Category Archive

Hafez R Virjee / Download article 26 March 2021 [*]  Abstract: The ‘iron triangle’ has been popularised in international arbitration as an illustration of the limits in the time and cost efficiency gains that can be achieved when set off against the trade-offs on the quality of the process. This article explains that the iron triangle is a misleading representation of how these questions balance out both at a systemic level and at an individual case level. As a result, it is ill-suited for policymaking or as a response to user calls for greater time and cost efficiency in international arbitration. Conversely, once the underlying assumptions have been spelt out and the realities of practice and market conditions factored in, … Read More

Dr Rachel Fenton, Senior Manager, Alvarez & Marsal, reporting on the ROAP 2020 Session of 1 December 2020: “Expert Careers – Questions (many), Answers (some), and Food for Thought”, published on 15 March 2021 As part of the first edition of the Remote Oral Advocacy Programme (ROAP) cross-examination training course organised by Delos, a number of aspiring expert witnesses were able to hone their skills at giving evidence. These expert witnesses along with the faculty members from sponsoring firms Alvarez & Marsal and PwC got together to explore the question: how do you develop a career as a damages expert witness? From the wide-ranging discussions with faculty members Ian Clemmence (PwC), Andrew Flower (Alvarez & Marsal), Sirshar Qureshi (PwC) and Luke … Read More

Left to right and top to bottom: Aisha Abdallah, Jose Daniel Amado, Neil Kaplan CBE QC SBS (President), Dr. Hassan Arab, Valeria Galíndez, Toby Landau QC, Ank Santens, Professor Maxi Scherer, May Tai, Paul Werné, Roland Ziadé As Delos continues to grow and gain traction internationally, including through the insertion of its arbitration clause, we are excited to announce that its Board of Advisors is expanding to include four new members, reflecting the institution’s increasing global reach: Aisha Abdallah, Valeria Galíndez, Paul Werné and Roland Ziadé (short bios below). They join existing Board members Jose Daniel Amado, Dr Hassan Arab, Toby Landau QC, Ank Santens, Professor Maxi Scherer and May Tai. Board President Neil Kaplan CBE QC SBS shares that “I am … Read More

Mark Kantor, Keynote Address delivered on the occasion of Delos’s Inaugural Event in New York, on 11 December 2018, published on 20 January 2021 There are, in every arbitration, at least four parties and four sets of counsel. Two of them are very familiar to all of us. They are the claimant and the respondent – once the dispute has crystalized, the disputing parties – and their counsel in that dispute, claimant’s counsel and respondent’s counsel. But there are two other parties and two other sets of counsel. They are the transactional contract counterparties – back when the contract or transaction was being put together. When we were all optimists. There were never going to be disputes. If there were … Read More

Dr Johanna Bustgens, Anna Chuwen Dai, Ana Coimbra Trigo, Camilla Gambarini, Sebastiano Nessi, Flavio Ponzano, Matej Pustay, Bart Wasiak, 14 January 2021

