Arbitration in Germany


Book Description

In a country with a broad international reach, the German business community has always been-and remains-among the primary users of arbitration. Thus, when in 1998 Germany adopted with only slight modifications the UNCITRAL Model Law on Commercial Arbitration for both its international and domestic law, the stage was set for what promised to be a great proving ground for the Model Law, as Germany's courts would have to consider many diverse and complex issues arising under the new law-decisions that would benefit courts and practitioners everywhere. Now, this hugely valuable publication provides the first full, detailed commentary in English on the German arbitration law, as well as on the rules of the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS). Thirty-eight leading German lawyers and scholars deal comprehensively with the particular ways in which German law handles all arbitration matters.




The DIS Arbitration Rules


Book Description

The new arbitration rules of the German Arbitration Institute (Rules) entered into force on 1 March 2018. Drafted over an intense period of eighteen months by a committee of globally recognized experts with the active participation of nearly 300 arbitration practitioners, the Rules stand poised to attract parties seeking dispute resolution not only in Germany but also internationally. This extraordinary book, written by the drafters themselves, with more than 550 pages of comprehensive article-by-article commentary, is filled with practical insights and recommendations regarding the application of the Rules. Each provision of the new Rules is given its own chapter, in which the following issues and topics are examined in depth for the specific rule under analysis: use of the provision in practice; modifications from the corresponding provision in the 1998 Rules; relationship to the relevant sections of the German Code of Civil Procedure; comparison with relevant regulations and practices in German State court proceedings; detailed expert commentary, including analysis of case law and legal scholarship; DIS practice concerning the application of the provision; and comparison with similar provisions in other arbitration rules. An annex contains an extensive collection of reference materials, including forms, schedule of costs and texts of various international arbitration documents. The authors and editors have vast experience as counsel and arbitrators in proceedings conducted under the auspices of the DIS and other arbitral institutions. Their intimate familiarity with all aspects of DIS case administration is of immeasurable value to all stakeholders in arbitral proceedings. A genuine user’s guide, the book explains how the new Rules are likely to be applied in practice by the arbitral institution, arbitrators and parties. Its practical tips regarding the effective conduct of DIS arbitrations elucidate best practices for counsel and arbitrators and make DIS’ day-to-day case management and decision-making processes more transparent and predictable for users of all levels of experience and expertise.




Commercial Arbitration in Germany


Book Description

This is a much-needed reference work providing practitioners and academics with a detailed commentary on and thorough analysis of German arbitration law and practice. This title covers both domestic and international arbitration in all its stages. The work details the legal framework for German-related arbitration and provides practical guidance on the appropriate choices, with a specific focus on particularities of German law and practice. It contains a high level of analysis whilst maintaining a practical approach and structure mirroring the typical course of arbitral proceedings. The book navigates along the life cycle of an arbitration, commencing with the arbitration agreement, continuing with the arbitral tribunal, the arbitral proceedings and interim relief, and concluding with the arbitral award including its recognition and enforcement. At each stage, the work combines exhaustive legal analysis, clear and concise presentation, and a practical and accessible approach. Written by highly regarded experts in the field, it provides arbitration practitioners and academics alike with a thorough guide for use when working on cases with a German nexus with a detailed analysis of the applicable legal framework in Germany. Arbitration in Germany continues to grow as the country builds on its reputation as a suitable venue for international arbitration. This trend is reflected in the increasing relevance of the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS), which currently has more than 1,150 members domestically and overseas, including numerous major trade organizations and chambers of commerce, leading German companies, judges, lawyers and academics. The number of arbitration cases under the DIS Rules has more than doubled since 2005 while statistics of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) show that Germany is the fifth most frequently chosen place of arbitration and German law is the fourth most frequently chosen law. Even where the place of arbitration is outside Germany, German arbitration law plays an increasingly important role for the recognition and enforcement of awards. This particular significance is highlighted by Germany's strong export-oriented economy and is mirrored in the fact that German parties are the second most frequently encountered nationality among parties in ICC arbitrations worldwide.




Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards


Book Description

The analysis thoroughly covers the major issues that have arisen in the application of the Convention, including the following: - the use of reservations made by Contracting States; - the distinctions between recognition and enforcement and between recognition sought at the seat of the arbitration and outside the seat; - the role of the courts in reviewing arbitral awards and, in particular, the Convention's focus on safeguarding due process standards; - the more favourable rightsA" principle embodied in Article VII(1); - the relevance of forum shopping and asset spotting to the application of the Convention; and - the role of formalities and formalism. The end result is an invaluable work that will prove enormously useful to all international commercial arbitration practitioners and scholars, regardless of location.




Confidentiality in International Commercial Arbitration


Book Description

Arbitration is an essential component in business. In an age when transparency is a maxim, important issues which the laws governing arbitration currently fail to address are the extent to which disclosure of information can be constrained by private agreement along with the extent to which the duty to preserve confidentiality can be stretched. Absent a coherent legal framework and extensive qualitative and quantitative data, it is equally difficult to suggest and predict future directions. This book offers a tool for attaining centralised access to otherwise fragmentary and dispersed material, as well as a comprehensive analysis and detailed exposition of the position in relation to confidentiality in arbitration in the jurisdictions of England, USA, France and Germany.




Parallel Proceedings in International Arbitration


Book Description

This book depicts and evaluates, in a European context, the pleas and actions which parties may make use of to dissolve the parallel jurisdiction of a national court and an arbitral tribunal. The author undertakes a thorough comparative analysis of the motivations for, and practice of, such pleas and actions with special regard to the major hubs where elaborate arbitration laws are tried and tested by the arbitration community - Germany, France, Switzerland, and England. 0On the basis of four scenarios of parallel proceedings before national courts and arbitral tribunals, the analysis tackles such issues and topics as the following: motivations for initiating parallel proceedings from the various parties' perspectives; remedies available to parties in situations of jurisdictional conflicts; effect of the principle of competence-competence on national courts' review of arbitration agreements; pleas restricting national courts' exercise of jurisdiction to a review of core principles (arbitration defence); self-restraining pleas independent of an arbitration agreement (plea of litispendence); actions for declaratory relief; actions aimed at restraining another court's or tribunal's jurisdiction (anti-suit/anti-arbitration injunctions); pleas invoked to avoid procedural inefficiencies and inconsistencies (plea of res judicata); counsel's duty of care and arbitral tribunal's mandate to issue an enforceable award; and litigation culture versus arbitration-friendliness.




Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration


Book Description

Since the first edition of this invaluable book in 2012, third-party funding has become more mainstream in international arbitration practice. However, since even the existence of a third-party funding agreement in a dispute is often kept secret, it can be difficult to glean the specifics of successful funding agreements. This welcome book, now updated, expertly reveals the nuances of third-party funding in international arbitration, examines the phenomenon in key jurisdictions, and provides a reliable resource for users and potential users that may wish to tap into and make use of this distinctive funding tool. Focusing on Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and South Africa, the authors analyze and assess the legal regime based upon legislation, judicial opinions, ethics opinions, and practitioner anecdotes describing the state of third-party funding in each jurisdiction. In addition to updating summaries of the law of the various jurisdictions, the second edition includes a new chapter addressing third-party funding in investor-state arbitration. Among the issues raised and examined are the following: · payment of adverse costs; · “Before-the-Event” (BTE) and “After-the-Event” (ATE) insurance; · attorney financing: pro bono representation, contingency representation, conditional fee arrangements; · loans; · ethical doctrines affecting the third-party funding industry; · possible future bundling, securitization, and trading of legal claims; · risk that the funder may put its own interests ahead of the client’s interests; and · whether the existence of a funding agreement must or should be disclosed to the decision maker. The second edition also includes discussion of recent institutional developments as they relate to third-party funding, including the work of the ICCA-Queen Mary Task Force on Third-Party Funding and how third-party funding is being incorporated into arbitral rules and investment treaties. Ably providing a thorough understanding of what third-party funding entails and what legal parameters exist, this book will be of compelling interest to parties aiming to take advantage of the high values, speed, reduced evidentiary costs, outcome predictability, industry expertise, and high award enforceability characteristic of the third-party funding arrangements available in international arbitration.




