ITA-ASIL Conference
Mass and Class Claims in Arbitration
Washington, D.C., USA
Ronald Reagan International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
Online Registration is closed. Please bring your completed registration form to the door.
Registrar: +1.972.244.3405
ITA: +1.972.244.3414
Fax: +1.972.244.3401
E-Mail: ita@cailaw.org
Overview
Presented by the Institute for Transnational Arbitration of The Center for American and International Law and the American Society of International Law
The ½-day ITA-ASIL Conference is presented annually in Washington, D.C. by the ITA Academic Council immediately preceding the Annual Meeting of the American Society for International Law (ASIL). Scholarship is the hallmark of this conference, the papers from which are published in the law journal World Arbitration and Mediation Review.
To register for the ITA-ASIL Conference on April 9, click here.
For information about the ASIL Annual Meeting (presented this year as a joint conference with the International Law Association) on April 7-12, click here.
Download the Brochure (pdf)
For more details, download the online brochure.
About the Conference
Just as the United States Supreme Court has cut back on the availability of class relief, both in court and in arbitration, some investment arbitration tribunals have begun recognizing mass claims in that venue. This conference will examine those competing trends and the future prospects for class claims and mass claims in arbitration.
Conference Co-Chairs
Prof. Christopher R. Drahozal
University of Kansas School of Law
Lawrence, Kansas
Prof. S. I. Strong
University of Missouri School of Law
Columbia, Missouri
Schedule and Faculty
Conference papers will also be published in the 2014:3 issue of ITA’s law journal, World Arbitration and Mediation Review.
11:00 am
Registration
12:00 pm
Networking Luncheon
1:15 pm
Welcome and Introduction
Prof. Andrea K. Bjorklund, Chair, ITA Academic Council, L. Yves Fortier, Chair in International Arbitration and International Commercial Law, McGill University Faculty of Law, Montreal, Quebec
1:20 pm
Keynote Presentation
The Future of Large-Scale Claims
Carolyn B. Lamm, White & Case LLP, Washington, DC
Large-scale arbitration has been very much in the news in recent years, from class arbitrations in the United States to mass arbitration in the investment context. Are these procedures the wave of the future or simply isolated phenomena arising out of unique circumstances? Can the international legal community expect to see more of these types of procedures in the coming years? Hear Carolyn Lamm, past President of the ABA and lead advocate for the claimants in Abaclat v. Argentine Republic, discuss her experience with large-scale arbitration and her views on how clients and counsel can prepare themselves for the changes that lie ahead.
1:50 pm
Commercial Arbitration: Class Claims
In recent years, the United States Supreme Court has issued a series of high-profile decisions addressing the enforceability of class arbitration waivers (Concepcion and Amex) and the interpretation of arbitration clauses that are silent on class arbitration (Stolt-Nielsen and Sutter). The panel will examine the implications of those decisions for class relief in the United States – both class actions and class arbitrations – and for transnational class actions between the U.S. and Canada. It also will consider how Canadian courts have addressed similar issues, offering a comparative perspective on the intersection of class actions and commercial arbitration.
Introduction and Moderator:
Prof. Christopher R. Drahozal, University of Kansas School of Law, Lawrence, Kansas
Panelists:
- Deepak Gupta, Gupta Beck PLLC, Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown Law School, Washington, DC
- Prof. Geneviève Saumier, McGill University Faculty of Law, Montreal, Quebec
Roundtable and Q&A
3:00 pm
Break
3:20 pm
Investment Arbitration: Mass Claims
In 2011, the investment world was rocked by the preliminary award on jurisdiction and admissibility in Abaclat v. Argentine Republic, which allowed 60,000 Italian claimants to assert their claims at the same time. Abaclat was recently cited with approval by a majority of arbitrators in Ambiente Ufficio S.p.A. v. Argentine Republic, which also arose out of Argentina's 2001 default on its sovereign bonds. The panel will discuss whether and to what extent these decisions open the door to more mass arbitrations in the investment context.
