
Deadline:
April 15, 2025
Program Starts: May 06, 2025
Program Ends: May 10, 2025
Location(s)
Austria Online
Overview
The Arbitration Spring Program - Arbitration Rules in Practice, taking place within the framework of the Sommerhochschule, is an intensive, five-day program on international commercial arbitration from an institutional perspective. Jointly organized by the Vienna International Arbitral Centre, the Young Austrian Arbitration Practitioners, the Austrian Arbitration Association and the Sommerhochschule of the University of Vienna, which has been hosting an annual international summer school in Strobl/Wolfgangsee since 1949 and the Austrian Arbitration Academy since 2014, this program has been specifically devised for participants with first experience in the area of international arbitration. The course will take place in Vienna and will consist of a taught module and participation in the Vienna Arbitration Days. It addresses the following groups of participants:
- Young practitioners (in particular junior associates/RechtsanwaltsanwärterInnen) working in the field of dispute resolution
- Graduate students specializing in arbitration Professor Paul Oberhammer (Vienna/London/St. Gallen) acts as course director of the Arbitration Academy, while Mag. Niamh Leinwather is co-director of the Austrian Arbitration Academy - Arbitration Rules in Practice on behalf of VIAC. The classes will be taught by first class international arbitration practitioners from both the bar and academia.
Details
The course will take place from Tuesday, May 6, to Saturday, May 10, 2025.
Following a keynote speech on Tuesday, participants will enjoy two days of interactive classes (eight modules à two hours).
The course will mirror the structure of an (administered) arbitration and will discuss salient issues of international arbitration, in particular practical problems that might be encountered frequently. Throughout the course, the focus will lie on institutional arbitration proceedings. The last session on Thursday will consist of a mock organizational hearing. For successful completion of the course, participants will thereafter be asked to draft a Procedural Order No 1.
On Friday and Saturday, all participants will attend the Vienna Arbitration Days, the leading arbitration conference in Austria (registration fee included).
The course will cover the following topics:
- Keynote: Greg Lourie
- Introduction: Niamh Leinwather, Paul Oberhammer
Difference between ad hoc and institutional arbitration (advantages, disadvantages)
- The Arbitration Agreement and Constitution of the Arbitral Tribunal: Valentina Wong, Stefan Riegler
The arbitration agreement in institutional arbitration including pre-scrutiny of the arbitration agreement- Personal qualities of the arbitrators
- Number of arbitrators
- Appointment of arbitrators
- Challenge of arbitrators
- Challenge procedure before the arbitral tribunal
- Challenge procedure before the arbitral institution and before state courts
- Organization of Proceedings: Eliane Fischer, N.N.
This session focuses on the corner stones of the proceedings: the terms of reference, the specific procedural rules and the procedural timetable. We will look at best practices for ensuring smooth and efficient proceedings and at the many ways in which proceedings are derailed in practice.- Need for time and cost efficiency of the proceedings
- Best practices and common stepping stones
- The cornerstones of the arbitral proceedings: terms of reference, specific procedural rules and procedural timetable
- Case Management Conference
- Fast-track proceedings
- Bifurcation and partial awards
- Role of the administrative secretary
- The Arbitral Award and Costs: Philipp Peters, Friederike Schäfer
- Effects of an award
- Drafting of an award (including counsel’s perspective)
- Phrasing requests / dispositive section
- Structure / elements of an award
- Scrutiny
- Cost considerations
- Fixing of costs
- Multiparty Arbitration: Judith Sawang, Patricia Shaughnessy
The arbitral tribunal’s management of multi-party arbitration, including ensuring procedural due process resulting in an enforceable award.
- Evidence: Bernd Ehle, Doreothee Schramm
- Means of evidence
- Burden of proof
- IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration 2010 (in particular: Articles 3 and 9)
- Requests for document production:
- Purpose and basis of document production
- Should document production be proposed by the arbitral tribunal?
- At what stage of the proceedings shall document production take place?
- Use of Redfern Schedules
- Alternatives to Redfern Schedules
- Do’s and Don’ts for document production
- The Hearing in Practice: Karl Pörnbacher, Désirée Prantl
How to structure a hearing in practice
- Mock Organizational Hearing: Filip Boras, Patrizia Netal, Nikolaus Vavrovsky
To provide details on how to structure PO1 followed by a mock organizational hearing
Participants who, following the Mock Organizational Hearing, hand in a draft of a Procedural Order No 1, will receive the University of Vienna-Austrian Arbitration Academy-VIAC practice diploma.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
- Young practitioners (in particular junior associates) working in the field of dispute resolution
- Graduate students specializing in arbitration
Dates
Deadline: April 15, 2025
Program starts:
May 06, 2025
Program ends:
May 10, 2025
Cost/funding for participants
Austrian Arbitration Academy Spring Program - Arbitration Rules in Practice fees are € 725 and include registration, tuition, lunch and coffee breaks, dinner at a "Heuriger" (traditional Austrian restaurant) on Wednesday as well as the registration fee for the Vienna Arbitration Days.
Participants who would like to attend the social program of the Vienna Arbitration Days (including the conference dinner, the arbitral women breakfast, and the guided tour of the Heidi Horten collection) can register and book at the website of the Vienna Arbitration Days.
The fee does not cover accommodation. All additional costs for travel arrangements as well as health insurance and medical care are the responsibility of the participants.
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