Mediation

ICC arbitration events in Sao Paulo kick off week of 13 June

  • 12 May 2011
ICC Diversity

Experts in commercial dispute resolution from Brazil and beyond will converge on Sao Paulo for the week of 13 June for ICC’s advanced international commercial arbitration training, followed by the annual ICC/FIDIC conference on resolving disputes in international construction deals.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is running the events in Latin America’s economic capital to answer a growing demand for arbitration training in the region. Under the auspices of the ICC Institute of World Business Law, the advanced-level workshop on international commercial arbitration on 13-15 June will help lawyers, corporate counsel, academics, arbitrators and other experienced professionals to boost their knowledge of ICC procedures. “More and more Latin American companies are turning to international arbitration, so the ICC advanced workshop is well-timed,” said the event’s chairman, Arnoldo Wald. “Professionals will appreciate this privileged insight into how ICC arbitration really works,” said Mr Wald, senior partner and founder of the law firm Wald, and ICC Court member for Brazil. Participants will join a mock arbitration proceeding involving complex circumstances. Working in small groups, they will learn practical and technical tips from some of the world’s top arbitrators. Mr Wald said the ICC Institute’s arbitration workshops in Portuguese had already proved popular in recent years. Next up in Sao Paulo, a conference entitled: International construction contracts and the resolution of disputes. Co-organized by ICC and the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) on 16-17 June, it will reveal latest methods for resolving international construction disputes swiftly and cost-effectively. The event will bring together a broad range of professionals, from engineers, contractors and financial institutions to arbitrators, construction lawyers and in-house lawyers in construction firms. Talks will be in English and Portuguese and have a special focus on Brazil and Latin America. Christopher Seppala, Partner at law firm White & Case, France, as well as Alternate Court Member for the USA, and Legal Advisor to the FIDIC Contracts Committee is among the speakers. He is specialized in international construction claims and disputes in relation to complex civil engineering, building and industrial projects, including nuclear, oil and gas projects. “The ICC/FIDIC conference in Sao Paulo is particularly important as the number of disputes submitted to the ICC International Court of Arbitration has risen again this year, and an increasing proportion involve international construction projects,” said Mr Seppala. “Participants will see how to resolve such construction disputes as smoothly as possible under the ICC Rules of Arbitration and Dispute Board Rules.” Emmanuel Jolivet, General Counsel and Deputy Director for ICC Dispute Resolution Services at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, said: “Over the years, the ICC/FIDIC conference on international construction arbitration has become a well-established event.” “It’s the perfect opportunity for fellow professionals in construction and dispute resolution to exchange their views and experience in interactive debates with renowned experts,” said Mr Jolivet, who will also be speaking at the event. Participants will:
  • discuss the major forms of FIDIC contract, including latest developments such as the new FIDIC form of subcontract; 
  • analyze the procedure for claims and disputes under FIDIC contracts, the role of dispute boards and experts in international construction disputes, and developments in dispute adjudication; 
  • learn about initiating an ICC construction arbitration, construction arbitration involving State parties, multiparty and multi-contract issues, assessment of evidence and calculation of damages in construction cases; 
  • examine practical problems regarding the enforcement of arbitral awards, case management and the specificities of international construction arbitration in Brazil; 
The conference will end with an open debate on ICC arbitration, for which attendees are encouraged to submit their questions in advance. Early bird rates on the ICC’s advanced international commercial arbitration training can save participants 100€ or more. To take advantage of this special be sure to sign in by Friday 13 May when this offer ends.