The Seat is the legal home of the arbitration (e.g., London or Singapore). Its laws govern the procedure and the court's power to intervene. The Venue is simply where the hearings physically take place.
A typical arbitration follows a structured path, though it is more flexible than a courtroom trial:
It avoids the "home-court advantage." A French company and a Japanese company might agree to arbitrate in Switzerland to ensure a level playing field. The Principles and Practice of International Co...
This is the "golden rule" of arbitration. Unlike litigation, where rules are imposed by the state, parties in arbitration can choose the language, the seat (legal location), the applicable law, and the specific individuals who will judge their case.
The subject (often associated with the seminal textbook by Redfern and Hunter) covers the primary mechanism for resolving cross-border business disputes. The Seat is the legal home of the arbitration (e
Practitioners and companies prefer ICA over national litigation for several strategic reasons:
Parties can appoint arbitrators with specific technical or industry knowledge (e.g., oil and gas, maritime law, or intellectual property). A typical arbitration follows a structured path, though
This is the "engine" of ICA. It is a treaty signed by over 170 countries that requires national courts to recognize arbitration agreements and, most importantly, enforce foreign arbitral awards as if they were local court judgments. 2. The Practical Process