Jurisdiction and Admissibility
GLOBAL REFLECTIONS ON INTERNATIONAL LAW, COMMERCE AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION, p. 601, ICC Publishing, 2005
University of Miami Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2010-30
18 Pages Posted: 12 Nov 2010
Date Written: November 11, 2010
Abstract
To distinguish between these two concepts is a matter of considerable concrete importance. Decisions of tribunals which do not respect jurisdictional limits may be invalidated by a controlling authority. But if parties have consented to the jurisdiction of a given tribunal, its determinations as to the admissibility of claims should be final. Mistakenly classifying issues of admissibility as jurisdictional may therefore result in an unjustified extensiion of the scope for challenging awards, and frustrate the parties expectation that their dispute be decided by the chosen neutral tribunal. Of course, national laws may explicitly provide that arbitral disposition of issues of admissibility are not final. But then again, national laws may explicitly provide that all decisions by arbitrators are subject to full appeals, including findings of fact or conclusions of law. Indeed, national laws may forbid arbitration altogether. Yet that is emphatically not the modern trend. This essay proposes an approach consistent with an international consensus that decisions of arbitrators having jurisdication are final.
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