9th CIS Local Counsel Forum
Moderator: Dr. Nikolaus Pitkowitz, Partner, Graf & Partners – Vienna
Mr Christopher Coffin – Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution Withers – London
Mr Manfred Heider, Secretary General, Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC)
Ms Natalia Petrik, Legal Counsel, The Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber
of Commerce (SCC) – Stockholm
Mr Valikhan Shaikenov, Partner, Aequitas Law Firm - Almaty
London | Geneva | Zurich | Milan | Padua | New York | Greenwich | New Haven | San Francisco | Hong Kong | Singapore | BVI
Choosing a seat
The seat of arbitration will usually determine:
• Procedural law of the arbitration
• Which court has supervisory jurisdiction over the arbitration
• Nationality and scope of review of the arbitral award
But also:
• Practical considerations
London | Geneva | Zurich | Milan | Padua | New York | Greenwich | New Haven | San Francisco | Hong Kong | Singapore | BVI
Attractions of London-based arbitration
• Neutrality
• Language
• Accessibility and facilities
• Pool of experienced commercial arbitrators & counsel
• Established institutes and rules – LCIA, LMAA, CIArb
• Robust statutory framework – Arbitration Act 1996
• English common law and procedure
London | Geneva | Zurich | Milan | Padua | New York | Greenwich | New Haven | San Francisco | Hong Kong | Singapore | BVI
Choosing London – potential claimant’s view (1)
• Respect for agreement to arbitrate:
• Unilateral clauses accepted
• Anti-suit injunctions available for non-EU cases
• Damages for breach of agreement
• Kompetenz-kompetenz accepted
• Pre-emptive remedies:
• Worldwide freezing injunctions
• Search orders
• Additional remedies to support arbitration:
• Enforcing attendance of witnesses
• Determining points of law
London | Geneva | Zurich | Milan | Padua | New York | Greenwich | New Haven | San Francisco | Hong Kong | Singapore | BVI
Choosing London – potential claimant’s view (2)
• Cost – not inexpensive
• £5m commercial claim could cost £1m whether in court or arbitration
• English costs rule
• costs follow the event, ie the loser pays the winner’s legal costs, can apply
in international arbitration using English law
• Flexibility in legal costs
• Sharing the risk – lawyers can act on contingent fee basis
• Funding options
• Active market of investors willing to pay litigation costs in return for a share
in the winnings
London | Geneva | Zurich | Milan | Padua | New York | Greenwich | New Haven | San Francisco | Hong Kong | Singapore | BVI
Choosing London – potential defendant’s view
• The converse of the factors previously mentioned, eg
• A ‘pro-arbitration’ seat not necessarily desirable
• The right to have an appeal may be desirable
• Anti-suit injunctions may not be desirable
London | Geneva | Zurich | Milan | Padua | New York | Greenwich | New Haven | San Francisco | Hong Kong | Singapore | BVI
London Court of International Arbitration
• 2012 report:
• 265 referrals
• 10% of parties of CIS or Eastern European nationality
• 318 individual appointments of arbitrators to 166 panels
• 41% of arbitrators not English
• Draft 2014 arbitration rules
• Emergency arbitration
• Speedier formation rules
• Express powers to consolidate
London | Geneva | Zurich | Milan | Padua | New York | Greenwich | New Haven | San Francisco | Hong Kong | Singapore | BVI