Introduction and Moderator
Prof. S. I. Strong, University of Missouri School of Law, Columbia, Missouri
Panelists:
- Dr. Michael Waibel, University of Cambridge Faculty of Law, Cambridge
- Samuel Wordsworth QC, Essex Court Chambers, London
Roundtable and Q&A
4:30 pm
Concluding Remarks
Prof. Andrea K. Bjorklund, Chair, ITA Academic Council, L. Yves Fortier, Chair in International Arbitration and International Commercial Law, McGill University Faculty of Law, Montreal, Quebec
Overnight Accommodations
The ITA-ASIL Conference and 108the ASIL Annual Meeting will take place at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center and the hotel accommodations will be at the JW Marriott Washington, DC. ASIL has secured a limited number of sleeping rooms with special rates at the JW Marriott.
JW Marriott Washington, DC
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
For reservations call +1.800.228.9290 and be sure to mention American Society of International Law to receive the discounted group rate of $315 plus tax. The deadline to receive the discounted rate is Friday, March 7, 2014.
CLE Credits
MCLE Credit
This program is approved by the State Bar of Texas for 2.75 hours, no ethics. Course ID Number: 901282521. Sign-in sheets and/or certificates of attendance will be available for ALL states.
Specialization Credit
This program is approved by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for 2.75 hours in the following areas: Civil Appellate Law, Civil Trial Law, Family Law, Personal Injury Trial Law
Transportation Information
Area Airports
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport - DCA
Hotel direction: 4 mile(s) N
Driving directions:
Follow the signs to Washington D.C. (George Washington Parkway). Take the I-395/Route 1 north exit (which is the 14th St. bridge). Merge to the far left lane and follow the signs for 14th St. The hotel is eight blocks up 14th St. on the right side at the corner of 14th and Pennsylvania. From North: I-95S to Baltimore Washington Prkwy. Follow B/W Prkwy to 50W/NY Ave. Turn left on 9th Street. Make Right on E Street. Right on 14th Street. Hotel is on right. From South: Take I-95N to I-395N. Cross 14th Street Bridge. Take Route 1 (left) Exit. Travel 10 blocks to hotel. Hotel will be on your right.
This hotel does not provide shuttle service.
- Alternate transportation: Metro Subway-Blue Line/Metro Center Stop; fee: 2.8 USD (one way)
- Estimated taxi fare: 20 USD (one way)
Washington Dulles International Airport - IAD
Hotel direction: 27 mile(s) E
Driving directions:
Follow the signs to Interstate 66 east to Washington. Follow I-66 to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge (US Route 50). Once you cross the bridge, I-66 becomes Constitution Ave. Continue on Constitution Ave, NW for approximately 14 blocks to 12th St., NW. Turn left onto 12th St. and drive 6 blocks to E St., NW. Make a left onto E St. and drive two blocks to 14th St. and turn right. The hotel is on the right corner of 14th and E St.
This hotel does not provide shuttle service.
- Alternate transportation: Private Sedan; fee: 90 USD (one way) ;reservation required
- Estimated taxi fare: 60 USD (one way)
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport - BWI
Hotel direction: 32 mile(s) SW
Driving directions:
Take the Baltimore-Washington Parkway South (MD 295) to US50 west (New York Ave.). Take New York Ave to North Capitol St. Cross N. Capitol St., get into the right lanes and when the large green sign appears for I-395 DO NOT TURN LEFT, stay in the right lanes until the road splits then bear right onto L St. NW. Take L St. NW to 9th St. NW and turn left. Take 9th St. to E St. NW and turn right. Drive 5 blocks to 14th St. NW and turn right. Make a hard right into the hotel driveway.
This hotel does not provide shuttle service.
- Alternate transportation: Amtrak to Union Station-Metro to Hotel; fee: 30 USD (one way)
- Estimated taxi fare: 90 USD (one way)
- Valet parking, fee: 49.56 USD daily
- Limited parking, valet service only USD 49.56 per night, no oversized vehicles
Other Information
Press Policy
All ITA conferences are held under the Chatham House Rule. Participants, including journalists, are free to use any information received, but comments may not be attributed to any speaker identified by name or affiliation.
Nondiscriminatory Policy
The Center for American and International Law does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected status in educational activities, scholarship programs or admissions.
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