A Guide to the ICDR International Arbitration Rules by Martin F Gusy, James M Hosking, and Franz T Schwarz

Abstract

A Guide to the ICDR International Arbitration Rules by Martin F Gusy, James M Hosking and Franz T Schwarz, Published by Oxford University Press, USA, (2011), Hardback, Price USD 160.00. ISBN 9780199596843. No set of international arbitration rules today is complete without an accompanying, often quasi-official, guide. Inspired by the original Craig, Park and Paulsson guide to International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration in 1984, members of the arbitration community and their publishers have brought forth detailed interpretative works addressing each new or significantly revised set of rules as it appears. Why, one might ask, is it necessary to republish each set of rules with a section-by-section commentary in such books? Is each set of rules itself not sufficiently clear in how they are to operate? Do the sets of rules differ from each other so significantly that a separate interpretative book is needed for each iteration? In fact, the healthy market for arbitration rules guides exists primarily because there is substantial lore lurking behind the major rules. The rules administered by arbitral institutions are applied by the organizations in accordance with customary practices that typically are not published widely, …