Dear Readers,
Season’s greeting to you. As the decade concludes, and we ring in a new year, it is a joyous moment for us at CADR, RGNUL.
CADR Newsletter
We are witnesses to an exhilarating time in the world of ADR, with manifold developments undertaking. An International Mediation Convention was opened for signature in August 2019. This heralds an exciting time, for it is now that we are beginning to unleash the full potential of mediation on an international scale. In regards to Arbitration, we are exploring interesting interplays – in the field of climate change and human rights. All this while, Investment Arbitration continues battling legitimacy issues and as we explore the feasibility of Multilateral Investment Courts, it is time to assess the future of Investment Arbitration. Meanwhile, novel technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been making inroads into the ADR world and exploring the full potential of blockchain arbitration and smart contracts is an interesting and exciting prospect. Domestically, the amended Arbitration Act has received a lot of scrutiny – from legislative over-ruling via Section 87, its striking down by the Supreme Court, the establishment of Arbitration Council of India, and designation of arbitral institutions by the Supreme Court and the High Courts. As commercial mediation grows, perhaps it is time to explore a systemized approach to mediation – governed by its own law. The effect of the Singapore Convention on mediations in India will also be exciting. There are troves of information out there to sift!
It is in that backdrop that we are ecstatic to announce the launch of the first issue of our Newsletter. The CADR Newsletter has been an idea that is resultant out of our interactions with professionals, students, and other stakeholders. Amidst professional obligations, how do those in the industry find the time to remain abreast with the latest developments in the field of ADR and ensure an eclectic awareness – even if cursory – of the same? How can the latest in the academic world be conveyed to practicing teams and students? Well, you let students compile the information for you and present it in the form of briefs! An ‘Inshorts’, of sorts.
Each Volume follows a rigorous internal process of compilation so that we ensure that only the information that is generally relevant to a professional, authentic and thoroughly researched reaches you. We follow a three-fold process to create any volume. 1. Data Collection: We follow important developments that are in vogue. We have a list of 30 databases that a team of 3 Content Editors scourges regularly and a list of developments is recorded. The news collected aims to be multi-jurisdictional with focus on various developments – such as legislative developments in major legal hubs like the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Germany, The Netherlands, USA, etc., legal and conceptual development through case laws, information about recently initiated disputes, new rules by institutions, upcoming international events, brief summarizations of important research – either recent articles or books. In truth, anything that may be relevant for a practicing lawyer is something that we will aim to keep a lookout for. 2. Compilation: We create a summarization of news pieces collected. Each summary is created to convey important details. In case the reader is interested in reading more on any particular piece, we provide more elaborate reading material and sources. 3. Review: Before any Volume is released, the Permanent Managing Editor (PME) of the Newsletter reviews the content. We also send the Newsletter out to some of our professional connections outside the CADR to get their views on the Volume. This two-step review is to ensure that the news curated is vetted and lives up to its objectives – that of being a one-stop read for working professionals.
With every Volume being released, there shall be an attempt to highlight the month that has been and review it.
Thus, with this Newsletter, we aim to contribute to information flow and procurement. In this endeavor, we look forward to the ADR Community indulging us. You can subscribe to the Newsletter by dropping us an email at adrc@rgnul.ac.in. Additionally, you may subscribe to the CADR Blog via our homepage, and will be regularly updated when we release a volume.
Other Developments
There have been other developments too. CADR and Surana & Surana had organized the International Arbitral Award Writing Competition 2019. We congratulate Sonu Mehtha and Aditya Sarangarajan from School of Excellence in Law, Chennai for securing the first prize. Ayush Chugh and Anugya Jain of Nirma bagged the second prize and the third prize was shared between Manjunath Karthikeyan of SOEL, Chennai and Pururaj Aggarwal of DSNLU, Vizag. We congratulate the winners and all the participants.
We are pleased to announce that the 2nd RGNUL – PACT Sports and Entertainment Law Mediation Competition will be organized from the 6 – 8 March 2020. The inaugural edition received immense response, and we look forward to contributing to the development in the field of Mediation. The open call for the Competition along with participation details shall be released shortly.
Many other plans are in the works – viz. an international conference on Investment Arbitration along with another competition for law students. We will also play host to many practitioners and organize workshops and training programmes in the upcoming months.
As 2020 begins, we look forward to all that ADR has to offer and will continue to be involved and shape the discourse on it.
Regards, Mohit Dang, Editorial Board, CADR Blog, Head – Research, CADR.