Resolving disputes involving Russian parties
This was the theme of the day at the roundtable organised by the Joint Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-CIS in partnership with the Russian Arbitration Association and Schellenberg Wittmer Ltd.
Held on 11 February, this roundtable brought together over 60 representatives of the business community and law firms with an interest in the Russian market, as well as leading professionals in arbitration and dispute resolution. Following the opening address by Manuel Liatowitsch, Partner, Schellenberg Wittmer Zurich and Dorit Sallis, Managing Director, Joint Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-CIS (JCC), invited speakers went on to discuss issues pertaining to:
· Choice of dispute resolution clauses for contracts with Russian companies
· Availability of interim measures in Russia
· Issues arising from enforcement of foreign awards in Russia and lessons to be learned
· Peculiarities of disputes involving Russian parties: the same as any others?
Vladimir Khvalei, Chairman of Board of the Russian Arbitration Association and Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution at the Moscow office of Baker and McKenzie talked about options when selecting dispute resolution clauses with Russian companies, pointing out that the advantages of resolving disputes in Russian arbitration courts include the speed and cost of the arbitration process in Russia. Among arbitration courts to be considered in Russia, Vladimir recommended the Rules of the Russian Arbitration Association (RAA) and International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICAC).
Timur Aitkulov, Member of Board of the Russian Arbitration Association and Partner, Clifford Chance Moscow talked about interim measures available, while Anna Kozmenko, Senior Associate, Schellenberg Wittmer Zurich took a closer look at enforcement of foreign awards in Russia.
Finally, Rouslan Khomiakov, Legal Counsel Sberbank (Switzerland) AG brought the roundtable moderated by Christopher Boog, Partner, Schellenberg Wittmer Zurich to a close by giving an insider's perspective to choosing applicable law and dispute resolution clauses.