Recent years have seen significant changes in international commercial arbitration in most Latin American countries. As an understanding of local legal cultures and attitudes is important to the success of an arbitration, ICC will hold a conference looking at issues and challenges faced by international arbitration in Latin America. 

Organized by the ICC International Court of Arbitration with the backing of over 35 sponsors and supporters, the conference will take place in Miami on 5-7 November. It is the fourth conference of its kind and has in the past proved very popular, attracting over 200 participants. The amount of interest in the conference reflects the increasing involvement of Latin American parties in ICC arbitration. Of the 1,422 parties involved in cases filed with the International Court of Arbitration in 2005, more than 12% came from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Pierre Tercier, Chairman of the International Court of Arbitration, said: "Latin America is a region that has experienced a great upsurge in international commercial arbitration during recent years. This has given rise to complex legal problems and new challenges. The conference is designed to bring together a wide variety of players conversant with ICC arbitration and with particular experience in the region. They are ideally placed to offer enlightening reflections on many of the key issues facing arbitration practitioners in Latin America today and to present ICC's perspective on these matters."
 
Guillermo Aguilar Alvarez, a partner with Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York and former General Counsel at the International Court of Arbitration, added: "While the number of Latin American parties and arbitrators in ICC arbitration continues to increase, the number of cases in which the place of arbitration is in Latin America remains relatively low, suggesting that there are still challenges to be overcome in the region. In organizing this conference, ICC once more leads the way to a clearer understanding of these challenges."

The topics to be covered at the conference include the ethical duties of counsel, the role of arbitrators in the conduct of the proceedings, the impact of state constitutions on international arbitration, and arbitration in the energy sector in Latin America. Participants will also be able to hear about ICC experience in the region from those directly involved with ICC cases.
 
The conference is intended for practicing lawyers, corporate counsel, arbitrators, mediators, academics, ADR experts and users, and business professionals who come from Latin America or do business there, or who simply wish to increase their understanding of international commercial arbitration in the region.