Delos has provided an initial collection of the resources available on holding remote or virtual arbitration and mediation hearings, organised into
- guidance and checklists,
- protocols,
- model procedural orders,
- webinar recordings and
- other resources.
This collection is being maintained up-to-date by ArbitralWomen member
Mihaela Apostol and Delos President
Hafez Virjee.
By way of background, the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the first quarter of 2020 has posed increasing challenges to the careful, advanced planning of in-person hearings in international arbitrations. Potential solutions have included reducing the number of participants, moving the hearing to another location, postponing it, or moving part or all of it online. These online hearings, typically referred to as ‘virtual’ or ‘remote’ hearings, have in turn created new challenges for practitioners due to lack of familiarity and experience with the available platforms. Part of the experiential deficit has been addressed through the shift of international arbitration events to the online space, with the substantial increase of webinars. Another trend has been the sharing of know-how online, ranging from written guidance and model procedural orders to panel discussions and practical webinars. While these trends are a healthy display of the international arbitration community’s cohesiveness and adaptability, they have also created some confusion due to their sheer volume. Delos has therefore compiled and categorised the relevant resources into a simple table available on its website, at
https://delosdr.org/index.php/2020/05/12/resources-on-virtual-hearings/.
Submitted by Mihaela Apostol, ArbitralWomen member, and Hafez Virjee, Delos President
