It’s a wrap: Paris Arbitration Week concludes

Let’s take a look back at some of ICC’s events during #PAW2017.

1st ICC European Conference – 24 April

Celebrating international arbitration in Europe, the 1st ICC European Conference marked the start of Paris Arbitration Week. The event proved to be the ideal way to inaugurate the highly-anticipated week, attracting 260 participants from almost 40 countries.

ICC frequently organises arbitration conferences throughout the world. Now Europe has the opportunity to take centre stage with its own regional conference. Paris was a natural location to host the event, as well as represent the European arbitration community.  The City of Light is home to the ICC Secretariat, hundreds of dispute resolution professionals, and is one of the most popular seats for ICC Arbitrations.

With four panels, the full-day Conference covered topics, from the needs of users in the arbitration process to small claims under the new ICC Expedited Rules; as well as put a spotlight on regional challenges to the attractive dispute resolution process in Europe; and what makes a good ICC arbitrator.

Industry experts, including Susanne Gropp-Stradler, Lead Counsel Litigation for Siemens AG (Germany); Gefion Hauer, General Counsel at Head Sports Group (Austria); Patrick Baeten, Deputy General Counsel for Engie (France); and Alexander Fessas, current Managing Counsel but soon-to-be Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration (France); each took to the podium to shed light on some of the hot topics of the day.

PAW Opening Cocktail – 24 April

The conclusion of the ICC European Conference gave way to the PAW Opening Cocktail. Almost 600 professionals attended the two-hour networking event, gathering the who’s who of the Paris arbitration community under one roof. The evening set the scene for the remainder of the week where many of the events were used as a platform to connect with local and regional contacts, as well as active leaders within the community.

ICC Institute’s Knowledge Sharing Breakfast – 25 April 

On Tuesday, the ICC Institute of World Business Law held a special knowledge sharing breakfast. The morning discussion was led by Clyde and Co. partner David Brown and looked at possible ways in which construction arbitration could be improved. The informal talk among ICC Institute members made for an insightful exchange.

ICC Institute Training for Tribunal Secretaries – 26 April

The ICC Institute inaugurated its brand-new training on Wednesday. The sold-out course was dedicated to the work of tribunal secretaries, outlining the skills necessary to excel in such a role, and the benefits of such a person to an arbitration.

With 46 attendees, and a waiting list already started for another training on the same subject, the instruction was warmly welcomed by participants.

Often a taboo subject in the arbitration community, participants were able to hear from experts to get a 360-degree view of the role and what it requires. Most notably, participants greatly appreciated the input from Yves Derains and Pierre Tercier, two experienced arbitrators, who very candidly explained how they each work with tribunal secretaries.

Participates walked away with a handbook of detailed materials and an array of anecdotes to help them thrive as tribunal secretaries.

Weren’t able to attend these events? Mark your calendar with dates already scheduled for next year! Paris Arbitration Week will kick-off again from 9-13 April 2018, the ICC European Conference will take place on 9 April 2018 and the next ICC Institute Tribunal Secretaries training will be held during the ICC Asia Conference on 29 June 2017 and again in Paris on 20 November 2017.