ICDR Changes Effective Date for Revised Disputes Procedures to June 1 | Practical Law

ICDR Changes Effective Date for Revised Disputes Procedures to June 1 | Practical Law

The International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) has pushed back the date for the amendments to the International Dispute Resolution Procedures to take effect, which is now June 1, 2014.

ICDR Changes Effective Date for Revised Disputes Procedures to June 1

Practical Law Legal Update 8-567-7266 (Approx. 3 pages)

ICDR Changes Effective Date for Revised Disputes Procedures to June 1

by Practical Law Litigation
Published on 09 May 2014 • International, USA (National/Federal)
The International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) has pushed back the date for the amendments to the International Dispute Resolution Procedures to take effect, which is now June 1, 2014.
The International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) has changed the day on which its recent revisions to the International Dispute Resolution Procedures will take effect to June 1, 2014, delaying it from May 1, 2014. A copy of the revised procedures is available here. Revisions include:
  • New procedures to expedite lower-value matters, such as:
    • automatically expediting claims worth less than US$250,000;
    • deciding claims worth less than US$100,000 from written submissions alone;
    • providing for an interparty conference call with the arbitrator to determine case procedure;
    • instituting a one-day limit on oral hearings; and
    • implementing a 30-day deadline for the final award.
  • A requirement that final awards be made no later than 60 days after the close of proceedings.
  • An emphasis on mediation, allowing:
    • parties to agree to mediate at any point during the dispute; and
    • mediation and arbitration to occur concurrently (with a separately appointed mediator) to reduce time and expense in each dispute.
  • New provisions on the joinder of parties, including the ability:
    • to join new parties by issuing a notice of arbitration; and
    • to request a "consolidation arbitrator" who can consolidate two or more cases pending before the AAA or ICDR if the claims are made under the same arbitration agreement or arise from the same legal relationship.
  • New rules requiring parties to disclose promptly any circumstances that may raise doubts about an arbitrator's neutrality. Failure to disclose will be read as a party's waiver of the right to challenge an arbitrator on those grounds.