INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION 1/3LY
NEWS IN BRIEF 39
NEWS IN BRIEF PEOPLE MOVES
MARKET ACTIVITY
CLYDE & CO EXPANDS ITS EUROPEAN NETWORK WITH AN OFFICE OPENING IN DUSSELDORF The seven-lawyer team joins from Noerr, a full-service, leading European law firm. Noerr and Clyde & Co have worked closely together for many years and will continue to do so. The office opening provides Clyde & Co with its first presence in Germany. In addition to Dusseldorf, Clyde & Co has 15 offices across Europe in the UK, France, Spain and Greece. Dusseldorf will launch in the autumn and is the firm’s 46th office. DIAC LAUNCHES OFFICE IN DIFC FOLLOWING NEW AGREEMENT ON ENFORCEMENT The chair of DIAC Habib Al Mulla and head of the DIFC’s dispute resolution authority and courts Michael Hwang SC signed a memorandum of understanding on 21 September to “execute, consult, cooperate and exchange information” to expedite the recognition and enforcement of DIAC awards in the DIFC courts. ICC ANNOUNCES MODIFICATIONS TO ITS PRACTICE NOTE ON THE CONDUCT OF ARBITRATION Modifications include the addition of a section covering new areas where the Court’s Secretariat may provide parties and tribunals with assistance and a more systematic approach to the services it currently offers, including ICC administered accounts for the deposit of funds (VAT, expert accounts, escrow accounts). The revised practice note also includes enhancements relating to the signing of Terms of Reference and awards in counterparts and in electronic form, providing ICC Arbitration users with an option to accelerate the establishment of Terms of Reference and the notification of arbitral awards.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION PUBLISHES IMPACT ASSESSMENT ON MULTILATERAL INVESTMENT COURT The European Commission has published an inception impact assessment on the establishment of a Multilateral Investment Court for investment dispute resolution. The initiative planned for the third quarter of 2017 is a proposal for a Council Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate a Convention establishing the Court.
UK > A ustralian barrister
Craig Arnott has joined Burford Capital as managing director based in London, primarily focusing on third- party financing in the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and the Asia-Pacific region
USA > James Burns steps down as Clyde & Co Senior Partner to take on the new role of Head of the Americas > Ricardo Lewandowski, partner at Clyde & Co, relocates to launch a Latin America liaison service in Clyde & Co’s newly opened Miami office
DJIBOUTI LEADS EFFORTS TO IMPROVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
CHINA > W ang Chengjie was appointed as the new Secretary-General and President of the Arbitration Court at CIETAC
The Djibouti Chamber of Commerce is spearheading a project to establish the Djibouti International Arbitration Centre (DJIAC), with support from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which was established in 1986 and comprises eight member states: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. Djibouti has been a signatory of the New York Convention since 1983 and is the only African country with a fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. DJIAC will open later this year at the headquarters of the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce in Djibouti City. Meanwhile, efforts continue to develop arbitration in other IGAD states and particularly to ensure their accession to the New York Convention.
PILOT SEARCH SERVICE TO IDENTIFY WOMEN ARBITRATORS
The next step on the journey to increasing the number of female arbitrators: the people behind the Equal Representation in Arbitration (ERA) Pledge (the Pledge) have launched a pilot ‘Arbitrator Search’ page on the Pledge website. The free service allows parties to submit requests to a search committee made up of volunteers from arbitral institutions. The member or members of the search committee who make the suggestion will remain anonymous, replying to the request from a generic email address. The exchange will be confidential and no further information about the dispute will be sought.
HONG KONG > S arah Grimmer has left her role as Senior Legal
Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration to serve as Secretary General at the HKIAC starting from September
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