Since arbitrator's impartiality and independence constitutes the bedrock of international arbitration, more and more recent arbitral awards have been annulled or vacated on the grounds of lack of arbitrator's impartiality. This work investigates whether a common international public policy core exists with regard to the concepts of impartiality and independence of arbitrators in international commercial arbitration. The book addresses the different constellations of arbitrator bias as considered by the courts of various jurisdictions, especially France, England, Switzerland, Greece and Germany. By introducing the 'justifiable doubts' to an arbitrator's impartiality criterion and analyzing the above-mentioned national case law, the book categorizes instances that constitute lack of impartiality with reference to and interpretation of the IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration 2014. The work examines and systematizes how arbitrator impartiality can be contested at different stages of procedure: upon constitution of the arbitral tribunal, during arbitration proceedings, as well as after the rendering of the award at annulment, recognition or enforcement stage, while providing answers to the following questions: what must an arbitrator disclose; should an arbitrator investigate a possible fact or circumstance that may affect her impartiality, and to what extent; what is the relevance of the fact affecting arbitrator impartiality being obvious, well-known or easily accessible by the parties; under which preconditions could a party waive its right to contest lack of impartiality-implicitly or expressly. This study focuses specifically on the institution of waiver and analyses how it prevents a party from contesting arbitrator impartiality at the next procedural stage, should it fail to follow the specific procedures and preconditions - an issue that is unexamined in the literature to date.

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.

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.

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.

The agreement of disputing parties to each make a unilateral appointment of an arbitrator is among the most distinctive features of arbitral practice. A detailed examination, long overdue, of how this feature affects the actual process of arbitration is presented in this book. The study includes a historical analysis of unilateral nominations, a critical assessment of how the unilateral appointments system currently works and an empirical study of challenges of arbitrators. The author's critical assessment addresses several issues including: - limits to the right of the parties to make unilateral appointments; - the principle of equality of the parties in the constitution of the arbitral tribunal; - arbitrators’ duty to be impartial and independent; - specific problems of bias in tribunals with party-appointed members; - the question of whether a different standard of impartiality and independence in party-appointed arbitrators makes any sense; - the presumption that party-appointed arbitrators can do things that presiding arbitrators cannot; and - the question of whether it is worth keeping the system of unilateral appointments as the default method for the constitution of multiple-member tribunals, or keeping it at all. The empirical study, in which the author offers a comparative analysis of challenges of arbitrators taking into account the method of appointment of the arbitrator, reveals interesting differences and coincidences between party-appointed and non-party-appointed arbitrators. The book ends with some suggestions on how the system of unilateral appointments could be improved, namely in order to increase the trust of each party in the arbitrator appointed by the other party and to allow an accurate match between what arbitration end-users may want from party-appointed arbitrators and what they ultimately get. For both its thorough and well-informed analysis and its sound recommendations, the book is sure to be welcomed by professionals in the arbitral community worldwide, as well as by arbitration law academics.

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.

Taking the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration as its basis, this concise and accessible book presents a cutting-edge account of the international arbitral process. Applying a chronological approach, the book will enable readers to gain an understanding of the arbitral process from start to finish.