在新冠肺炎疫情期间进行仲裁和调解听证程序的Delos核对清单 2020年3月20日第2版  [1] – 供讨论的文本 译者：胡科 , Hou Meng, Deng Manting（竞天公诚律师事务所） 审校：Amelia Kelly（Delos）戴楚文（White & Case LLP） 如果您有即将举行的仲裁或调解听证程序，您可能希望了解新冠肺炎 [2] 是否会对仲裁或调解听证程序的正常进行产生影响、以何种方式产生影响。以下表格列举了在新冠肺炎的背景之下，决定是否维持听证程序举行日期、以及准备听证程序、进行听证程序和听证程序之后应考虑的事项。其他可能产生影响的事项请见附件1，例如，是否需要延期举行听证程序(本清单并未穷尽所有的情况)。 在检查本清单时，您应该考虑，如果不采取任何措施（例如：改变会议地点、推迟听证程序或改为线上听证程序），可能会给听证程序的参会人员及其家属带来何种潜在影响。 显而易见的是，仲裁庭/调解员与当事人之间的沟通是至关重要的。我们建议：(i)各方应当召开一次“电话会议” [3]，讨论本清单中提出的问题，本清单的内容可作为电话会议的议程；(ii)电话会议的参会人员在准备电话会议时，可以考虑本清单中的内容，并有权代表本方回答相关问题。 本清单是一份正在不断完善之中的文件，将根据各方反馈持续更新。如果您有任何评价、修改建议，或者在本清单中所述世界卫生组织（世卫组织）资料之外有其他资源可供推荐，欢迎发送至 info@delosdr.org。请注意，本清单仅供参考，不属于法律意见。 最后，关于冠状病毒对商业合同影响的相关信息，敬请参阅 Delos资源页面。 ___   # 阶段/问题 评论 A 考虑是否进行现场听证程序 1. 听证程序原先安排在哪里进行？ 建议核实：(i) 处于会议所在地的本地居民从该地区离开或在该地区内自由流动是否受到任何限制；及 (ii) 会议所在地的卫生设施是否已经受到限制，并可能在听证程序开始当日仍然受到限制（无论是由于新冠肺炎还是其它原因）。 如果以上任意一个问题的答案为“是”，请考虑将听证程序转移至更加安全的地点。[4] 如果改变听证程序的地点不完全可能或不合理，则考虑将全部或部分听证程序改为在线进行。更多关于在线听证程序的内容，见下文B6。 2. 听证程序的参会人员都有谁?他们都需要参加吗? 建议考虑在召开电话会议之前，提前交换预计参会人员 [5] 的名单，以便各方在事先了解情况的基础上进行讨论。 听证程序的“参会人员”包括仲裁员及仲裁庭秘书、律师和当事人代表、证人和专家、速记员及任何翻译人员。 考虑将律师、支持人员和代表的人数控制在最低限度，既要控制疾病传染风险，也要保证听证程序正常进行。 3. 参会人员能否前往该地点? 核实是否存在阻止任何参会人员参加听证程序，或干扰、影响其回家与家人团聚的任何离境、入境或返回限制(包括在任何必要的过境地点)。如是，这些参会人员应考虑远程参加。 此外，还要查明每一方参加听证程序的人员是否受到其所在机构 [6] 的限制，是否需要为了参加听证程序，对其参加的企业旅行/健康保险做任何内部审批或变更。 4. 参会人员来自哪里? 检查是否有人来自“受疫情影响地区” [7]  。鉴于该疾病在当地传播的国家很多，为了确定一个地区是否属于受到疫情影响的地区，应考虑是否存在影响该地区的集会和旅行限制，以及当地学校和公共场所被强制关闭的情况。在某种程度上，确定哪里属于“受疫情影响地区”是一个常识性问题。[8] 如果有人来自受疫情影响地区，那么他们应该考虑远程参与，或者，如果听证程序开始前时间充足，他们应当在到达后隔离14天(“自我隔离”)，然后再与其他听证程序的参会人员会合。[9] 5. 在听证程序举行前的14天里，有没有参会人员与来自“受疫情影响地区”的人有过密切接触? 如果答案是肯定的，考虑到新冠肺炎的潜伏期，他们应被视为来自“受疫情影响地区”(参见A4)。 “近距离接触”以及相关的“推荐的最小个人距离”，参照世卫组织指南可定义为距离特定人员1米(3英尺)以内 [10] (但当地政府指引可能会提高对人员间距的要求)。 6. 参会人员是否有任何令人信服的、与新冠肺炎有关的个人理由，而不能亲自出席现场听证程序? 这一问题属于个人敏感问题，应据此考虑此事项。 部分听证程序参会人员感染新冠肺炎重症的风险可能更高 [11]，或者可能因为与新冠肺炎有关的、不可抗拒的其他个人原因，而无法亲自出席现场听证程序(无论在任何地点进行)。 有关这类个人原因的初步清单以及处理这些问题的拟议办法载于附录2。没有必要为了得出重新安排听证程序或在线举行听证程序的结论而对这些私人问题进行调查。在调查这些事项时应小心谨慎，以尊重可能参与听证程序者的隐私。 7. 听证程序可以缩短吗? 用书面结案陈述取代口头结案陈述，从而缩短庭审时间，也许是切合实际的。 8. 由于新冠肺炎而维持或推迟听证程序，对成本带来的影响是什么? 建议事先确定新冠肺炎将如何影响听证程序所产生的费用。这可能包括变更会场，租用更大的房间，以及取消预定的费用等。 所涉费用应当由听证程序参会人员(在电话会议上)共同讨论，并可要求仲裁庭提供具体指导。 →   根据对上述问题的答案，决定是否（i）至少部分听证程序参会人员进行现场听证;（ii）维持原听证地点，或者变更为其他更安全、更合适的地点;或者（iii）决定是否全部或者部分使用在线方式举行听证。 如听证程序是现场进行的(至少对部分听证程序参会人员而言)，还应当考虑下列额外的问题:   9. “每日核对员” 考虑(在电话会议期间)指派/推荐一名或多名人员，在听证程序开始之前、听证程序进行过程中及听证程序结束之后两周内，负责每日检查新冠肺炎状态，并跟进主管机关以及听证程序所在地采取的相关措施，并报告工作。同时，也可以约定每日报告的格式和收件人(例如每天上午和/或晚上通过电子邮件发送)。 10. 听证程序会场是否足够大? 建议检查以下方面： –  会场内 [12] 的所有会议室和听证程序会议室是否有足够的空间容纳所有参会人员，同时保持推荐的安全距离(参见A5);例如，寻找更大的听证程序室/休息室和/或额外的休息室，可能会有帮助。 –  了解听证程序会场的清洁和消毒政策，以及您是否满意。[13] –  听证程序会场是否会拒绝有新冠肺炎症状的人员进入。 如果无法满足以上任何一点，那么应当考虑改变听证程序地点。您也不妨考虑下文B1中讨论的事项。 11. 从受影响的地区用快递寄文件安全吗? 即使是在受疫情影响地区，通过快递发送文件，看上去也是安全的。[14] 然而，对于听证程序参会人员而言，这是一个考虑改为使用电子文件的机会。 12. 对上述问题的回答是否影响程序中任何现有的程序令? 建议考虑将关于上述问题的全部决定记录在一项程序令中。在这样做时，考虑上述决定是否可能: –  对现有的程序令产生任何影响，例如证人出席听证程序; [15] 和/或 – 是否可能在双方之间造成不公平，或以其他方式可能造成对正当程序的影响。 仲裁庭在处理与新冠肺炎有关的程序性动议时，应注意到这些潜在的困难，并应当根据每个案件具体情况，考虑裁决的可执行性。[16] 13. 如果参会人员在听证程序前出现新冠肺炎症状怎么办? 这种情况指的是，参会人员在电话会议之前没有任何症状，但之后在听证程序开始前出现了症状。 参会人员应(在可行的范围内)进行检测，如果他/她确诊感染新冠肺炎，应通知其他参会人员。如果该参会人员没有办法进行检测以及时确定是否感染，他/她应当考虑不要参加现场听证程序，并通知其他参会人员。但需要注意的是，无论如何，听证程序会场可能有权禁止参会人员进入。 然后，仲裁庭和当事人可就此情况是否会影响之前作出的（在指定会场）进行现场听证程序的决定发表意见。这一可能出现的情况可以记录在上文A12讨论的程序令中。 B 现场听证程序 … Read More

