The Perils of Proceeding with Unilateral Arbitration: Eleventh Circuit Affirms Vacatur of $3.5 Million Award on Appointment-Related Grounds
by Andrew Flake
Party autonomy in arbitration extends, as a foundational principle, from the beginning to the end of the arbitration process. We have the arbitration clause that gives rise to the arbitration, and we have the tribunal’s award, limned by exactly what the parties have agreed...
Looking forward, looking back: A 2024 Arbitration Roundup
by Andrew Flake
With a 100th birthday coming up for the Federal Arbitration Act, 2025 promises to be eventful year in the arbitration world! But 2024 held its own, and having just crested the New Year, we should pause to look back at a handful of key...
Notes from Berlin: U.S. Hospitality in International Arbitration
by Andrew Flake
I had the opportunity to join colleagues last week at the excellent Berlin Dispute Resolution Days, an annual week of dispute-resolution programming put on by the German Ministry of Justice and the German Arbitration Institute (DIS).
I was...
Georgia Court of Appeals Takes a Pass on “Functus Officio” as State Common Law
by Andrew Flake
A neighbor of mine, who loves to cook, recently showed me what looked like a small handheld blowtorch. He clicked a trigger, firing up a flame like a tiny jet engine, and proudly sharing that he could now melt and caramelize sugar, in order...
No Sovereign Immunity in Nigerian Trade Zone Dispute; D.C. Circuit Affirms New York Convention Applies to Broad Range of Investor-State Arbitral Awards
by Andrew Flake
When does a foreign government, under its commerce-related treaties, move from acting as a sovereign to acting as a business partner in a deal, thereby submitting to arbitration of claims by private parties involved in the deal?
Another Lock Sealed: Second Circuit Applies ZF Automotive to Foreclose Section 1782 Discovery in ICSID Arbitration
by Andrew Flake
In an earlier post on the ZF Automotive decision, I projected that there was some "play in the joints" for arguing over whether certain tribunals would be considered "foreign or international, but that "for now, we know private commercial arbitration — and even...
Georgia Court of Appeals Considers “Conduct-Based Waiver” of the Right to Arbitrate
by Andrew Flake
Clash of the forums: Two parties to a contract, an arbitration clause, and a dispute over the breadth of the clause. When the plaintiff files its complaint in court, intending to move forward with litigation, the defendant counters with a motion to compel arbitration.
Sixth Circuit Revisits “Closely Related” Doctrine in Forum Selection Disputes
by Andrew Flake
For commercial parties entering into a contract, the opportunity to select where a dispute will be heard is an advantage. Thus it is, in a contract entered into before a dispute arises, we have forum-selection clauses in favor of a particular location and court,...
Card Not Valid: Badgerow and Post-Award FAA Jurisdiction
by Andrew Flake
I recently discovered, with some surprise, that it was again time to renew my library card -- and that I'd need to trek down in person! Imagine, in this era of online convenience... At about the same...
The Forest and the Trees: Drafting The Optimal Arbitration Clause
by Andrew Flake
I participated recently in a discussion on alternative dispute resolution in IP disputes -- mediating and arbitrating trademark and patent infringement cases, and particular challenges that can arise. One of the topics we took up, which...