The Arbitration Act 2025 introduced some significant revisions to the Arbitration Act 1996. The most significant revisions were explained in John Abbott’s article dated 26 February 2025. But what was not included in the Arbitration Act?

The Arbitration Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 24 February 2025 and will inform, in many respects, how arbitrations seated in England & Wales are conducted. The UK Government says that the new provisions introduced by the 2025 Act will keep the UK at the forefront as an arbitration centre and should provide a boost to the UK economy generally.

One of the most complex things to advise on as counsel or determine as the tribunal, is whether a particular dispute may be determined by arbitration.

For the past 27 years the Arbitration Act 1996 has been the pillar upon which England and Wales has established itself as a highly respected and trusted jurisdiction under which to conduct International Arbitrations.

For almost 10 years there has been debate whether parties to litigation could be compelled to engage in mediation or other non-court dispute resolution process. 

Join our Arbitration Lawyer, John Abbott, for an expert insight into International Arbitration, with the International Practice Group. 

In line with every contracting state to the New York Convention 1958, the courts of England & Wales will stay proceedings brought in the courts of England & Wales and refer the parties to arbitration where an agreement to arbitrate exists unless the court finds that the agreement to arbitrate is null and void.

Arbitration is a long-established method of international dispute resolution.

Laytons’ Arbitration Team has an enviable reputation, and we are delighted to present our Arbitration Team in the attached brochure.

The Libralex Global Conference took place week in Central London where Managing Partner and arbitrator, John Abbott and Partner, Paddy Kelly gave talks at the working session on Ukraine.

In England and Wales, the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 (the Act) came into effect on 25th March 2022. If you are a landlord or a tenant of commercial premises and have a problem with Covid-19 lockdown arrears you should read the recently published CCODR Guidance for the Coronavirus Rent Arrears Arbitration Service.

At the recent Art Law Conference at Christies, the question was asked, “are NFTs an art-form?”. The recent case of Amir Soleymani -v- Nifty Gateway LLC [2022] EWHC 773 (Comm) illustrates some of the issues that can arise when using online auction platforms to sell digitalised art.

Laytons LLP is pleased to announce that John Abbott FCIArb has been appointed to the panel of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) as an arbitrator and a mediator. 

Successful challenges to arbitral awards are rare. The case of K -v- A [2019] EWHC 1118 (Comm) is one of those highly rare cases where a Gafta Award was subject to a successful challenge.

Arbitration has many advantages over litigation, but one of the fundamental tenets behind arbitration, is the provision of a relatively inexpensive and quick means of resolving commercial and trade disputes.

One of the primary advantages of arbitration is the relative ease of enforcement of arbitral awards in states which are signatories to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards 1958.

Finality is one of the key selling points of arbitration. Consequently, challenging an award before the English court is far from easy. There are obstacles in the path of any challenge or appeal and the available grounds are limited and closely scrutinised.

When a dispute arises which must, under the terms of an arbitration agreement, be referred to arbitration, the need might arise for urgent interim measures to protect a party’s position pending the outcome of the arbitration.

When a dispute arises which must, under the terms of an arbitration agreement, be referred to arbitration, the first step will be for the parties to appoint the tribunal. Finding the right arbitrators and ensuring that the relevant contractual, statutory or institutional requirements are complied with is vital.

Until a notice of commencement has been served, the arbitration process will not have commenced. It is not possible to start arbitration without first giving a Notice of Arbitration to all of the parties to the arbitration.

Quite simply and obviously, arbitration is an agreement between two or more parties to have their disputes resolved by arbitration.

Which is best? This is an age-old question. Should you put an arbitration clause in your contract? And, if so, what sort of arbitration clause? In summary, there will never be a correct answer that applies to all circumstances. There is no straightforward solution and one size most definitely does not fit all.