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Some Thoughts on the Independence of Party-Appointed Expert in International Arbitration

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Private Actors in International Investment Law

Part of the book series: European Yearbook of International Economic Law ((Spec. Issue))

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Abstract

Participation of experts in both commercial arbitration proceedings and investment arbitration proceedings is a well-known phenomenon for decades. A trend asking for parties-appointed experts to be independent is under development since the end of the twentieth century. The aim of this chapter is, at first, to make the point on this issue by analysing some of the most important current rules dedicated to international arbitration. The observation to be made is that the evolution described is not that developed so far in international arbitration. In a second time the need and relevance of this new requirement are addressed. It appears then that the meaning of this demand is far from being clear and its usefulness far from being obvious.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For instance, Article 14.2 of the 1975 ICC Conciliation and Arbitration Rules provided “The arbitrator may appoint one or more experts, define their terms of reference, receive their reports and/or hear them in person”. Other provisions of the same ICC Conciliation and Arbitration Rules (kept unchanged in the 1988 ICC Conciliation Arbitration Rules) dealt with arbitration costs that include “fees and expenses of any experts”. 1975 and 1988 ICC Conciliation and Arbitration Rules may be consulted on the following website: https://www.international-arbitration-attorney.com, last visit on 1st March 2020.

  2. 2.

    See for instance ICC Cases n° 2444 (1976), n° 5418 (1987), n° 4629 (1989), n° 6653 (1993), etc., in Jarvin and Derains (1990), Jarvin et al. (1994, 1997).

  3. 3.

    See among others Kopelmanas (1979), Jolivet (2006), Kantor (2010), Thompson (2014), Altenkirch and Raheja (2018).

  4. 4.

    There are generally only a handful of paragraphs devoted to experts (role and appointment) in general works dedicated to international arbitration. See for instance, Fouchard (1996) pp. 718–720, Schreuer (2009), pp. 664–666, Born (2012), p. 170, Blackaby (2015), pp. 394–398.

  5. 5.

    But see Poudret (1994), p. 143: “Is not one of the main arguments in favour of arbitration that specialists well informed about the issues involved are used, thus obviating the need to consult experts?”

  6. 6.

    For a description of the use of experts in ICSID Arbitration, see for instance Schreuer (2009), pp. 664–666.

  7. 7.

    First version of the ICSID Arbitration Rules (1968) dealt with experts and expertises in article 33 to article 35. 1968 ICSID Arbitration rules may be consulted on the following website: https://icsid.worldbank.org/en/Documents/resources/ICSID, last visit on 1st March 2020.

  8. 8.

    Jones (2011), pp. 3–4.

  9. 9.

    Ibid.

  10. 10.

    The 1985 UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration has been amended on 2006, but with no change regarding experts (article 26 unchanged).

  11. 11.

    Fouchard (1996), pp. 718–719.

  12. 12.

    Article 1509 of the French Code of Civil Procedure, article 34 of the UK Arbitration Act, article 19.2 of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, article 44 of the ICSID Convention, etc.

  13. 13.

    Because the party can’t find the document, or because the party thinks that the document is useless, or because the party wants to keep the document secret.

  14. 14.

    Ruling on Claimants’ Application to Remove the Respondent’s Expert as to Panamanian Law, December 13, 2018, § 11. Available on the ICSID website, last visit on 1st March 2020. Respondent’s argument on this issue was not very clear neither since it has submitted that:“[…] Claimants have not come anywhere close to demonstrating the type of impropriety that an investment tribunal must require before it takes the extreme and unusual step of publicly denouncing a person’s integrity by denying a party its right to put an individual forward as an expert.”, ibid.

  15. 15.

    Ibid., § 13.

  16. 16.

    Fach Gómez (2019), p. 109.

  17. 17.

    Blackaby (2015), p. 255, Fouchard (1996), pp. 580–587.

  18. 18.

    Blackaby (2015), p. 255, Fouchard (1996), pp. 580–587.

  19. 19.

    Born (2012), pp. 134–135.

  20. 20.

    Jones (2011).

  21. 21.

    Tribunal’s Ruling on Claimants’ Application to Remove the Respondent’s Expert as to Panamanian Law, December 13, 2018.

  22. 22.

    Kantor (2010), p. 334, quoting the late Thomas Walde.

  23. 23.

    Kantor (2010).

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  1. University of Burgundy, Dijon, France

    Sébastien Manciaux

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  1. Sébastien Manciaux
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Correspondence to Sébastien Manciaux .

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  1. University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    Katia Fach Gómez

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Manciaux, S. (2021). Some Thoughts on the Independence of Party-Appointed Expert in International Arbitration. In: Fach Gómez, K. (eds) Private Actors in International Investment Law. European Yearbook of International Economic Law(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48393-7_4

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