The long-anticipated reforms to the UK’s arbitration framework officially came into force on August 1, modernising the Arbitration Act 1996 and reinforcing the UK’s status as a leading global hub for dispute resolution....more
On 24 February 2025, the UK Arbitration Act 2025 received royal assent. While it does not bring with it large-scale reform of the Arbitration Act 1996 (which was considered to be largely fit for purpose), some of the...more
After the previous government called a general election in late May, the Arbitration Bill was left out of the set of bills that would be approved on an expedited basis. In mid-July, the King’s Speech reintroduced an updated...more
The UK government introduced the Arbitration Bill into UK Parliament on 21 November 2023, and it has already had its first reading. The bill incorporates all of the Law Commission’s recommendations for reform of the English...more
In Eternity Sky Investments Ltd v. Zhang,[1] the Commercial Court refused an application to set aside an enforcement order in respect of an award made in a Hong Kong-seated arbitration on the grounds that enforcement would be...more
The Law Commission has published its final report on its review of the Arbitration Act 1996. The review – which has been admirably thorough – began in March 2021 and has involved two consultations (which we reported on in...more
In Chechetkin v. Payward Ltd and Others, the High Court of England and Wales ruled that the existence of an arbitration clause in an agreement between the parties should not prevent the court from hearing the UK consumer’s...more
The Law Commission has published a second consultation paper as part of its ongoing review of the Arbitration Act 1996. An initial consultation paper containing proposals for reform was published in September 2022....more
In its instructive judgment in RQP v ZYX, the High Court of England and Wales has provided helpful commentary on two aspects of the arbitration process, namely: (i) the limited circumstances in which a tribunal may have...more
In Aiteo Eastern E&P Company Limited v Shell Western Supply and Trading Limited the High Court of England and Wales considered what a party with an option to refer a dispute to arbitration must do to successfully exercise...more
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales in Soleymani v Nifty Gateway LLC has set aside a stay to allow the English court to determine the validity of an arbitration clause contained in a contract between an English consumer...more