Karl Bayer's Disputing Blog

Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Announces Appointment of New Director General

By Victoria VanBuren - April 12, 2012

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) is pleased to announce the appointment of Anthony Abrahams TD DL MBA as the new CIArb Director General (Chief Executive). Mr Abrahams will start at CIArb’s Executive offices in Bloomsbury Square, London on 10 April 2012 and will replace Michael Forbes Smith MCIArb. Mr Smith, who led CIArb since February 2006, left the Institute on 23 March and will retire as Director General of CIArb on 6 April. Mr A

ICC Conference on International Contracts | Paris, June 11-14, 2012

By Victoria VanBuren - April 10, 2012

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will be hosting a training course in international contracts in Paris, on June 11-14, 2012. The training will focus on the main problems arising out of international contracts and will include conflict resolution guidance. The Brochure is available here.

IBA Issues a Guide to Arbitration for 27 Countries

By Victoria VanBuren - March 29, 2012

The Arbitration Committee of the International Bar Association (“IBA”) has issued a guide to the law and practice of arbitration in more than 27 countries. Additional countries are planned and will be posted when completed. You may download (at no cost) the Guide per country here.

Call for Proposals: Collective Redress in the Cross-Border Context | Deadline: May 1, 2012

By Victoria VanBuren - March 26, 2012

Large-scale international legal injuries are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s globalized economy, whether they arise in the context of consumer, commercial, contract, tort or securities law, and countries are struggling to find appropriate means of providing collective redress, particularly in the cross-border context. The Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL), along with the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study

Arbitrating with Your Doctor?

By Holly Hayes - March 16, 2012

We recently stumbled upon an article regarding the sudden prevalence of arbitration agreements (between doctors and patients) in the context of medical procedures. Here is an excerpt: Arbitration agreements seem to be popping up in every kind of transaction these days. For those who are unfamiliar with them, they are contracts where parties give up their rights to go to court and present their cases to judges and juries. These probably make sense

Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center Honors Don Philbin

By Victoria VanBuren - March 15, 2012

The Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center (“BCDRC”) awarded our blog contributor Don Philbin with its Distinguished Service Award for 2011. The BCDRC recognized Don Philbin for his community service, particularly in multi-party and public policy disputes. Read more here. Please join us in congratulating Don!

ICSID Releases Its Caseload Statistics for FY 2011

By Victoria VanBuren - March 7, 2012

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has recently issued its ICSID Caseload – Statistics for cases registered or administered by ICSID as of June 30, 2011.The document contains: the number of cases registered under the ICSID Convention and Additional Facility Rules; the number of other cases administered by the ICSID Secretariat; the basis of consent to ICSID jurisdiction invoked in registered arbitration a

ICC International Court of Arbitration Announces Opening of New York Office

By Victoria VanBuren - February 27, 2012

The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (“ICC”) has announced that it will open an office of the ICC Court in New York. The goal of the new office is to increase ICC’s presence in North America. Read the ICC press release here. Stay tuned. Technorati Tags: ADR, law, arbitration

Venezuela Withdraws from the World Bank’s Arbitration Body

By Victoria VanBuren - February 22, 2012

As NPR reports, on January 24, 2012,Venezuela announced its withdrawal from the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes (the “ICSID” Convention). In accordance with Article 71 of the ICSID Convention, the denunciation will take effect six months after the receipt of Venezuela’s notice, i.e., on July 25, 2012. The ICSID website lists 17 pending cases against Venezuela. Read the NPR article here. Technorati Tags

Supreme Court Petition Filed Alleging Fraud at FINRA Arbitration

By Victoria VanBuren - February 21, 2012

On January 23, 2012, Petitioner Christopher Wanken filed a writ of certiorari (Case Number 11-939) with the U.S. Supreme Court against Respondents Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and its branch manager, John Dwight Wanken, seeking review of the Fifth Circuit decision on Wanken v. Wanken, No. 11-102219, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 20014 (5th Cir. Tex. Sept. 29, 2011). The questions presented are: Can a court affirm a district court’s sua sponte co