Due Process as a Limit to Discretion in International Commercial Arbitration


Book Description

The absence of a coherent body of case law on due process has increasingly motivated recalcitrant parties to use due process as a strategic tool, thereby putting at risk the prospect of obtaining an enforceable award in expeditious proceedings. Countering this inherent danger, here for the first time is a comprehensive study on due process as a limit to arbitral discretion, showing how due process applies in practice in key jurisdictions around the world. Based on country reports prepared by leading arbitration practitioners and academics, the book explores how courts in major arbitration jurisdictions apply due process guarantees when performing their post-award review. The contributors, driven by an interest in exploring the interplay between due process and efficiency, focus on those due process guarantees that set limits to arbitral discretion. Matters covered include the following: the right to be heard and how it may be affected by submission deadlines, evidentiary offers by the opposing party, and directions to the parties as to which aspects require further pleading; the right to be treated equally and its interplay with the duty to give each party full opportunity to present its case and to comment on submissions and evidence filed by the other party; the duty to effect proper notice, including delivery and language issues; the independence and impartiality of arbitrators with a focus on when an arbitrator’s conduct can become the basis for a successful challenge; and courts’ standards of deference when examining issues arising at the post-award stage. An introductory general report thoroughly analyses the normative basis of due process and its interplay with party autonomy, as well as applicable standards of review and commonalities among manifestations of due process across jurisdictions. A signal contribution to the debate regarding the so-called due process paranoia affecting arbitral tribunals – a topic relevant in every single arbitration proceeding – this book provides practical guidelines on how to maintain the balance between due process and efficiency and how to apply due process and counteract its misuse in arbitration proceedings. It will be welcomed by counsel, arbitrators, and judges from all countries, as well as by academics and researchers concerned with international commercial arbitration.




Fouchard, Gaillard, Goldman on International Commercial Arbitration


Book Description

Based on and includes revisions to : Traité de l'arbitrage commercial international / Ph. Fouchard, E. Gaillard, B. Goldman. 1996--Cf. foreword.




Third-Party Effects of Arbitral Awards


Book Description

The specialization and financial demand of global business render international transactions inherently multilateral and thus best effected through arbitration agreements. However, it often happens that – for various reasons, such as a debtor’s failure to pay damages ordered by an arbitral tribunal – third parties who did not consent to the original arbitration enter the scene. This is the first book to examine the binding effects of international commercial arbitral awards in follow-up disputes against third parties. It comprehensively analyses arbitral awards’ third-party effects under national arbitration laws, the New York Convention and private international law. Moreover, it proposes solutions under transnational law before both courts and arbitral tribunals. Applying a continuously comparative methodology that refers to specific statutory, jurisprudential and scholarly sources, this book explores the nature and implications of such aspects of third-party involvement as the following: the foundations of the doctrine of res judicata and its intrinsic connection to other tools of forum coordination; the distinction between res judicata before courts on the one hand and arbitral tribunals on the other; the application of non-mutual preclusion in favour of third parties; the potential for arbitral awards to constitute a fact in follow-up disputes; a comparison of rules and uncertainties on awards’ third-party effects under various national arbitration acts; preclusion agreements; the arbitration agreement’s scope; and judgments’ third-party effects as a shift of the participatory burden. For civil law, the author focuses on France and Switzerland (as predominant arbitral seats) and on Germany (as a Model Law example). Among common-law countries, he concentrates on England and Wales and on the United States. Statutory sources (with specific wording), leading cases and summaries of the most important scholarly discussions are all invoked. With its clear guidelines for matters currently not addressed in previous publications and likely to be raised in specific cases, this book will prove to be of immeasurable value for arbitration practitioners and academics in any jurisdiction. Business parties that seek to prevent contradicting decisions in multilateral transactions will appreciate the practically feasible alternatives it presents in the event of follow-up disputes involving third parties.