40th ICC SIA QMUL Annual Joint Symposium of Arbitrators

When: Thursday, March 27, 2025 - Thursday, February 27, 2025, 8:15 AM - 6:00 PM
Where: ICC HQ, 33-43 avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France

When: 27 March 2025, 9:15 AM - 6:00 PM CET

Where: ICC HQ, 33-43 avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France

The 40th Annual Joint Symposium of Arbitrators, hosted by the School of International Arbitration, Queen Mary University of London and the ICC Institute of World Business Law will take place on Thursday 27 March 2025 at the ICC HQ in Paris.

Programme: 

8.15 – 9.15 Registration and welcome coffee

9.15 – 9.30 Introduction to the Symposium

9.30 – 11.00 What is the impact, if any, of procedural matters on the way in which international arbitrators decide cases?

• May the adoption of a particular arbitral procedure affect the outcome of the case as decided by international arbitrators?
• Does the phase of document production (really) contribute to international arbitrators’ resolution of disputes?
• Is witness evidence determinative for the international arbitrators’ decisions?
• Are legal experts (really) helpful to international arbitrators? Do technical experts (really) contribute to the resolution of the dispute by international arbitrators? (Benefits of iura novit curia in the circumstances)

11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break

11.30– 13.00 What law, if any, do international arbitrators apply when adjudicating disputes?

• Is the national law applied by international arbitrators the same law applied by national courts?
• The application of transnational rules despite the parties’ choice to apply a national legal system
• The many ways in which international arbitrators apply equitable principles (equity) and principles of good faith despite the parties’ choice to apply a national legal system
• Investment treaties as an unfortunate means for correcting contracts governed by national law

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.30 What is the impact, if any, of geopolitical crises on the way in which international arbitrators adjudicate disputes?

• How do international sanctions affect the decisions by international arbitrators?
• Are international arbitrators entitled to change the seat of the arbitration chosen by the parties to preserve the validity of their award?
• What role, if any, should potential enforcement difficulties play in the international arbitrators’ decisions?
• Should international arbitrators consider granting relief different from damages in order to render their decisions more effective in current times?

15.30 – 16.00 Coffee break

16.00 – 17.30 What impact, if any, does the participation of a State or a State entity have on the way in which international arbitrators adjudicate disputes?

• The impact of the State’s (and State entities’) jurisdictional and admissibility objections on the international arbitrators’ decisions on the merits of the case
• The impact of public interest and public policy on the international arbitrators’ decisions in cases involving a State or a State entity
• What role, if any, do corruption allegations play in international arbitrators’ decisions on cases involving States or State entities?
• What impact, if any, does the participation of States or State entities have on international arbitrators’ decisions on damages?

17.30 – 18.00 Concluding remarks