International Commercial Arbitration

Composed of members from each major office of the firm, Sidley’s International Arbitration group can quickly and efficiently assemble experienced and knowledgeable teams to provide “around the clock” global service on arbitrations involving international business disputes. Sidley’s International Arbitration Practice melds the efficiencies of the firm’s interconnected, technologically advanced global infrastructure with teams of locally-qualified arbitration specialists.

We have handled a large number of arbitrations for Global Fortune 500 companies, and in each case, we have effectively and efficiently taken such cases through the arbitral hearings and, when necessary, through court proceedings to confirm and enforce the arbitral awards we have obtained on behalf of our clients. We are engaged by a wide array of globally active companies to handle arbitration proceedings around the world. A sampling of our current and recent international commercial arbitration engagements is described below.

Our International Commercial Arbitration practice regularly provides representation and advice to clients in arbitration proceedings pending before all the major international arbitral institutions, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the American Arbitration Association’s (AAA) International Center for Dispute Resolution, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC). See below for a more complete list of the institutions before which Sidley practices.

We also have extensive experience handling ad hoc arbitration proceedings (i.e., non-administered cases) under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Rules, the CPR Institute Rules for Non-Administered Cases and party-determined rules.

Our experience extends to representing our clients in arbitration proceedings involving specialized subject matters, e.g., arbitration involving film licensing and distribution rights under the American Film Market Association (AFMA) Rules of Arbitration.

In addition to serving as lead trial counsel on international arbitrations, our International Arbitration group also acts, where appropriate, as advisors and liaison counsel for our clients in domestic arbitrations and court proceedings in foreign jurisdictions, in tandem with qualified co-counsel who are admitted locally to the jurisdiction whose law governs the dispute in question.

We also frequently consult with, and provide transactional advice to, our clients on negotiating and structuring arbitration clauses and other dispute resolution provisions in their deal documentation. We also have extensive experience in enforcing international arbitration awards (or seeking to block enforcement), under the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York Convention).

Sidley also has a preeminent practice in international treaty arbitration, or “investor-state” arbitration, that is described in detail here. 

• Arbitral Appointments
• Arbitral Institutions
• Representative Engagements in International Commercial Arbitration

• Focus on Ad Hoc Arbitration Awards, Recent Developments in English Arbitration Law
  May 2008
• International Arbitration Update - Focus on Asia
  May 2007

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