Peter Wolrich, Partner (Paris), Leads ICC Initiative to revise Rules of Arbitration

Curtis International Arbitration Group Chair Peter Wolrich played a key role in the International Chamber of Commerce Commission on Arbitration revising the ICC Rules of Arbitration. Mr. Wolrich, who chairs the Commission, led the initiative that culminated in the ICC's governing bodies formally adopting the revised Rules at a meeting in Mexico City on June 11.

He served on a select committee that met monthly for more than two years and drafted proposals for a task force of the ICC Commission on Arbitration to consider. The revised rules are intended to modernize the arbitral process and to improve the time and cost-efficiency of ICC arbitration by streamlining existing procedures.

Mr. Wolrich said that new provisions have been included concerning multi-party and multi-contract arbitrations as well as new provisions providing for an emergency arbitrator. According to Global Arbitration Review,” users of the new rules can expect changes to the language of the rules to make them clearer, to introduce gender neutrality and to reflect developments in information technology (references to obsolete technology such as telex will be removed, promised Mr. Wolrich).”

The rules have not yet been released, and will likely not become effective until after January 1, 2012. The ICC will hold a series of launch conferences later this year at which the revisions will be explained.