• Charles H. (Chip) Brower II, Chair, ITA Advisory Board, Miller Canfield / Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

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This panel sets the stage by providing a broad overview of consent-related controversies that arise in commercial and investor-state arbitration, from the pre-arbitration phase through enforcement. Panelists will consider whether consent is truly the foundation of arbitration where arbitration agreements are unclear, when non-signatories are joined, when arbitral institutions have powers that override party objections, where non-parties can make submissions, and when awards may be enforced against assets of non-parties.

Moderators:

• Enrique Jaramillo, FBFK Law, Houston, TX, USA
• Mevelyn Ong, Sidley Austin LLP, Hong Kong, China

Panelists:

• Prof. Hiro Aragaki, JAMS/UC College of Law, San Francisco, CA, USA
• Yurima Grace, Ecopetrol US Trading LLC, Houston, TX, USA
• Dawn Y. Yamane Hewett, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Washington, D.C., USA
• Minwoo Kim, Covington & Burling LLP, Washington, D.C., USA

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This panel will explore how civil law and common law jurisdictions approach the authority of individuals to bind corporations. Experts will examine key differences in legal standards, formalities, and judicial interpretations that affect enforceability of arbitration agreements. Discussion will emphasize practical insights on how these factors affect arbitral jurisdiction, recognition of arbitral agreements, and enforcement of awards. Panelists will consider how variations in national laws governing agency, representation, and corporate authority influence the validity of arbitration clauses in multi-party and cross-border contexts. These distinctions are particularly relevant in disputes involving corporate entities, affiliates, agents, or third-party beneficiaries, where consent and authority are often contested.

Moderators:

• Enrique Jaramillo, FBFK Law, Houston, TX, USA
• Mevelyn Ong, Sidley Austin LLP, Hong Kong, China

Panelists:

• T.L. Cubbage, President, The Center for American and International Law, Plano, TX, USA

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• Charles H. (Chip) Brower II, Chair, ITA Advisory Board, Miller Canfield / Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

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• Isabelle Michou, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Paris, France

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• Elliot Friedman, Freshfields US LLP, New York, NY, USA
• Silvia Marchili, White & Case LLP, Miami, FL, USA

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Consent lies at the heart of arbitration, but is often contested. Speakers will consider whether arbitral tribunals and reviewing courts have gone too far- or not far enough - in scrutinizing consent. Should they adopt a more exacting approach when jurisdiction is challenged, or does flexibility better serve legitimacy and effectiveness of arbitration?

• Mélida Hodgson, Arnold & Porter, New York, NY, USA
• Laurence Shore, Seladore Legal, Milan, Italy

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Arbitrations involving States and state-owned entities raise sensitive questions of consent because they are subject to constitutional, administrative, and public law constraints that may affect their authority to arbitrate. This panel will examine disputes arising where arbitration clauses intersect with changing government policies or state interference in investor–SOE relationships. Using LCIA-administered cases to illustrate how questions of State and SOE consent are handled in practice, the panel will take a comparative perspective on how different legal systems reconcile consent with public law constraints.

Moderator: Christina Hioureas, Foley Hoag LLP, New York, NY, USA

Panelists:

• Swee Yen Koh, SC, WongPartnership LLP, Singapore, Singapore
• Kevin Nash, London Court of International Arbitration, London, United Kingdom
• Eugene J. Silva, II, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Spring, TX, USA
• Dr. Cosmin Vasile, Zamfirescu Racoti Vasile & Partners, Bucharest, Romania

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The distinction between treaty and contract claims has long preoccupied arbitration practitioners, but does the debate continue to have relevance? This panel will revisit the controversy in light of recent jurisprudence and shifting investment protection. For States, the coexistence of treaty and contract claims can mean defending on multiple fronts. For investors, the choice of framing claims raises strategic questions of jurisdiction, remedies, and enforcement. Panelists will discuss whether the distinction is now settled or continues to have practical significance, and what it reveals about the perceived fragility of consent in investment arbitration.

Moderator: Prof. Crina Baltag, Queen Mary University of London and ARBITRA, London, United Kingdom

Panelists:

• Miriam Harwood, Independent Arbitrator, New York, NY, USA
• Chris Hunter, Torys LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Sofia Martins, Miranda & Associados, Lisboa, Portugal
• Ank Santens, White & Case LLP, New York, NY, USA

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A Conversation with
Prof. Bernard Hanotiau
Hanotiau Tossens Goldman
Brussels, Belgium

Interviewed by

Prof Crina Baltag
Queen Mary University of London and ARBITRA
London, United Kingdom

This interview is the latest in a series organized by the ITA Academic Council to record the evolution of modern international arbitration in the words of those who have led it.

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Arbitration increasingly involves parties who have not signed an arbitration agreement. This panel examines the doctrines that regulate such extensions, including the group of companies doctrine, alter ego, veil piercing, and agency. Jurisdictions diverge sharply in their approach to non-signatories, raising concerns about fairness, predictability, and legitimacy. Drawing on ICC practice, the panel will take a comparative perspective on how seats, governing law, and legal cultures shape the treatment of non-signatories.

Moderator: Samantha Rowe, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, London, United Kingdom

Panelists:

• Paul Di Pietro, ICC International Court of Arbitration, New York, NY, USA
• Noiana Marigo, Freshfields US LLP, New York, NY, USA
• Philippe Pinsolle, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Genève, Switzerland
• Frederico Singarajah, Gatehouse Chambers, London, United Kingdom

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Questions of consent are often revisited when arbitral awards reach domestic courts. While some jurisdictions defer to tribunals’ findings, others apply de novo review. This panel will explore the implications of these diverging approaches. Does de novo review safeguard legitimacy or undermine finality? Should courts play an active role in protecting the integrity of consent, or defer to arbitral autonomy? Discussion will take a comparative perspective on judicial review relating to consent. Recent case law suggests that standards of review have become a central, unsettled, and unpredictable issue worldwide.

Moderator: Elliot Friedman, Freshfields US LLP, New York, NY, USA

Panelists:

• George A. Bermann, Columbia Law School, New York, NY, USA
• Sir Robin Knowles, SIFoCC - Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts, London, United Kingdom
• The Hon. Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena (Ret.), Retired Supreme Court Justice (Mexico), Cambridge, MA, USA
• The Hon. Marieke Witkamp, Arbitra International, Houston, TX, USA

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The concluding panel will look ahead to the next decade: Will consent remain the bedrock of international arbitration, or will it become increasingly fictionalized? How will emerging trends such as opt-outs, aggregate proceedings, digital contracting, and state-driven reforms affect voluntariness and legitimacy? Discussion will address whether arbitration will continue to meet the needs of users and maintain the trust of investors, and whether it may be reshaped by alternatives to arbitration and other emerging trends.

Moderator: Silvia Marchili, White & Case LLP, Miami, FL, USA

Panelists:

• Gabriel Costa, Shell, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Prof. Mark Feldman, Peking University STL, Shenzhen, China
• Rachael Kent, WilmerHale, Washington, D.C., USA
• Viren Mascarenhas, Mascarenhas Law PLLC, New York, NY, USA

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• Prof. Crina Baltag, Queen Mary University of London and ARBITRA, London, United Kingdom

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