Alternative dispute resolution has now supplanted litigation as the principal method of dispute resolution. This overview of dispute resolution addresses practical developments in areas such as family law, plea bargaining, industrial relations and torts. The authors elaborate on the necessary legal safeguards that should be taken into account when developing technology-enhanced dispute resolution and explore a wide range of potential applications for new information technologies in dispute resolution.

This volume is a unique study focussing on the highly controversial issue of standards of review in WTO dispute resolution. Standards of review reflect the extent to which the WTO adjudication bodies can override the decisions taken by national authorities. As such they play a crucial role in shaping the balance of power and responsibility for decisions on factual and legal issues. In this volume, the current state of law and practice is analysed and critically assessed in a commentary on the evolution of, and inconsistencies amongst, the relevant cases.

International Arbitration Law Library Volume 59 The eastward shift in international dispute resolution has already involved initiatives not only to improve support for international commercial arbitration (ICA) and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) but also to develop alternatives such as international commercial courts and mediation. Focusing on these initiatives and their accompanying case law and trends in the Asia-Pacific region, this invaluable book challenges existing procedures and frameworks for cross-border dispute resolution in both commercial and treaty arbitration. Specially assembled for this project, an outstanding team of experienced and insightful arbitrators and scholars describes pertinent developments including: ICA and ISDS in the context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative; the Singapore Convention on Mediation; the shift to virtual hearings and other challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic; mistrust of the application of the rule of law in certain East Asian jurisdictions; growing public concern over ISDS arbitration; tensions between confidentiality and transparency; and potential regional harmonisation of the public policy exception to arbitral enforcement. The contributors chart evolving practices and high-profile cases to make informed observations about where changes are needed, as well as educated guesses about the chances of reforms being successful and the consequences if they are not. The main jurisdictions covered are China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, India, Australia and Singapore. The first in-depth study of recent trends in dispute resolution practice related to business in the Asia-Pacific region, the book’s practical analysis of new resources for dealing with the increasing competition among countries to become credible regional dispute resolution hubs will prove to be of great value to specialists in the international business law sector. Lawyers will be enabled to make informed decisions on which venue and dispute resolution methods are the most suitable for any specific dispute in the region, and policymakers will confidently assess emerging trends in international dispute resolution policy development and treaty-making.

A guide to the techniques and institutions used to solve international disputes, how they work and when they are used. This textbook looks at diplomatic (negotiation, mediation, inquiry and conciliation) and legal methods (arbitration, judicial settlement). It uses many, often topical, examples of each method in practice to place the theory of how things should work in the context of real-life situations and to help the reader understand the strengths and weaknesses of different methods when they are used. It also looks at organisations such as the International Court and the United Nations and has been fully updated to include the most recent arbitrations, developments in the WTO and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, as well as case law from the International Court of Justice.

In recent years, the Chinese legal system on civil litigation, arbitration and mediation, including their respective laws, regulations, and legal institutions, has undergone many changes. These reforms include, for example, three rounds of Reform Plans of the People's Courts (1998-2013), amendments to the Civil Procedure Law in 2007 and 2012, revisions to rules of China's flagship arbitration institution, the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), in 2005 and 2012, and promulgation of the People's Mediation Law in 2010. This book focuses on the law and development of these three major dispute resolution mechanisms in China, examining the design and legal framework of civil litigation, arbitration and mediation, their operations, challenges, and past-decade reforms. It also explores the wider contextual factors (political, economic, and societal) that led to these developments and looks at the possible obstacles to further development, for civil justice reform in particular and rule-of-law in general. By examining up-to-date literatures while exploring answers to the academic inquiries, this book provides a thorough analysis of the dynamic contemporary Chinese system of dispute resolution that has on the one hand blended Chinese traditions, socioeconomic and sociopolitical realities, guanxi culture and foreign experience, and has on the other hand developed distinctively to respond to China's market and societal transitions. This book will be an invaluable reference tool for students, scholars and practitioners with an interest in Chinese law, dispute resolution, and broader economic and political dimensions of dispute resolution development in China.

Negotiation -- Mediation -- Arbitration -- Dispute resolution public policy.