June 2009 – Construction Law

K&L Gates Enters Middle East with Opening of Dubai Office

Jun 02 2009

New York and Dubai— Global law firm K&L Gates LLP has established its 33rd office worldwide with the opening of an office in Dubai, the firm’s first in the Middle East. The launch, which follows K&L Gates international office openings in Singapore and Frankfurt earlier this year, includes the addition of partner Paul de Cordova to the firm’s corporate and projects practices, as well as the relocation of one of the firm’s senior dispute resolution partners, Neal R. Brendel, from the firm’s Pittsburgh office.

“The Gulf Region is, has been, and will continue to be of strategic importance to the global economy,” said K&L Gates Chairman and Global Managing Partner Peter J. Kalis. “K&L Gates is delighted to launch our presence in the Region to serve our distinguished clients who are active in the United Arab Emirates and throughout the Middle East.”

K&L Gates Arbitration World, May 2009

Jun 01 2009

Arbitration World is an update for clients and contacts on recent developments in international arbitration law and practice.

From the Editors
Welcome to the 9th edition of Arbitration World, a publication from K&L Gates’ Arbitration Group that highlights significant developments and issues in international and domestic arbitration for executives and in-house counsel with responsibility for dispute resolution.
We hope you find this edition of Arbitration World of interest, and we welcome any feedback.

In This Issue
• News from around the World
• Enforceability in the United States of Class Action Waivers in Arbitration Agreements: The Third Circuit Court of Appeals Signs On To Majority Trend
• Legal Privilege – A Recurrent Problem in International Arbitration
• Challenges Ahead: Arbitrating with Russian and Eastern European Parties
• More U.S. Courts Permit Discovery in Aid of Foreign Arbitrations, but Texas Dissents: U.S.C. § 1782
• The Right to be Heard: CAS Award Annulled by Swiss Federal Supreme Court
• Recent ICSID Decisions on the Meaning of “Investment”
• U.S. Supreme Court Permits Non-signatories to Arbitration Agreements to Seek Stays of Litigation and Interlocutory Appeals under FAA

View the May 2009 Edition here.

Drafting an Effective International Arbitration Agreement

Jun 01 2009

By Ian Meredith, K&L Gates

This chapter was first published in the PLC Cross-border Dispute Resolution Handbook 2009/09 Volume 2: Arbitration Handbook and is posted here with permission.

All too often the dispute resolution clause is the clause that receives the least attention. Pre-existing clauses are cut and pasted from existing agreements with little or no assessment made of the suitability of specific provisions, often late in the life of the drafting process. While any form of dispute resolution clause is rarely high on a party’s list of priorities when the contract is drawn up, the terms of that clause may well be crucial in the event of a dispute.

This chapter considers:

• The essential requirements of a valid agreement to arbitrate.
• Core provisions of an arbitration clause.
• Further optional provisions to address specific requirements.
• The interaction with other forms of dispute resolution.

To read the rest of this chapter, click here.

Archive:June 2009