Lawyers, corporate counsel, arbitrators, mediators, academics and business persons from as far a field as Europe, South America, and Asia will attend the ICC International Commercial Dispute Resolution conference, from 11-13 September. There they will hear leading experts share their knowledge and first-hand experience of some of the major issues in international arbitration today and will gain a greater understanding of the workings of the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

"The ICC conference in La Jolla will cover a number of timely issues in international arbitration and key challenges faced by inside and outside counsel for California's leading industries," said Louis B. Kimmelmann, a partner at O'Melveny & Myers LLP, New York and Chair of the Arbitration Committee of the United States Council for International Business.

“The conference offers a unique blend of experts in intellectual property, entertainment law, biotech and healthcare industries - a rare opportunity to hear from the industry leaders how to arbitrate effectively in these specialized areas. And it will cover the latest on arbitrating with parties from the Asia-Pacific region."

Panels on current major trends in international dispute resolution include: Arbitration and ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) in the Entertainment Industry, which will focus on resolving disputes in the entertainment industry through arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, an important developing trend in California; Arbitration in the Biotech, Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industries, which will concentrate on the developments and future trends in these industries and how alternative dispute resolution methods and arbitration can be used to meet the legal challenges these industries face; and Arbitrating Intellectual Property Disputes, which will discuss the reason for the increasing use of arbitration to resolve international intellectual property disputes and examine the advantages and disadvantages of arbitrating such disputes. A panel on the Growth and Development of Multi-Party and Multi-Contract Arbitrations will look at the procedural and substantive issues that must be considered when arbitrating multiparty and multi-contract disputes.

Over the last seven years US parties have been the most numerous of all nationalities in ICC arbitration so in response to this growing interest the two-day conference, which has been organized in partnership with ICC's US affiliate the United States Council for International Business, will offer insights into ICC arbitration, from drafting the request for arbitration to obtaining a final award. ICC has also developed a range of dispute resolution services, in addition to arbitration, to meet the needs and challenges of international commerce today which participants will learn about at the event.

Since its creation in 1923, the ICC International Court of Arbitration has handled over 14,000 cases, with over 560 new cases involving 1,682 parties from 116 countries and independent territories filed in 2004. The ICC Court is characterized by its broad representation, comprising members from more than 80 countries with diverse legal backgrounds.

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