This Battle of the Seats

Presented at Paris Arbitration Week by California Arbitration and the New York Arbitration Center.

We will explore the comparative advantages and disadvantages of four of the world’s leading arbitration seats – New York, Paris, California, and London – through a lively discussion. Representatives from each jurisdiction will advocate for their seat in a debate-style contest that will feature questions about procedural efficiency, enforceability, and other advantages or disadvantages that each seat may pose, including recent developments in case law and institutional rules. This session will help arbitration practitioners, in-house counsel, and other decision-makers understand the practical implications of selecting these places as their seat, and will pit new against old as the participants have the opportunity to vote for their preferred seat at the end.

This panel is moderated by Giorgio Sassine, an attorney at Musick, Peeler & Garret, LLP; Katie Gonzalez, an associate at Clearly Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; Laura Abrahamson, CalArb president and an arbitrator at JAMS; Kevin Nash, director general at the London Court of International Arbitration; Alexis Mourre, a partner at MCL Arbitration; and Caline Mouawad, a partner at Chaffetz Lindsey.