Afsia

The AFSIA Steering Committee was founded in June 2008, and originally consisted of Ms Crina Baltag (PwC Research Fellow at the School of International Arbitration, QMUL, London), Dr Stavros Brekoulakis (Lecturer at the School of International Arbitration, QMUL, London), Ms Dimitra Capas (Associate at Norton Rose, Athens; Chair of the Steering Commi... ttee), Mr Maarten Draye (Associate at Hanotiau & van den Berg, Brussels) and Mr. John Rhie (Associate at McDermott Will & Emery, London). To celebrate its inauguration, the AFSIA held a well attended all day inaugural conference on 3 December 2008 at New Connaught Rooms in London. Inspired by the discussions provoked by the interesting findings of an empirical survey on enforcement practices conducted by the School as well as the New York Convention's 50 year anniversary, the programme featured topics on "Issues relating to Enforcement in International Arbitration". In four sessions, more than 20 speakers from the long list of SIA alumni and friends in key positions in all fields of arbitration practice - ranging from law firms, arbitration and other institutions to arbitration users and arbitrators - explored the issue of enforcement of arbitral awards from various angles. The day started with discussions on the effictiveness of the New York Convention, and potential issues of enforcement of arbitral awards against states or state entities. After the lunch break, Sir Roy Goode, one of the founders of the SIA, led a panel of alumni from all corners of the world to discuss regional approaches to the enforcement of arbitration awards. In a final session, speakers discussed the interplay between enforcement of awards and post-award settlement. Following the conference, participants gathered for a drinks reception at the nearby Centre for Commercial Law Studies of Queen Mary at Lincoln's Inn Fields, followed by dinner at the Kingsway Hall Hotel. Global Arbitration Review brought the following report on this event: "QMUL alumni gather in London Wednesday, 03 December ...Read More