With no guests and (almost) no preparation, Saadia, Brian and Joel discuss three issues and ask more questions than they are giving answers. First up is the ICC Court’s scrutiny of draft arbitral awards [TIME 10:50], followed by tribunals’ power to disqualify counsel [TIME 29:14]. Happy Fun Time gives the episode its name: how do we plead (and decide cases) based on foreign law, i.e. a law that we are not formally qualified in [TIME: 46:57?

Hola nerd amigos! We talk to Mohammad Tavana about the application of Sharia law in international arbitration [TIME 07:44]. Then Saadia, just back from a trip to Rwanda and Cote d’Ivoire, discusses some of the investment law and arbitration related trends on the African continent, in particular the AfCFTA treaty [TIME 35:46]. Our Happy Fun Time topic gives the episode its name (it could also have been “The Sharia Arbitration” or “The Fifty-Four States”) - what is the status of the billable...

With Joel on holiday, the others talk about one of the more crucial early steps of any arbitration - the advance on costs [TIME 07:33]. We then interview, much overdue, Dorieke Overduin, Senior Legal Advisor with the Dutch Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat about her work with drafting the Dutch Model BIT and about the role and function of model BITs more generally [TIME 27:19]. Saadia and Brian also have a happy fun time talking about the Metaverse [TIME 59:33].

We manage to clock in under an hour, by restricting ourselves to two topics. First, we discuss the notion of territory in investment arbitration, from several different angles that cover both annexations and the metaverse [TIME 11:21]. We then discuss experts for Happy Fun Time, more precisely how to shop for them, how to find them and how to replace them in an arbitration TIME[34:14].PS: With eerie timing, the Stabil and other v. Russia award was made public on the same day we recorded, so...

First, we're introducing our new guest correspondent Leonor (familiar to loyal listeners), who talks to Lucy Greenwood about how the Green Pledge has morphed and how it is implemented in the real world [TIME 11:40] The three co-hosts then discuss an issue which is very top of the international arbitration community’s mind in times of war and sanctions: counsel withdrawal [TIME 38:41]. As always, we try to finish with a very Happy Fun Time, which sees us express some concerns about “pay...

No (normal) Arbitration Station episode this week. A country where we all have friends and colleagues - and where there’s a very strong arbitration community - is under attack and we could not bring ourselves to record our prepared segments or have a Happy Fun Time. There will be reasons to return to the many legal issues arising out of this war, but now is not the time. Now is the time to be human, and to stand with Ukraine. A few ways to help: 1. Donate to the NGO Save Life or to the...

After trying for several seasons, Joel manages to finally talk the others into recording a somewhat shorter episode. We achieve this by focusing on only one substantive topic, namely settlements - when, how and why do arbitrations settle [TIME 07:09]? Happy Fun Time is about what to do when you don’t have anything to do, or more precisely: how to allow yourself to relax in an otherwise stressful legal profession [TIME 30:32].

Saadia and Joel sit down to discuss the concept of an investment’s “unity“, inspired by a recent key note speech by Christoph Schreuer [TIME 07:03] This week’s guest is Jonathan Passaro, who left big law to become an executive coach and now uses his experience as an arbitration lawyer to coach other lawyers to become happier and better professionals [TIME 29:14}. Joel then leads Happy Fun Time, trying (and failing) to reconceptualize how we talk about and refer to old cases [TIME 57:08}.

Back from holidays spent in three different places, we talk about the CIArb Framework Guideline on the Use of Technology in International Arbitration [TIME 06:43], which Saadia has read. Brian then interviews Jenna Burton of Raedas, an expert on corporate intelligence who often works in arbitration-related matters [TIME 35:44]. The first Happy Fun Time of 2022 sees us taking on transcript corrections from a practical perspective - how does the presence of an official live record influence the...

For the final episode of the year, the three co-hosts are in three different cities, engaging in three different topics: Brian first talks about contractual preconditions to arbitration, with a specific focus on the construction sector [TIME 08:49], after which Saadia and Joel interview Michael Waibel, professor at University of Vienna about treaty interpretation [TIME 30:37]. The year’s last Happy Fun Time is a discussion on loyalty, more specifically about brand/employer loyalty: what do...

In a rare example of thematic consistency, all three segments touch on how to behave (and how not to behave) in international arbitration. We first speak to Baiju Vasani of Ivanyan & Partners, who on LinkedIn has been posting an excellent series of mentoring posts for arbitration lawyers [TIME 13:29]. The three co-hosts then discuss the recent ICCA Guidelines on Standards of Practice in International Arbitration [TIME 51:24]. We close out on a Happy Fun Time focused on the occasionally...

Brian is in Dubai on (arbitration) business and we are all amazed that things are returning to normal, at least for the time being. Saadia opens up the episode with a much-overdue segment on burden of proof/standard of proof [TIME 10:37]. We then speak to James Clanchy, independent arbitrator and Honorary Secretary of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association, about maritime arbitration [TIME 34:43]. This week’s Happy Fun Time [TIME 01:10:58] is about post-pandemic networking - what has...

Things are very, very slowly returning to normal in London but we start off with an interview with Paris-based Veronica Korom about something that happened in Luxembourg: the CJEU’s Komstroy decision about the intra-EU applicability of the ECT [TIME 10:10]. Joel then goes down the procedural rabbit hole, discussing various post-award measures beyond set-asides and enforcement, such as interpretation and correction of awards [TIME 45:45], before we close out with a HFT on self-citation: how...

