Arbitration proceedings in German-Russian economic relations

Arbitration: a good alternative

Economic relations between German and Russian companies have grown considerably in recent years. Trade agreements, joint ventures and other economic contracts that German and Russian companies conclude with each other can also lead to disputes. If legal disputes arise in German-Russian economic relations, the question arises as to how they can best be resolved. Arbitration proceedings are a suitable mechanism for this because they lead to an enforceable arbitral award and are often more acceptable to both sides than court proceedings before the courts of the other contracting party. In this lecture event, jointly organised by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the Russia CIS Arbitration Network (RCAN), we will take a closer look at “Arbitration as a Dispute Resolution Mechanism in German-Russian Business Transactions” in a mixture of impulse lectures and roundtable discussions.

Target Group Participants from the business community and lawyers involved in German-Russian economic relations are welcome.

Programme

10 am to 1 pm:

Discussion (coffee break around 11 a.m.) – What role do arbitration proceedings play as a dispute resolution mechanism in German-Russian economic relations? – Are there alternatives to arbitration? – Which arbitral institutions can be considered for German-Russian disputes? – Which arbitral institutions specialise in Russian-related disputes? – What are the costs of international arbitration and what possibilities are there for financing the process? – Which arbitral institutions have Russian competence on their arbitrator lists? – Before which arbitral institutions can arbitration proceedings be conducted in Russian? – How do I find the right arbitrator and the right party representative for a dispute with a Russian contracting party? – How long does an international arbitration between German and Russian parties take at the respective institutions? – What alternatives are there to arbitration, especially for the quick and amicable settlement of disputes? – What is the status of mediation in Russia? These and other questions will be answered first-hand by practitioners from internationally active law firms and institutions who have a personal connection to Russia and advise companies doing business in Russia. In particular, we will shed light on the following arbitration institutions: MKAS (Moscow Commercial Arbitration Court), SCC (Arbitration Institution of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce), DIS (German Institute of Arbitration), LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration) and the Arbitration Court of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.

1 pm:

Get-together and finger food

Our moderators

Dr. Markus Perkams and Dr. Christine Heeg

Our speakers

Dmitry Marenkov, Germany Trade and Invest, Bonn: Dmitry Marenkov, born and raised in Moscow, is responsible for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the International and Foreign Economic Law Division of the federally owned company Germany Trade and Invest. He is a lecturer at Goethe University Frankfurt/M. and has published a number of articles on Russian law and international arbitration.

Felix Prozorov-Bastians, Graf von Westphalen, Frankfurt: Felix Prozorov-Bastians grew up in Russia and studied law in Russia and Germany. He is a partner in the law firm Graf von Westphalen and advises clients on German-Russian business transactions, including arbitration proceedings.

Christian Stuerwald, Calunius, London: Christian Stuerwald was responsible for the litigation finance department of Allianz AG until 2009. Since then he has been a partner in the litigation finance company Calunius Capital LLP, where he specialises in the financing of international arbitration proceedings.

Dr Dieter Strubenhoff, Jones Day, Frankfurt: Dieter Strubenhoff worked for an international law firm in Moscow for several years and is on the arbitrator list of the Arbitration Court of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, MKAS. He works as a lawyer in Frankfurt and regularly conducts Russia-related arbitration proceedings.

Dr. Christine Heeg, Bird & Bird, Düsseldorf: Chris-tine Heeg was admitted to the German Bar in 2007 and specialises in dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation. She studied law and Russian at the Lomonosov University in Moscow in 1999 and at the same time worked in the Moscow office of a large international law firm. Against this background, she advises Russian investors on their economic activities in the German market and German investors on trade and investment in Russia.

Christian Graf, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce: Christian Graf has been Managing Director and Head of the Legal & Fair Play Division since 2000 and, in this capacity, is also Senior Legal Advisor to the Arbitration Court of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. Among other things, he is a member of the Board of the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS) as well as a lecturer and co-coordinator of the “International Business Law Course” at the University of Hamburg, St. Petersburg State University and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce in St. Petersburg,

Marie Öhrström, Setterwalls, Stockholm: Marie Öhrström is a partner at Setterwalls in Stockholm and specialises in international arbitration. Before joining Setterwalls, she worked as Deputy Secretary General at the Arbitration Court of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, one of the most important arbitration institutions for the settlement of commercial disputes between Russian companies and their trading partners.

Christina Schuetz, Clifford Chance, Moscow: Christina Schuetz is a lawyer at Clifford Chance in Moscow, where she specialises in international arbitration. In 2011, she and other practitioners founded the Russia CIS Arbitration Network, which deals with the resolution of conflicts in commercial transactions with Russia and CIS states.

Dr Markus Perkams, Skadden Arps, London/Frankfurt: Markus Perkams is a lawyer admitted in Germany and a solicitor in England and Wales. He specialises in international arbitration with reference to Russia and other CIS states. In 2011, he and other practitioners founded the Russia CIS Arbitration Network, which deals with the resolution of conflicts in commercial transactions with Russia and CIS states.

Contact and registration (until 4 June 2012)

http://www.hk24.de/System/Veranstaltungen/1891090/Schiedsverfahren_im_deutsch_russchen_Wirtschaftsverkehr_13152257.html

Hamburg Chamber of Commerce

Jessy Wallis

Adolphsplatz 1 – 20457 Hamburg

Phone 040 36138-335 – Fax 040 36138-533

jessy.wallis@hk24.de – www.hk24.de

The event is free of charge.м