites to an impartial tribunal such as fair and timely disclosures of potential conflicts by parties and the arbitrators. In this article, I shall explore the critical impact of the professional relationships of an arbitrator’s law firm on the perception of arbitrator’s independence.
The IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest reflect on the growth of law firms and the commercial realities surrounding the practice of appointing arbitrators belonging to large law firms. In this regard, the Guidelines mandate that the arbitrator, in principle must be considered to bear the identity of his/her law firm. The Guidelines in multiple entries under waivable red list and orange list discuss the impact of engaging an arbitrator who belongs to the law firm with whom a party to the case has an established connection.
This is because the arbitrator has a substantial interest in his law firm’s sustenance and well-being and is expected to appreciate the professional relationships of his law firm as an active agent of the firm. However, this raises concerns on the presumptive approach under the Guidelines in stark contrast to the analytical approach under most of the domestic arbitration rules and even UNCITRAL, ICC etc.
Application of IBA Guidelines
In the case of Vivendi, the arbitrator was challenged on account of a connection between his law firm and a party. The challenge was dismissed on the ground that the connection was of minor value and wholly discrete. However, applying the IBA Guidelines, it was envisaged that an arbitrator’s law firm’s professional relationship with any party to the case may seriously impair his/her independence in the proceedings. It is further observed that where the arbitrator holds a key position in the law firm, there is a legal presumption on singularity of interest between arbitrator and his law firm so far as his independence in any arbitration is concerned (KPMG AB v PROFILGRUPPEN AB (Svea Court of Appeal), (Case no. T 1085-11)).
A different position emerged in the case of W v. M. Ltd. The point of contention was whether in treating the arbitrator and his or her firm as well ‘‘compendiously’’ without reference to the question of whether the particular facts could realistically have any effect on the impartiality or independence of the arbitrator is consistent with the need to evaluate cases of impartiality from an objective standpoint. The Judge even went on to state that where the facts fit the situation detailed under the IBA Guidelines, it ‘‘causes a party to be led to focus more on assumptions derived from the fact, and to focus less on a case-specific judgment.”
Dynamic interpretation of the IBA Guidelines
The IBA Guidelines are not legal provisions and are not meant to override any applicable national law or arbitral rules chosen by the parties. The Working Group while framing these guidelines trusted that they will be applied with robust common sense and without pedantic and unduly formalistic interpretation. While detailing the scope for a factual approach to conflicts of interest, the Guidelines state that “the relevance of the activities of the arbitrator’s firm, such as the nature, timing and scope of the work by the law firm, and the relationship of the arbitrator with the law firm, should be considered in each case.”
The case-specific analysis as the W v. M Ltd. case requires, might hinder the larger goal that the IBA Guidelines set out to achieve. An analytical approach will defeat the purpose of the Guidelines to achieve uniformity and consistency. However, blanket acceptance of these Guidelines will dissuade appointment of any arbitrator who has any semblance of a commercial relationship with appointing party merely to escape the narrow conduit under the Guidelines.
Independence and impartiality of arbitrator are shaped by the ‘legal traditions and culture’ along with the specific nuances of each case (Jung Science Information Technology Co. Ltd. v. ZTE Corp.). In the light of such clear observations, it might be premature to accord significant value to the relationships of the law firm of arbitrator while assessing the arbitrator’s impartiality as the identity of an arbitrator with law firm has to be preceded by a legal analysis of the likelihood of justifiable doubt and cannot be naturally presumed.
Though tribunals have repeatedly stated that these Guidelines carry indicative value only, it must be ensured that the IBA Guidelines must not take the position of customary international arbitration law (Will Sheng Wilson Koh, p. 720). In conclusion, it would suffice to say that any assessment of an arbitrator’s propriety will have to take cognisance of the dynamic and commercially oriented law firm-client relationship without restricting the application of law to any pre-conception or pigeon holes.
Credit: Kluwer Arbitration Blog
http://arbitrationblog.kluwerarbitration.com/2018/06/19/relationship-arbitrators-law-firm-case-dynamic-application-iba-guidelines-conflicts-interest/
Arbitration, and typically commercial arbitration, is an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) which is agreed by parties of the dispute. Arbitration can be used to replace the traditional way of litigation in court.
Derive from arbitration’s dispute settlement principles, arbitration shows many pros and brings many benefits for parties in commercial dispute, specifically as follows:
A Polish appeals court vacated an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) partial award for alleged irregularities in the arbitrator's appointment (for further details please see " ICC award set aside due to irregularities in arbitrator's appointment "). The sole arbitrator's final award was also successfully challenged and set aside. The first reason to vacate the final award was also the issue of the sole arbitrator's appointment.
It is normal to inspect the goods that have been lost or damaged during the performance of the sales contract and in the contract of carriage. However, improper inspection can lead to significant disputes and damages that you can refer to below.
The ten years of Law on Commercial Arbitration 2010 (LCA) are also the 10-year development period of VIAC - the first institutional arbitration organization in Vietnam, the organization that goes along with the formation and advancement of the legal framework of commercial arbitration in Vietnam.
