Saint Petersburg International Legal Forum 2017: Round-Up

Saint Petersburg International Legal Forum 2017 is over. This year several thousand delegates from all over the world participated in the Forum. The team of the Arbitration Center at the Institute of Modern Arbitration has also taken active part in this main legal event of the year 2017 in the Russian Federation.

Arbitration of corporate disputes: to be or not to be?

On May 19, the discussion session Corporate and Complex Business Disputes in Arbitration. New Opportunities and New Challenges took place. During the session, the speakers discussed new opportunities and prospects of arbitrating corporate and complex business disputes in the context of the arbitration reform. One of the main issues on the agenda was whether the Russian arbitration institutions are ready to arbitrate corporate disputes? The panelists addressed, in particular, the Rules on Arbitration of Corporate Disputes adopted by the Arbitration Center at the Institute of Modern Arbitration and the ICAC at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The panel comprised leading arbitration practitioners both from Russian and abroad: Wesley Wong SC (Solicitor General of Hong Kong), Laurence Wong (Singapore International Commercial Court), Francis Xavier (Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP), Michael Swainston QC (Brick Court Chambers), Stefan Kroell (Bucerius Law School), Steven Finizio (WilmerHale), Anton Asoskov (Lomonosov Moscow State University), Alyona Kucher (Debevoise and Plimpton LLP), Vasiliy Kuznetsov (Baker Botts LLP), Dmitry Stepanov (Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners).

Andrey Gorlenko, Executive Administrator, Arbitration Center at the Institute of Modern Arbitration, moderated the discussion session.

Arbitration Battle: Moot Court for Professionals

This year participants were involved in various sessions, workshops and business breakfasts, but not exclusively. They experienced a completely new way of interaction – moot courts.

Arbitration Battle: ILF v. RULF organized by the Arbitration Center took place on May 19, 2017. Teams and arbitrators had to decide a mock historical dispute arisen in XIX century out of a share-purchase agreement of the Stolichnaya Manufaktura. The dispute was decided in accordance with the Arbitration Rules 2017 of the Arbitration Center at the Institute of Modern Arbitration (IMA).

Team ILF consisting of the partners from major international law firms and representing the Claimant was recognized as a winner. The presentation of Alena Kucher (Debevoise & Plimpton LLP), Natalia Gulyaeva (Hogan Lovells), Murat Akuev (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLC) and Vasily Kuznetsov (Baker Botts LLP) was legally perfect and extremely creative. The team members were singing while presenting their case.

Team RULF and its legal position were also highly estimated by the arbitrators Anton Asoskov (Lomonosov Moscow State University), Irina Shitkina (Lomonosov Moscow State University) and Ruslan Ibragimov (PJSС «MTS»). The arbitrators noted that the partners of Russian law firms – Anna Grischenkova (KIAP), Maxim Kulkov (Kulkov, Kolotilov and Partners) and Dmitriy Stepanov (EPAM) – were incredibly inventive and diligent.

Otium Post Negotium: The First Ever Food Truck at Legal Street

As a part of the cultural program of the SPILF 2017, the first ever food truck Arbitration Schooner has moored at the Legal Street on Thursday evening. After busy working day, full of legal events and discussions, the delegates could relax in the informal atmosphere, discuss program of the Forum, exchange their views on various topics and taste the best street food from the Cronus Cape crew.

We hope that the Arbitration Schooner will become the traditional guest of the SPILF Legal Street and the delegates will again enjoy the tasty food in the open air.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the delegates of the Forum for their interest to our events: we are always happy to be in touch, share our views, discuss the topical legal issues and have a good time with you.

We would like to say special thanks to the Organizing Committee and the whole team of SPILF for their help in organizing the events of the Arbitration Center and for all their great professional work and brilliant results.