First Paragraph
Commercial and investment arbitration comprise a significant portion of international arbitration. It is important for practitioners to understand the intricacies of both types because, although they are similar in several ways, they differ significantly in important areas as well. To give a detailed synopsis of the similarities and differences between these two areas Eleven International Publishing has recently printed Investment and Commercial Arbitration - Similarities and Divergences. This book is a collection of essays from international members of the arbitration community who also spoke at the Vienna International Arbitration Forum. The book focuses on four topics relevant to investment and commercial arbitration: consolidation, party autonomy, annulment, and arbitrator impartiality. The book is structured into eight chapters with two chapters on each topic: one chapter relates to the topic of investment arbitration followed by a chapter on the same topic in the context of commercial arbitration. Rach chapter's organization of the topics varies significantly, which could be a product of having so many different contributors. This organizational structuring of some of the chapters makes it difficult for the readerto place the material into perspective. Many contributors' articles are very well organized and straight-forward, while others are difficlut to piece together nad become repetitive at times. There is also almost no clear cross-comparison in the chapters between investment and commercial arbitration. Instead, each essay focuses on one of the two types of arbitration and how each topic relates to that area of arbitration.
Recommended Citation
Lauren Willis, International Investment and Commercial Arbitration: An Industry Perspective, 3 Arb. L. Rev. 542 (2011).