In-person hearings can now take place again at the premises of VIAC (as of 30 May 2020).
As availability of rooms is limited and careful planning is needed, please contact your case manager as soon as possible if you are planning to hold a hearing in the near future. There is also one specially equipped room for video-conferencing that can be rented for virtual hearings. Please get in touch with the Secretariat should you wish to book this room.
The newly released “The Vienna Protocol – A Practical Checklist for Remote Hearings” that may be used for arbitration proceedings administered by any institution provide useful guidance for parties, counsel and arbitrators when holding hearings in times of COVID-19:
- The Vienna Protocol - A Practical Checklist for Remote Hearings
- CIArb - Guidance Note on Remote Dispute Resolution Proceedings
- Seoul Protocol on Video Conferencing in International Arbitration
- DELOS - Resources on Holding Remote or Virtual Arbitration and Mediation Hearings
Parties, counsel and arbitrators are encouraged and recommended to hold a case management conference to discuss the questions raised in the checklists, which can also serve as an agenda for such call.
You can find further information (including legal issues) in the following article published by Maxi Scherer: "Remote Hearings in International Arbitration: An Analytical Framework".
Public Consultation for a Protocol for Online Case Management in International Arbitration
The PlatformsProtocol was launched today for public consultation until 31 August 2020.
As arbitration processes increasingly move online (particularly in the current environment), this comprehensive guidance with some really helpful checklists will be of great assistance to arbitral participants looking to use an online case_management tool. It will also help drive progress in this area, encouraging greater collaboration between legal, process and technology experts.
This Protocol is the result of a collaborative effort by Herbert Smith Freehills, Ashurst, CMS, DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells and Latham & Watkins. We were pleased to input on the Protocol during the drafting stage, and we look forward to continuing the discussion on this important topic.