The conference "Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Legal System of Russia" took place in Saint Petersburg on 25 June 2009. It was in honour of the 10th anniversary of the journal "Treteiskiy Sud" (The Arbitration Court), one of the most prominent Russian journals on commercial arbitration.

The conference was arranged by the Saint Petersburg University, the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation and the "Treteiskiy Sud" journal.

The participants at the conference were judges of the Russian Federation Supreme Arbitration Court, academics of the Moscow State University, Saint Petersburg State University and other leading universities of Russia, and lawyers from the leading law firms.

The discussion centred around topics such as the development of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Russia, state support for ADR (including financing), court practice concerning recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards, and other instances of state court interaction with ADR and problems related to it.

Many of the participants noted that during recent years the number of ADR users in Russia has grown significantly. More and more Russian companies choose ADR as a means of dispute settlement. At the same time, it was noted that there is a need to promote ADR among lawyers and business circles. For instance, many speakers addressed the need to include ADR courses in university programs.