The Notion of Award in International Commercial Arbitration : A Comparative Analysis of French Law, English Law, and the UNCITRAL Model Law

Abstract

International commercial arbitration relies extensively on the possibility of enforcing arbitral decisions against recalcitrant parties. Because courts and arbitration laws across the world take contrasting approaches to the definition of awards, such enforcement can be problematic, especially in the context of awards by consent, and the recent development known as ‘emergency arbitration'. In this timely and ground-breaking book, a young arbitration scholar takes us through the difficulties of defining the notion of arbitral award with a rare combination of theoretical awareness and attention to the procedural requirements of arbitral practice. In a framework using a comparative analysis of common law and civil law jurisdictions (specifically, England and France) and how each has regulated in different ways the equilibria between state justice and arbitral justice – and comparing each with the UNCITRAL Model Law – the book addresses such issues as the following: - the ‘judicialization'of arbitration; - different models of arbitral adjudication and their impact on the notion of award; - what an award needs to contain to be enforceable; - awards on competence; - awards by consent; and - awards ante causam. The author employs a methodology that views arbitration as providing an institution for administering justice rather than as a purely contractual creature. To this end, rules of arbitral institutions (particularly the International Chamber of Commerce) are examined closely for their implications on what an award means. As a fresh look at the arbitral award by placing it in a broader context than is usually found, this book allows for a greater understanding of the functioning of international commercial arbitration. It is sure to become an international reference, and as such will be welcomed by arbitrators, practitioners at global law firms, companies doing transnational business, interested academics, and international arbitration centres in emerging markets.