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One-Day CLE Program: Managing Your First Arbitration
September 22, 2009, 8:30am - 5:00pm
6 CLE Credits
Pace University, One Pace Plaza, New York, NY 10038
Co-sponsored by The College of Commercial Arbitrators, Institute of International Commercial Law, Pace Law School, The American Arbitration Association ®, JAMS, and the New York State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section.

This one-day event will provide attorneys who are new to arbitration with the skills, knowledge and confidence to handle the arbitration process from the case filing to the hearing.

For further information click here

Institute of International Commercial Law granted observer NGO status at UNCITRAL

The Institute of International Commercial Law at Pace Law School has been granted observer NGO status at the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).  Patrizia Netal is representing the Pace Institute at the UNCITRAL National Correspondent meeting on July 16th, in Vienna, Austria.  The Institute has had a long-standing relationship with UNCITRAL, partnering with UNCITRAL on various initiatives to collect and promote the dissemination of information on the UN Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG).  Both organizations are also co-sponsors of the upcoming conference, International Congress: Contract Law & International Commercial Arbitration, on November 5-8, 2009, to be held in La Rioja, Spain (http://www.congresomercantilrioja.es/). UNCITRAL is also one of the sponsors of the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot, directed by Pace Professor Emeritus Eric Bergsten.

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) has now gained worldwide acceptance. Today the CISG has 72 member states, nine out of ten leading trade nations being member states. It can be estimated that about 70% to 80% of all international sales transactions are potentially governed by the CISG.

In her presentation Professor Schwenzer examines the role of the CISG in international trade practice, as well as its influence as a role model for reforming sales law on international and domestic levels. She discusses why the CISG can be regarded superior to choosing any domestic sales law. Although the overall advantages of the CISG are now undisputable there remain several criticisms regarding the application of the CISG to international commercial transactions, which still seem to nourish a strong adverse view on the Convention in certain legal systems. Having a closer look at these criticisms, however, reveals that they are in part unfounded as they stem from general misunderstandings and in all other cases appropriate solutions can be developed. Especially, it will be proven that the CISG very well suits the necessities of modern trade, including commodity trade.

Professor Schwenzer is a full professor of Private Law at the University of Basel/Switzerland. She is the editor of Schlechtriem/Schwenzer, Commentary on the CISG, member of the CISG Advisory Council, and director of the Research Project “The Global Sales Law.”

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