Robert Campbell Comments on Passage of UK Arbitration Bill With London Media

Litigation partner Robert Campbell discussed the recent passage of the Arbitration Bill with London media outlets, including Commercial Dispute Resolution, Legal Futures, Global Arbitration Review, and Law.com

Aimed at conforming the Arbitration Act of 1996 with recommendations made by the Law Commission, the new law creates a default rule that ensures arbitration agreements are governed by the law of the seat unless agreed to otherwise by the parties and imposes a statutory duty on arbitrators to disclose circumstances that may give rise to concerns about impartiality, as discussed by the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in Halliburton v Chubb. It also extends immunity for arbitrators due to their resignation and allows for dismissal of claims without legal or factual standing. Campbell welcomed the bill, noting that the amendments are “neat and sophisticated.”

“They address issues that have faced parties, practitioners and arbitrators in every-day practice, consuming substantial amounts of court time and legal costs in the process,” Campbell said. “It promises to maintain London’s status as a premier seat for international arbitrations for decades to come.”