Without a valid arbitration agreement, no arbitration can take place or award can be rendered. In other words, a valid arbitration agreement is the cornerstone of any arbitration proceedings. Townsend, J.M., Drafting Arbitration Clauses: Avoiding the 7 Deadly Sins, Dispute Resolution Journal, 2003, p. 1.
In most cases, the party that started the arbitration initially by filing a claim will present their case first and the opposing party will then have an opportunity to present their defense, but the arbitrator will ultimately decide the order.
Should you sign an arbitration agreement? If you agree to engage in a possible future arbitration voluntarily, mutually determine the ground rules of arbitration and agree to choose an impartial arbitrator together, you are likely to find arbitration to be not only inexpensive and fast but also fair.
Arguments should flow easily from the relevant facts and applicable law. Avoid exaggerating the strengths of your case as well as disparaging the opposing side. Remember that professionalism and credibility are critical to persuasiveness.
In entering into an arbitration agreement, the parties agree to refer their dispute to a neutral tribunal to decide their rights and obligations. Although sometimes described as a form of alternative dispute resolution, arbitration is not the same as mediation or conciliation.
Resolving disputes through arbitration, rather than litigation, benefits consumers, employees, and businesses–the only ones that do not benefit from arbitration are plaintiffs' lawyers.
But two unspoken reasons are also driving the trend toward arbitration. First is the fact that arbitration results tend to favor employers over employees. There are lots of institutional reasons for this bias, starting with the fact that the corporation is responsible for actually paying the fees for the arbitrator.
Top 10 tips for drafting arbitration agreements Introduction. Scope of the arbitration agreement. Seat of the arbitration. Governing law of the arbitration agreement. Choice of rules. Language. Number and appointment of arbitrators. Specifying arbitrator characteristics.
"A dispute having arisen between the parties concerning , the parties hereby agree that the dispute shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration under the LCIA Rules. The number of arbitrators shall be one/three. The seat, or legal place, of arbitration shall be City and/or Country.
Outline a concise factual background and then move on to a discussion of the issues at the heart of the case. Your arguments should flow easily from the relevant facts and applicable law. And, by all means, avoid exaggeration of the strengths of your case as well as disparagement of the opposing side.