The scope of the arbitrator’s powers in arbitration proceedings has been widely discussed in recent years, but remains understudied. Among prominent international arbitrators, none have focused on this issue more than Dr. Pierre A. Karrer. Dr. Karrer is celebrated here on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday by more than thirty leading arbitration practitioners and academics worldwide who have been part of, and have been influenced by, his extensive professional career. Following Dr. Karrer’s primary interests, notably his advocacy of a strong arbitrator role in proceedings as evidenced in his lectures, presentations, and publications as well as in his own arbitrations, the contributions in this book consider such questions as the following: ·What are the sources of an arbitrator’s power? ·What are the limits of an arbitrator’s power? ·Should arbitrators have a role in encouraging settlement? ·May arbitrators regulate and impose sanctions against counsel? ·How managerial should arbitrators be? ·What are the duties and liabilities of arbitrators? ·What is the nature of the arbitrator’s relationship to arbitral institutions? ·Are emergency arbitrators actually ‘arbitrators’? ·Should arbitrators raise issues of arbitrability and public policy ex officio? ·To what extent may arbitrators delegate tasks and use tribunal secretaries? With its in-depth perspectives on the arbitrator’s role, powers, and duties in an arbitration proceeding, and its extensive analysis of some of the most timely and controversial issues in arbitration today, this book offers an abundance of thought-provoking yet also practical commentary and guidance for practitioners and academics in the field of international arbitration and international commercial law.

Central to the book’s purpose is the procedural challenge facing arbitrators at each and every stage of the arbitral process when fairness arguments conflict with efficiency concerns and trade-offs must be determined. Some key themes include how can a tribunal be fair, and in particular be neutral, if parties are so diverse? How can arbitration be made efficient and cost-effective without undue inroads into fairness and accuracy? How does a tribunal do what is best if the parties are choosing a suboptimal process? When can or must an arbitrator ignore procedural choices made by the parties? The author thoroughly evaluates competing arguments and adds his own practical tips, expertly synthesizing and engaging with the conference literature and differing authors’ views. He identifies criteria that offer a harmonized approach to each stage of the arbitral process, with particular attention to such aspects of international arbitration as: appropriate trade-offs between flexibility and certainty; the rights, duties and powers of arbitrators; appointment and challenge of arbitrators; responses to ‘guerilla’ tactics; drafting of arbitration agreements, including specialty clauses; drafting of required commencement notices and response documents; set-off; fast track arbitration and other efficiency options; strategic use of preliminary conferences and timetabling; online arbitration; multi-party, multi-contract, class arbitration; amicus and third party funders; pre-arbitral referees and interim relief; witness evidence, both factual and expert; documentary evidence, production obligations, and challenges to production; identifying applicable law; and remedies and costs.

The distinguished international lawyer Michael Pryles, who launched a meteoric career as an arbitrator after many years of teaching and writing on conflicts of law and other topics, has made a mark on arbitral law and practice that is recognized worldwide. In this book, over forty prominent arbitrators and arbitration scholars offer insightful essays on the thorny matters of jurisdiction, admissibility and choice of law in arbitration – topics which have long interested Professor Pryles and are of wide interest. Among the specific issues and topics examined are the following: • res judicata; • investment arbitration; • free trade agreements; • party autonomy; • application of provisional measures; • issue estoppel; • evidentiary inferences; • interim measures; • emergency and default proceedings; • the intersection of financing and jurisdiction; • consolidation of cases; and • non-contractual claims. Remarkable for its roster of highly distinguished contributors, this book is the only in-depth treatment of its subject. By turns thought-provoking and practical, it is bound to appeal to and be put to use by arbitrators and other lawyers who handle international cases. It will also prove of great value to global law firms and companies doing transnational business.