The legitimacy of investor-State arbitration is a much-debated topic, with arbitrators’ independence and impartiality being one of the core concerns. In The Independence and Impartiality of ICSID Arbitrators, Maria Nicole Cleis explores how unbiased decision-making is ensured under the ICSID Convention. Juxtaposing existing disqualification decisions in the ICSID system against corresponding requirements in related dispute settlement systems, the book convincingly argues that the current approach to disqualification requests against ICSID arbitrators is too exacting in light of the high stakes of investor-State disputes. The author’s nuanced analysis of the status quo is followed by novel suggestions for reforms (including a proposal for ICSID-specific guidelines on conflict of interest), making the book a valuable source of ideas on constructive paths forward.

In this thoroughly researched study of the grounds and procedures involved in challenging an arbitrator, the author provides the first in-depth analysis of the pertinent rules, guidelines, and standards of all the major international arbitration tribunals, as well as relevant issues raised in national case law in the United States, France, England, Sweden and Switzerland. Among the matters addressed are the following: the arbitratorand’s duty to disclose and investigate conflicts of interest; the duty of the parties to investigate and inform the arbitrator of conflicts of interest; the formal and timing requirements of making a challenge; the challenge procedure and effect on the arbitral proceeding; the standard for disqualifying arbitrators; the consequences of a successful challenge; issues of independence giving raise to challenges, including multiple appointments, the arbitratorand’s relationship with a party/counsel in the arbitration and the relationship between the arbitratorand’s law firm and a party/counsel; issues of impartiality giving raise to challenges, including the membership of other tribunals, the conduct of the arbitration and the failure to disclose. In light of the continuing growth of international business and the manner in which it is conducted, this book will be of immeasurable practical value to parties in both business and government, as well as to international law firms and the arbitral community. As a detailed guide to evolving best practice and the general obligation to arbitrate in good faith, it has no peers.

This treatise describes the practice of international commercial arbitration with reference to the major international treaties and instruments, arbitration rules and national laws. It provides an analysis of the interaction between party autonomy and arbitration practice.

Independence and impartiality are key to any judicial process. The dualistic nature of arbitration, i.e., being judicial and contractual, raises the question of how to set the standard of independence and impartiality in arbitration. On the one hand, arbitrators are decision makers similar to judges. On the other hand, they solve disputes outside the courtroom and are (often) appointed by the parties due to their individual expertise. Against this backdrop, this book analyses the state of play of independence and impartiality. It provides an overview of the current status of independence and impartiality applied in international commercial arbitration, focusing on case law from France, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The core themes are possible grounds for finding dependence and partiality and their streamline in theoretical standards of independence and impartiality. Additionally, consequences of independence and impartiality are addressed, including the obligation to disclose. This book is useful for practitioners and scholars alike. It may help counsels preparing a challenge, arbitrators defining their obligation to disclose, and scholars analysing independence and impartiality on a more general basis.

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.

Introduction --The Various Forms of Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration --Litigation Funding in International Arbitration --Disclosure of Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration Proceedings --Privilege Protection of Documentary Evidence and Third-Party Funding --Jurisdictional Issues and Third-Party Funding --Impartiality and Independence of Arbitrators and Third-Party Funding --Confidentiality in International Arbitration Proceedings and Third-Party Funding --Security for Costs and Third-Party Funding --Awarding of Costs and Third-Party Funding --Summary of Part I and Part II --Concluding Remarks.

A unique collaboration between academic scholars, legal practitioners, and arbitrators, this handbook focuses on the intersection of arbitration - as an alternative to litigation - and the court systems to which arbitration is ultimately beholden. The first three parts analyze issues relating to the interpretation of the scope of arbitration agreements, arbitrator bias and conflicts of interest, arbitrator misconduct during the proceedings, enforceability of arbitral awards, and the grounds for vacating awards. The next section features fifteen country-specific reviews, which demonstrate that, despite the commonality of principles at the international level, there is a significant of amount of differences in the application of those principles at the national level. This work should be read by anyone interested in the general rules and principles of the enforceability of foreign arbitral awards and the grounds for courts to vacate or annul such awards.

This book critically analyses how arbitration cases, institutional rules and emerging codes of conduct in the international arbitration sector​ have ​dealt with​ a series of​ key​ arbitrator duties to date. In addition, it ​offers a range of feasible and well-grounded proposals regarding ​investment arbitrators’ duties in the future. The following aspects are examined in depth: the duty of disclosure the duty to investigate​ the duty of diligence​ and integrity​, which in turn may be divided into temporal availability, a non-delegation of responsibilities, and adhering to appropriate behaviour​ the duty of confidentiality, and other duties such as monitoring arbitration costs, or continuous training​. Investment arbitration is currently undergoing sweeping changes. The EU proposal to create a Multilateral Investment Court incorporates a number of ground-breaking developments with regard to arbitrators. Whether this new model of permanent “members of the court” will ever become a reality, or whether the classical ex-parte arbitrator system will manage to retain its dominance in the investment arbitration milieu, this book is based on the assumption that there is a current need to re-examine and rethink the main duties of investment arbitrators. Apart from being the first monograph to analyse these​ duties in detail, the book will spark a crucial debate among international scholars and practitioners. It is essential to identify arbitrators’ duties and find consensus on how they should be reshaped in the near future, so that these central figures in investment arbitration can reinforce the legitimacy of a system that is currently in crisis.

Shows how 'dirty' challenge tactics are made viable primarily by the prevalence of a judicially derived test for bias which focuses on appearances, rather than facts and He argues that the most commonly used test of bias, the 'reasonable apprehension' test, makes it easy to allege a lack of impartiality and independence.