Somewhat delayed, we’re finally back with Season 6! We try to understand what happened when the DIFC-LCIA (in Dubai) was abolished [TIME 12:18], Brian has talked to Ambassador Keith Harper about indigenous rights and their overlap with dispute resolution [TIME 36:22], and the inaugural Happy Fun Time concerns Anti-Money Laundering - how do these obligations influence real life on the factory floor of arbitration [TIME: 01:04:13]? We’ll be on the air every other Tuesday for the foreseeable...

In what we think is episode 84 of the Arbitration Station, we round off Season 5 with an interview with Ucheora Onwuamaegbu about the United Nations Compensation Commission [TIME 12:58]. Then, Saadia has read the 2021 International Arbitration Survey and quizzes the others on what respondents may have to say about the state of international arbitration [TIME 51:37]. The season is concluded by a Happy Fun Time where we discuss some trends and developments from the last season or so [TIME...

For this episode, we have neatly given ourselves one segment per person. Saadia first talks to Sophie Nappert about ArbTech, a forum of which she is a co-founder [TIME 10:36]. Then, Joel has read and almost understood Advocate General Kokott’s opinion in Poland v. PL Holdings [TIME 41:20]. Brian closes out the episode, with a highly scientific comparative study of the world’s airports - soon, soon we can travel again [TIME 59:24].

After a short break, the Arbitration Station is back with escalation clauses (aka multi-tiered dispute resolution clauses or cooling off-clauses) [TIME 10:57], followed by an interview with Leonor Díaz-Córdova and Natalie Hall about cognitive bias in arbitral decision-making, the subject of an upcoming article of theirs [TIME 38:53]. Happy Fun Time closes us out with a discussion on social media practices for arbitrators and other arbitration practitioners [TIME 01:21:10]. Joel’s book can be...

This week’s episode has a focus on mediation, which we attack by speaking to two different experts, who offer different perspectives on this type of arbitration-adjacent dispute resolution: Anne-Karin Grill in Vienna [TIME 12:27] and James Claxton in Kyoto [TIME 48:20]. Hopefully we have now answered our own question from Season 1: “Mediation - who cares?“ We then round off the episode with a Happy Fun Time on the topic Diversity of Diversity [TIME 01:19:53].PS, The link for Joel’s book is here.

Hello there! This week we talk to Iaroslav Gregirchak, the Ukrainian Deputy Business Ombudsman about the work of that very interesting body [TIME 12:04]. We follow up with a second interview, this one with Andre Luis Monteiro on the cross-section of insolvency arbitration [TIME 49:43]. Happy Fun Time was recorded on International Women’s Day, which prompted us to speak about an ugly creature in the conference-heavy world of arbitration: manels [TIME 01:22:25].PS, The French-language...

The Arbitration Station Book Club is back! We have read The Unruly Notion of Abuse of Rights and we’re talking about that book together with none other than its author Jan Paulsson [TIME 0:14:45]. The second segment is some arbitration fundamenta: challenges of arbitrators [0:47:21], which is followed by a Happy Fun Time discussion on paralegals: how to be one, how to manage one and how to appreciate them all [1:18:13]

Winter has come to the UK, but the Arbitration Station is full of hot takes. Saadia and Joel speak to Chiara Giorgetti [TIME 07:13], who was heavily involved in the drafting of the Draft Code of Conduct for Adjudicators in Investor-State Dispute Settlement, issued by ICSID and UNCITRAL (which we first talked about on S04E15). The Draft Code has now received comments from states and other stakeholders and it’s on the table at UNCITRAL this week so the timing is great. Saadia then discusses...

Well rested from our holiday hiatus, we’re back to tackle some of the truly big issues. First out is investment treaty claims arising out of holocaust survivors’ seized property [TIME 09:03], followed by Rachael O’Grady talking about space arbitration [TIME 30:25]. After opening with the holocaust and space, we go small and end with a Happy Fun Time involving Saadia’s new favorite acronym: ESL, or English as a Second Language [TIME 01:01:03]. What are the challenges facing those of us who...

Before taking some time off, we finish the season with a much-awaited interview with Kaj Hobér [TIME 14:40], conducted at the Swedish Law Day webinar. Then we sign off by following tradition and discussing holiday gifts, both related to arbitration and… less so [TIME 46:10]. Happy Holidays to all, and special thanks to our sponsor IAReporter.Among the potential gifts mentioned: JOELGirl, Woman, Other Ducks, Newburyport Crossing to Safety BRIANBlue Snowball USB Mic Long Arm Swivel...

Brian and Joel talk to David Kasdan, a very experienced court reporter with hundreds of arbitrations under his belt, about the crucial but sometimes overlooked role as transcriber in chief during an arbitration [TIME 11:31]. Saadia then takes us on a trip through the updated ICC and LCIA Rules [TIME 47:11], before we have a Happy Fun Time talking about boutique/spin-off firms - and this week's HFT contains some front-page news [TIME 01:14:08!

If you want to work for Investment Arbitration Reporter, now is your chance. The leading publication is looking for contributors and you can apply here. We use this as a reason to bring publisher and funder Luke Peterson on the air to talk about IAReporter, its history, work and contribution to the field of investment arbitration.