Dr Ugljesa Grusic and Prof Alex Mills give evidence to House of Lords Committee on Arbitration Bill

On Wednesday 14 February, UCL Laws’ Dr Ugljesa Grusic (Associate Professor) and Professor Alex Mills (Professor of Public and Private International Law) gave oral evidence to the Special Public Bill Committee on the Arbitration Bill [HL].

The Arbitration Bill aims to improve the Arbitration Act 1996, the key law governing arbitration in England and Wales. The Bill proposes various reforms, seeking to clarify the law governing arbitration agreements, strengthen the courts’ supporting powers, and facilitate quicker dispute resolution.

As the only academics appearing before the Committee, Dr Grusic and Professor Mills addressed various proposed amendments, drawing on written evidence which they had each submitted to the Committee. They discussed a proposal to change the rules which determine what law governs an arbitration agreement, including the policy behind the proposed rules, their drafting, and how that change might interact with other sections of the Act. They also discussed a proposal which would affect how courts review decisions made by arbitral tribunals concerning their own jurisdiction, focusing on the drafting of the proposed rules, including whether they are sufficiently flexible to respond to different cases and to allow for future changes.

A recording of the session is available to watch online at Parliamentlive.tv.

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