This blog post summarizes the key points presented by Cooley lawyers Claire Temple, James Maton, Andrew Linch and Enrique Gallego Capdevila during the firm’s recent “Online Marketplaces + Ecommerce” webinar, the latest instalment of our “On the Record: Cooley Litigation Trends Webinar Series,” focused on the UK and European Union (EU).
UK Arbitration Act 2025 Comes Into Force: A Newish Era for Arbitration in England and Wales
The long-anticipated reforms to the UK’s arbitration framework officially come into force today, modernising the Arbitration Act 1996 and reinforcing the UK’s status as a leading global hub for dispute resolution.
The UK Arbitration Bill Becomes an Act: Key Changes
On 24 February 2025, the UK Arbitration Act 2025 received royal assent. While it does not bring with it large-scale reform of the Arbitration Act 1996 (which was considered to be largely fit for purpose), some of the amendments are nevertheless significant. The following are of particular note.
UK Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Suit Injunction in Support of French Arbitration
In UniCredit Bank GmbH v. RusChemAlliance LLC,[1] the UK Supreme Court confirmed the general common law rule that a choice of governing law for a contract as a whole will apply to an arbitration agreement within the contract, even when a different country has been chosen for the seat of the arbitration. This was important in the circumstances of the case because it meant that English – as opposed to French – law applied, which in turn gave the English courts jurisdiction to grant an injunction to restrain RusChemAlliance from litigating the dispute in Russian courts in breach of the parties’ agreement to arbitrate.
Arbitration Bill Passes Second Reading at House of Lords
After the previous government called a general election in late May, the Arbitration Bill was left out of the set of bills that would be approved on an expedited basis. In mid-July, the King’s Speech reintroduced an updated Arbitration Bill to Parliament’s legislative agenda. The second reading of the Arbitration Bill at the House of Lords took place on 30 July 2024. On 25 July …
International Bar Association Publishes 2024 Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration
In February 2024, the International Bar Association (IBA) published the 2024 edition of its Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration.
Court Proceedings Stayed in Favour of Arbitration to Which Respondents Were Not Party
In NTT Limited & Others v. Goodall,[1] the Commercial Court of England and Wales stayed litigation proceedings in favour of arbitration proceedings that would involve only three of the seven claimants. The case is a good example of the breadth of the courts’ discretion in such matters.
UK Court of Appeal Orders Mandatory Final Anti-Suit Injunction in Foreign-Seated Arbitration
In its recent judgment in UniCredit Bank GmbH v. RusChemAlliance LLC,[1] the Court of Appeal granted a mandatory final anti-suit injunction in support of a French-seated arbitration regarding proceedings brought by the RusChemAlliance (RCA) before Russian courts.
UK Government Introduces Arbitration Bill Into Parliament, Incorporating Law Commission’s Proposals for Reform
The UK government introduced the Arbitration Bill into UK Parliament on 21 November 2023, and it has already had its first reading. The bill incorporates all of the Law Commission’s recommendations for reform of the English Arbitration Act 1996 (see our October 2023 blog post summarising the main recommendations).
UK Supreme Court Guidance on Staying Proceedings in Favour of Arbitration
The UK Supreme Court’s recent judgment in Republic of Mozambique v. Privinvest Shipbuilding SAL and others,[1] provides an extremely valuable analysis of the proper basis for staying legal proceedings in favour of arbitration under section 9 of the Arbitration Act 1996.