Beata Gessel-Kalinowska vel Kalisz joins a panel debate as part of an arbitration conference in Warsaw

“ADR in Europe: Ethics, Empathy and Exasperation” was the title of a conference of the European Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators held in Warsaw on 25 and 26 April. The conference focused on the recent changes to the Austrian and Belgian procedures for upholding arbitration awards, investment arbitration, and ethical questions in the arbitration context.

Dr Gessel chaired the opening debate of the conference, dealing with the procedure for upholding arbitration awards in certain European jurisdictions. The debate participants compared and contrasted the instances through which a motion for repeal of an arbitration award progresses in Poland, in Belgium, in Austria, and in France, analysing the respective strengths and weaknesses of each legal system in this respect as well as discussing the attractiveness of Polish arbitration law against the background of other European systems.

Beata Gessel-Kalinowska vel Kalisz also took part in a debate about the development tracks for local arbitration centres in Spain, Lithuania, and Poland. She outlined the history of the Lewiatan Arbitration Court and the rationale for its establishment, duly taking into account the amendments to its rules of procedure implemented in 2012. By way of conclusion, the debate’s participants mapped out the future growth of the local arbitration centres so as to, hopefully, enable them to eventually compete with larger arbitration centres around Europe.

The second day of the conference included a mediation exercise led by leading mediators affiliated with CIArb, with Michał Pochodyła, counsel, lawyer, LL.M. of GESSEL as one of the participants. The goal of this mock mediation lay in presenting the essential elements of mediation and the role of the mediator and her position vis a vis the parties to the dispute.

For more information, please visit http://www.ciarb.org/conferences/ciarb-european-branch-conference/