June 2020: “There is much talk about virtual or remote hearings, which have come to the fore as one of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. What is our collective experience of them, are we comfortable with them and are the changes here to stay? Are the answers true across the community or do they vary by region?” These questions and more are what our survey on remote hearings sought to quantify; it ran from 10 June to 6 July 2020. Our initial findings were published under the title “Empirical Study of Experiences with Remote Hearings: A Survey of Users’ Views” as Chapter 7 of Maxi Scherer, Niuscha Bassiri, Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab (eds.), International Arbitration and the COVID-19 Revolution … Read More

RESOURCES ON HOLDING REMOTE OR VIRTUAL ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION HEARINGS Version of 19 July 2021 [1]   The table below compiles relevant resources on remote and virtual arbitration and mediation hearings, organised under the following seven headings: (i) Guidance & Checklists; (ii) Protocols; (iii) Model Procedural Orders; (iv) Case Materials & Legislation Reviews; (v) Survey Reports; (vi) Webinar Recordings; and (vii) Other Resources. For resources on remote oral advocacy, please see our separate resource page here. If you have additional resources to recommend, please write to us at tech-channel@delosdr.org. If you are looking for assistance with planning or booking a remote or virtual hearing, you can write to us at hearings@delosdr.org.   AUTHOR / ORGANISATION DATE TITLE (hyperlinked) 1. GUIDANCE … Read More

Tales of the Tribunal is a weekly deep dive or profile into the people that make the world of international law and business turn. In segments just under the hour, host Chris Campbell (pictured, left) talks with practitioners, arbitrators, academics, institutional actors, CEOs and business leaders from across the globe. Find out more in this ArbitralWomen feature of 13 September 2019. In the first episode of Season 2, aired on 30 April 2020, Chris interviewed Delos President Hafez Virjee. The podcast is available here. Their conversation ranged across a wide range of topics, including what makes Delos unique, tech and arbitration, and COVID-19.   All of the episodes of Tales of the Tribunal may be found here | Follow Tales … Read More

Join Neil Kaplan CBE QC SBS, virtually, in Melbourne, as he interviews leading figures in international arbitration and beyond, from around the world, with Chiann Bao as the master of ceremonies. The live webinars explore the careers and personal stories of Neil Kaplan’s guests. Expect light banter and searching questions, against the backdrop of some of the most pressing issues of the day. Click on the banners to access the videos for past conversations, and to register for those to come.