Useful Links
Here are some useful links that Eric recommends to attorneys who have to deal with dispute resolution in their practice. Of course, Eric is not responsible for the content of the websites referred to herein. The websites are listed in no particular order.
Mediate.com is the website where you go to select a mediator and to read up on many of the articles that are published about mediation. It is the website par excellence for the mediation community, and highly recommended.
The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law is my Alma Mater, and I cannot think of a better place to obtain training and education in the fields of arbitration and mediation. The Straus Institute offers a wide variety of courses, also to attorneys who simply want to learn more about dispute resolution so that they learn how to be more effective as counsel in an arbitration proceeding or in a mediation session.
The latest versions of both the (Revised) Uniform Arbitration Act and the Uniform Mediation Act can be found at the website of the University of Pennsylvania Law School which publishes the texts of all uniform laws.
The Model Laws on International Commercial Arbitration and on International Commercial Conciliation and other relevant laws and rules adopted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) can be found by going to the UNCITRAL website, choosing the language of your choice, clicking on "Adopted Texts" and then on "International Commercial Arbitration and Conciliation".
KluwerArbitration.com is a pay-website that offers you a fully-searchable database of primary and secondary materials in the field of International Commercial Arbitration with access to full-text downloads of materials, delivered by authoritative resources. It has links to the ITA (Institute for Transnational Arbitration) and its publications; the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague (PCA); and the ICCA (International Council for Commercial Arbitration), as well as to important Kluwer publications, such as Arbitration International and the Journal of International Arbitration. Strongly recommended for the Arbitration and ADR specialist.
ABAnet.org/dispute is the website of the Section of Dispute Resolution of the American Bar Association.
ADRWorld.com is a pay-website that provides you with all the latest developments in the area of dispute resolution. Highly recommended.
Mrs. Rosabel E. Goodman-Everard, a well-known international arbitration consultant located in Johannesburg, working for the International Council for Commercial Arbitration, has compiled a terrific survey of arbitration-related websites, including links to sites that post the texts of treaties, conventions and national arbitration laws, as well as international, regional and national arbitration institutions.
Eurolegal Services also has an excellent reference site that provides a very complete set of arbitration resources, which includes worldwide lists of links to Arbitration Conventions, National Arbitration Laws and National Arbitration Institutions.
The University of Queensland contributed an excellent links page to WebLaw.edu.au, which also includes links to the national laws of Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US; arbitration institutions in those countries as well as many others; governmental institutions; some of the leading ADR publications; international resources and, most importantly, many links to other lists.
The American Arbitration Association (AAA) provides an excellent website that includes much more information than just their rules and procedures. The Guide to Mediation and Arbitration for Business People, which was updated in July 2003, is especially recommended.
The International Center for Dispute Resolution is the international arm of the AAA, and provides institutional support for international mediation and arbitration.
The International Dispute Resolution Services provided by the International Chamber of Commerce are under the supervision of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. On its website, you can find the Rules applying to mediation and arbitration and other useful information.
The website of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration provides information about mediation, arbitration and other dispute resolution services avialable in Australia.
The website of the Netherlands Arbitration Institute (NAI) provides information about their dispute resolution services, which in addition to regular arbitration include summary proceedings for a speedier resolution and mini-trials. A potential advantage of holding an international arbitration in the Netherlands is that pursuant to Section 1046 of the Netherlands Code of Civil Procedure, the President of the Amsterdam District Court, upon the request of one of the parties, may order the consolidation of two or more separate but related arbitration proceedings, even when between different parties, so that they must be held before the same panel of arbitrator(s). This creates a level of efficiency not available elsewhere (unless all parties agree).
There are two major mediation institutes in the Netherlands, the more general Netherlands Mediation Institute (NMI) and the mediation institute for business conflicts, ACB Conflict Management for Commerce and Industry (ACB Mediation).
The most prominent Canadian organization for domestic mediation and arbitration is ADR Chambers, headquartered in Toronto. Its international arm is ADR Chambers International, an organization largely responsible for the re-emergence of Canada as an international center for dispute resolution.
