Almost every country has enacted legislation that directly or indirectly affects the drafting of commercial arbitration agreements or the conduct of international commercial arbitration proceedings. Many nations and sub-national jurisdictions have adopted model laws drafted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), in particular:
Use the electronic and print resources described below to help you to locate the full texts of national laws related to commercial arbitration or detailed summaries of such laws.
Kluwer Arbitration
Access arbitration laws from more than 100 countries, some of which are available in both their original language and in unofficial English translations. To search by country, click on the two horizontal bars on the left side of the search box to display the filters menu. Then select "Legislation" as the Content Type. Then select the desired country from the alphabetical list of Jurisdictions. To browse by country, select "Jurisdictions" from the "Out Tools" menu in the main menu bar near the top of the homepage.
ICC Dispute Resolution Library (ICC DLR)
The ICC Dispute Resolution Library, which is hosted on the Jus Mundi platform, includes a Guide to National Procedures for the Recognition of Awards Under the New York Convention. This guide provides information about statutes of limitations and procedural rules governing evidentiary requirements, stays of enforcement, and related matters for selected jurisdictions. To access this content, scroll down to "Enforcement Guide" under the heading "Explore the Resources" and click on the link labeled "search all local resources." After the page refreshes, search or browse for the desired jurisdiction..
The Foreign Law Guide
This subscription database covers almost all jurisdictions outside the U.S. Under the heading "Laws by Subject" select "Arbitration & Mediation" as the category. Then scroll down to select the desired jurisdiction. In some cases, you will find direct links to electronic versions of relevant laws. In other cases, only citations to print sources are provided.
Getting the Deal Through (GTDT)
This multi-jurisdictional resource offers in-depth, practitioner-written summaries of national laws governing international arbitration in more than 40 jurisdictions using a question and answer format. Begin by selecting Dispute Resolution as the work area from the menu. Then select Arbitration as the topic and the desired jurisdiction. Select tow or more jurisdictions to compare laws across multiple jurisdictions.
ICC International Handbook on Commercial Arbitration
This e-book on the Kluwer Arbitration platform provides an overview of arbitration law and practice in more than 70 jurisdictions. Relevant laws are reproduced in full text. For non-English speaking jurisdictions, laws are provided in unofficial English translations, not in their original languages.
Transnational Dispute Management (TDM)
TDM's database of arbitration laws covers dozens of jurisdictions. Some are available in their original language. Others are provided in unofficial English translations. To access them, go to the "Legal and Regulatory Docs" tab and click on "Search." Then scroll down to access the Advanced Search template. Select "Laws & Regulations" as the Category and choose the desired country from the menu.
Westlaw offers the following resources:
Comparative Law of International Arbitration (2d ed.)
International Commercial Arbitration
International Commercial Arbitration: Standard Clauses & Forms
International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation in UNCITRAL Model Law Jurisdictions, 4th ed.
International Commercial Arbitration and the Courts