International Arbitration Newsletter - April 2020 | Institutional and Other News

INSTITUTIONAL NEWS

Update on what the major arbitral institutions are doing in relation to the coronavirus

Please find below a summarised list of the updates on the measures adopted by relevant arbitration institutions around the world in light of COVID-19:

1. ACICA (Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration) has issued a statement explaining a prevention protocol for Court employees and visitors in order to avoid infection.
                
   For more information, click here.
2. CAM (Camera Arbitrale di Milano) has extended the suspension of all procedures until 11 May 2020. 
        
   For more information, click here. 
3. CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) has suspended all hearings until 16 may 2020.
         
   For more information, click here.
4. HKIAC (Hong Kong International Arbitration Court) recommends the holding of what they call e-hearings or virtual hearings.
        
   For more information, click here. 
5. ICC (International Chamber of Commerce): has issued a guidance note on possible measures aimed at mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
         
   For more information, click here. 
6. LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration) has issued a statement regarding new or pending arbitration proceedings where it urges parties to communicate with the court via e-mail or through the on-line filing system.
        
   For more information, click here.
7. SCC (Stockholm Chamber of Commerce) has issued a guidance for its arbitrations.
              
   For more information, click here. 
8. SIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Centre) has issued a notice of enhanced measures against Covid including the closure of its offices from 7 April 2020, although they will be fully operational.
        
   For more information, click here and here. 
            
   Arbitral institutions in Spain:
       
9. CAM (Corte de Arbitraje de Madrid) has only postponed hearings until 12 April 2020 but insists that the rest of the Court’s procedures and activities continue as scheduled.
        
   For more information, click here. 
10. CEA (Corte Española de Arbitraje) has suspended all procedural terms in the existing proceedings they administer for the duration of the Royal Decree declaring the state of alarm in Spain. However, proceedings may exceptionally be resumed (a) by express agreement of all the parties in proceedings where the arbitral tribunal has not yet been constituted, or (b) by decision of the arbitral tribunal in proceedings where it is already constituted, also by express agreement of all parties.
            
    For more information, click here.
11. CIMA (Corte Civil y Mercantil de Arbitraje) has also suspended all procedural terms in the existing proceedings they administer.
             
    For more information, click here.
              
12. TAB (Tribunal Arbitral de Barcelona) has also suspended all procedural terms. 
                
    For more information, click here. 

TEAM NEWS

Appointments

• We are delighted to announce that Carlos de los Santos (Madrid) has been elected President of the Club Español de Arbitraje (“CEA” or “Club”). CEA is a Spanish non-profit association dedicated to promoting the use of arbitration as a method of dispute resolution, as well as developing arbitration in Spanish and Portuguese or with a Latin American component. The Club brings together more than 1000 members from 43 countries, all experts in arbitration, who have contributed to the consolidation of an international arbitration community in the Spanish and Portuguese languages.

Speaking slots

• Due to the continuing international travel restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 virus more events at which members of the Garrigues International Arbitration team were due to speak at and participate in have been cancelled or postponed in Spain, Peru and Egypt.
• On 23 April 2020, Joe Tirado (London) participated as a speaker in the JAMS Virtual Roundtable Series to discuss dispute resolution in Latin America in the context of Covid-19.

Publications

• Joe Tirado (London) is the Contributing Editor of the Global Legal Insights to International Arbitration and has contributed the England & Wales Chapter to the recently published 7^th edition. The book is a free online legal resource covering over 60 jurisdictions (www.globallegalinsights.com).