Law on Commercial Arbitration (“LCA”) enacted in 2010 was considered a major step forward for the development of commercial arbitration in Vietnam. Compared with the previous years and with international standards, LCA has made remarkable progress, namely recognizing enterprises’ freedom of choice, broadening the scope of arbitration, raising the arbitral tribunal’s authority, valuing court assistance (especially interim measures enforcement), encouraging flexibility in language of arbitration, and improving party’s autonomy in arbitration while maintaining proper manners during arbitral proceedings.
Mr. Doug Jones, a leading arbitrator in the international arbitration community, revealed to me his infatuation with the beautiful beach and Vietnamese delicacies after a seminar in Da Nang. He was also inspired by the confidence, assertiveness, competence and the ambition to improve domestic arbitrators to the same level as those working in the international sphere of young arbitrators and VIAC Secretaries.
Law on Commercial Arbitration 2010 (LCA)- the procedural law governing arbitration proceedings whose seat is in Vietnam
Nowadays, as the digital economy emerges, electronic agreements on online websites are becoming more and more prevalent; hence, the legal effect of establishing terms and conditions of service when accessing the website (browse-wrap) and clicking (click-wrap) are of particular interest. The following paper analyzes some of the legal aspects of online agreement conclusion, especially the establishment of the arbitration agreement by means of browse-wrap and click-wrap.
Whether settling disputes in Court or through arbitration, when a party has the burden of proof, it must submit evidence to the arbitral tribunal. The evidence can be in many different forms: Document electronic evidence, audio recordings, video recordings, witness statement, etc. In international arbitration practice, especially in complex disputes, a type of evidence that is frequently used by the parties to defend their opinion/request is testimony/report of "expert witness".
In international commerce and investment, parties to a dispute often select arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution other than litigation in which the court, an authorized state agency, adjudicate disputes. An explanation for this phenomenon is that arbitration may be the optimal means that the parties can exercise their autonomy in writing to select one or several individuals who are not representing state agencies and state power (the so-called private parties) to resolve disputes. However, to prevent the possibility of arbitrators "privatizing" justice, [1] the New York Convention and the ICSID Convention set out the rules for annulment of arbitral award when such award violates arbitral proceeding. Here, questions arise. What rules of procedure are violated? And to what extent is the commercial and investment arbitral award annulled? This article seeks to elucidate the theory and practice of annulment for violations of procedure under the New York Convention and the ICSID Convention.
Goods can be consolidated, batched, packed, sorted, and grouped for a certain period of time before being loaded onto a trailer for carriage to the consignee. Disputes about whether the time to do these things are within the scope of insurance liability or not is an issue worth knowing (through the lawsuit with the documents of a foreign law firm) below for readers’ reference.
Mr. Vu Anh Duong is the Secretary General of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (“ VIAC “), which is the leading Vietnamese arbitration and mediation institution . Mr. Duong has contributed significantly to the development of arbitration in Vietnam in various ways; in addition to his role with the VIAC, Mr. Duong has served as a member of various drafting committees dealing with not only the VIAC’s Rules of Arbitration (2017) (“ VIAC Rules ”), but also Vietnam’s arbitration-related legislation. He also regularly lectures on commercial arbitration and sits as an arbitrator in both international and domestic commercial arbitrations.
Abstract: This discourse focuses on a detailed analysis of some theoretical and practical issues about the application of interim emergency measures involving third parties, in the field of domestic and international. Besides, the discourse provides measures to enhance the ability to enforce the decisions applying interim emergency measures with the third parties within the realm of international arbitration law. Subsequently, it extracts experience and recommendations pertaining to the legal framework in Vietnam regarding this matter.
During arbitral proceedings, the mediation process may cause some certain conflicts that requests the Arbitral Tribunal to seriously consider. Resolving effectively these conflicts based on fundamental legal principles and the arbitration skills of the Tribunal will ensure the rights and interests of disputing parties and third parties. This discourse focuses on analyzing potential conflicts and providing recommendations to the Tribunal to maximize the effectiveness of the mediation process and reduce conflict occurrence.
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According to the Department of Judicial Support , Ministry of Justice, currently , there have been 48 arbitration institutions established in our country, with over 600 arbitrators participating in resolving thousands of commercial disputes each year 1 . An arbitration service has been developed. Along with the growth , the trait of this service became more apparent , includi ng the relevance of third-party interests. Unlike court litigation, in principle, arbitration is a private dispute resolution method , therefore, the involvement of third parties is exceptional. The discourse discusses how the arbitral tribunal considers and guarantee s the third party's interest in the arbitra l proceedings by providing some situations in which disputing parties or the arbitral tribunal may need to consider the interests of third parties. The goal of arbitr ation is to make contributions to resolving disputes fairly, thereby encourag ing parties to fulfill their obligations voluntarily in order to avoid further dispute escalation of disputes . Based on the analysis , the author suggests policy improvements pertaining to third parties that may be considered in the upcoming revision of the Law on Commercial Arbitration.
In August 2024, the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) formally published the second edition of the ICCA’s Guide to the Interpretation of the 1958 New York Convention. The Guide is a clear, concise yet inclusive handbook, written in plain language, on the essential aspects of the scope, interpretation and application of the Convention. Though principally aimed at judges determining applications under the Convention, the Guide, which benefits from the extensive practical and academic experience of its authors (prominent arbitrators and ICCA members) will also be of interest to students, teachers and practitioners as an introduction to the Convention.
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