The long-awaited Arbitration Act 2025 (the “2025 Act”) finally received Royal Assent on 24 February 2025, paving the way for significant refinement of the Arbitration Act 1996 (the “1996 Act”) and the conduct of arbitration...more
Parties drafting a contract often see dispute resolution clauses as boilerplate formalities. Other times, a deal team will draft a clause without ever having to experience one tested in anger. A poorly worded clause can...more
Orrick's Founder Series offers monthly top tips for UK startups on key considerations at each stage of their lifecycle, from incorporating a company through to possible exit strategies. The Series is written by members of our...more
The English High Court has confirmed that UK courts do not consider sanctions a bar to enforcing arbitration clauses referring disputes to the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). The court’s 10 May ruling...more
As part of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Italian Council of Ministers have approved Legislative Decree No. 149/2022 (the “Decree”) to amend the Italian Code of Civil Procedure (“ICCP”). The Decree has...more
The UK Law Commission has published a final report containing recommendations for reform (the “Report”) of the Arbitration Act 1996 (the “Act”) – the law governing the procedure around every arbitration seated in London. ...more
As the world pushes towards reducing emissions and reaching net zero, we have all seen the increase in renewable energy projects, and Asia is no exception. Asia is a continent of great potential when it comes to renewable...more
Effective February 5, 2023, a coalition of G7 countries, Australia, and the European Union have generally forbidden service providers to provide certain services relating to the maritime transport of certain Russia-origin...more
Effective December 5, 2022, a coalition of G7 countries, Australia, and the European Union have generally forbidden service providers to provide certain services relating to the maritime transport of Russia-origin crude oil...more
12/6/2022
/ Australia ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Exports ,
G7 ,
General Licenses ,
Maritime Transport ,
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Prices ,
Russia
The UK Government has introduced further restrictions on trade with Russia to build on those already in place. The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 14) Regulations 2022 (“No.14 Amendment”) came into force on 21...more
Consistent with past policy announcements, the UK Government has now brought forward new legislation which will further restrict the ability of UK citizens and companies to deal with Russian companies and individuals. A key...more
The Dubai International Arbitration Centre (“DIAC”) has issued the new DIAC Arbitration Rules 2022 (the “2022 Rules”). The 2022 Rules were approved by the DIAC Board of Directors and took effect from 21 March 2022. The aim of...more
This guidance does not constitute legal advice. To the extent that you have any questions arising out of the guidance, please speak to a member of the Orrick team who will be happy to assist. The invasion of Ukraine by...more
5/11/2022
/ Blocked Person ,
Blocking Sanctions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Foreign Bank Accounts ,
Foreign Investment ,
International Tax Issues ,
National Security ,
Russia ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
The United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom recently imposed new Russia-related sanctions in response to Russia’s continued hostilities in Ukraine...more
The United States and its allies continue to ramp up pressure on Russia and Belarus in response to Russia’s continued hostilities in Ukraine. In this alert, we describe the latest export, import, and investment bans and...more
In response to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, European and other western States have imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russian businesses and individuals. Europe’s heavy reliance on Russian oil and gas has been at the...more
3/16/2022
/ Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia ,
Supply Chain ,
UK ,
Ukraine
The increased focus on Hydrogen production and exploitation offers investors great opportunities. But like many emerging technical solutions, it can also bear risks. Orrick Energy Disputes Team (along with our projects...more
Building on the “first tranche” of sanctions announced on February 22, 2022 described in our prior alert, the United States, the EU, the UK, and their allies have imposed (or announced the imposition of) additional...more
3/1/2022
/ Blocking Sanctions ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Transactions ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SWIFT ,
Ukraine ,
Virtual Currency
In response to the Russian government’s recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics of Ukraine (the “Covered Regions”) as states and deployment of Russian troops to the Covered Regions, the United States and its...more
On 15 February 2021, the International Bar Association (the IBA) released its updated Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration (the IBA Rules or the Rules). The updated Rules were adopted on 17 December...more
3/26/2021
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Arbitration Awards ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Document Productions ,
Evidence ,
International Arbitration ,
International Bar Association (IBA) ,
Remote Hearings ,
Witnesses
The Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) has recently updated its Operational Handbook to include a chapter on DPAs (the "Updated Handbook"). For companies under investigation, the question of whether or not to cooperate with the...more
Despite one of the perceived advantages of arbitration being the absence of overly detailed rules and strictures, there is an increasing trend amongst the more well-known arbitration institutions to keep tweaking their rules...more
A recent judgment of the English High Court provides helpful guidance on the courts' approach to managing cases in response to the practical difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (Muncipio de Mariana and others v BHP...more
On 8 April 2020, the High Court dismissed three unexplained wealth orders ("UWOs") and related interim freezing orders made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (National Crime Agency v Baker & Ors [2020] EWHC 822 (Admin)). ...more
Remote trials -
In Re Blackfriars Ltd, the High Court rejected arguments that the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 crisis were sufficient reason to adjourn a five-week trial. The trial, which is scheduled...more