New ICC Rules of Arbitration a hot topic at Miami conferences next month

The launch conference of the 2012 ICC Rules of Arbitration on 6 November will feature talks with some of the experts directly involved in revising the ICC Rules of Arbitration, with simultaneous translation into English, Portuguese and Spanish. “The Miami Launch of the 2012 ICC Rules of Arbitration comes at a time when states and corporations across Latin America are increasingly looking to arbitration as the most effective means by which to resolve cross-border disputes and disputes of an international nature. The Miami Launch affords users and arbitration practitioners an ideal opportunity to hear more about the changes and innovations in the 2012 ICC Rules of Arbitration and to discuss them with arbitration experts from across the region and from the ICC Court, the Secretariat and the Commission on Arbitration,” said John Beechey, Chairman of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. Organized under the auspices of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, the launch conference is open to anyone working in the field of international arbitration. Discussions will focus specifically on improvements made since the last revision in 1998. The new rules, which enter into force on 1 January 2012, were updated to bring them into line with today’s business and government needs in international trade and investment deals. Following the launch event, the highly anticipated 9th Annual Miami Conference, on 7- 8 November, is a key forum for understanding international commercial arbitration in Latin America and the Caribbean. Entitled “International Commercial Arbitration in Latin America: The ICC perspective”, it features a line-up of top-class speakers, including Pedro A. Batista Martins, partner of the law firm Batista Martins Advogados, Brazil. He said: “ICC’s Miami Conference is the perfect way for the region’s arbitration professionals to keep on top of latest changes in this rapidly-evolving field – whether they speak English, Spanish or Portuguese.” Last year’s event brought more than 350 lawyers, corporate counsel, mediators and arbitrators from 30 countries to the financial hub of Miami, which hosts the Latin American headquarters of thousands of international businesses. “ICC’s Miami Conference is a “must attend” for players in the Latin-American arbitration fields. It’s the place to get updates, analysis, and to share with the Latino arbitration community,” said a 2010 participant, Daniel Posse of the law firm Posse, Herrera & Ruiz, Colombia. Sessions will focus on hot topics such as: “New legislative initiatives: Latin America and beyond”, “Brazilian investment in Latin America: its impact on dispute resolution” and “Arbitrating telecoms disputes in Latin America”. Delegates can also participate in a practical session on “drafting arbitration clauses for complex transactions”. The ICC YAF, a free event for young arbitration practitioners on 5 November, will bring participants into direct debate with leading international arbitration experts from Latin America, the US and the ICC Court. The ICC International Court of Arbitration is widely recognized as the world’s leading institution for resolving international commercial disputes. In just under 800 cases filed with the ICC Court last year, almost 14% of the parties involved came from Latin America and the Caribbean.