The Global Legal Post today launches the second edition of its Law Over Borders Comparative Guide to Arbitration, offering a comprehensive analysis of arbitration frameworks across an array of top jurisdictions.

Edited by partners Ahmed Abdel Hakam, Gunjan Sharma and Robert G. Volterra of public international law firm Volterra Fietta, the guide features contributions from leading arbitration specialists from across the world, offering detailed insights into how arbitration is conducted and supported globally. 

Designed as a practical resource for in-house counsel, law firms, arbitrators and policymakers, it examines key aspects of the arbitral process, including the validity of arbitration agreements, tribunal constitution, court assistance, award enforcement, third-party funding and sovereign immunity.

Watch Ahmed Abdel Hakam, Robert G. Volterra and Gunjan Sharma introduce the guide

In the guide’s introduction, the editors reflect on the continued growth and globalisation of arbitration, noting that “many states have modernised their arbitration laws and the number of arbitration-friendly jurisdictions has increased markedly”. 

They highlight that while “many of the same rules and principles apply across the globe”, significant differences remain in how those rules are implemented and enforced. “What matters increasingly is not what the law says, but how it is applied in practice – whether that is through efficient court systems, well-regarded institutions or effective enforcement mechanisms,” they write. 

They also note the growing role of third-party funding in shaping access to arbitration and influencing strategy, with some jurisdictions embracing it more readily than others.

Each chapter answers a series of structured questions designed to help practitioners and in-house counsel understand and compare how jurisdictions approach core arbitration issues. 

These include whether arbitration clauses are recognised as separable, how tribunals are appointed and challenged, whether courts may intervene in arbitration proceedings, what interim relief is available, how awards are enforced, whether proceedings are confidential, and how states and state-owned entities are treated in arbitration. 

The guide also considers how technology is being used in arbitration, with contributors commenting on developments such as virtual hearings, electronic filings and the growing role of AI tools. 

“Virtual hearings and digital submissions are now standard practice in leading arbitration centres,” the editors note. “While the appropriateness of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in aiming to increase arbitral efficiency is hotly debated. Meanwhile, the application of international principles of state immunity, on issues of jurisdiction and execution, is nuanced and varied across different countries’ courts.”

The guide’s user-friendly digital format allows readers to quickly compare jurisdictional approaches and locate relevant information across a wide range of procedural and substantive topics.

The PDF version is available to download here, with the print edition available to order here. The book will be officially launched at the Luxury Law Summit London at the British Museum on 10 June.

Contributing Firms and Jurisdictions


• SCPA Robert M. Dossou (Benin)

• Borden Ladner Gervais (Canada)

• Tian Yuan Law Firm (China)

• Osborne Clarke (England and Wales)

• ALG (Ethiopia)

• Le 16 Law (France)

• Rezvanian International (Iran)
• S. Horowitz & Co. (Israel)
• BALL (Mexico)

• Resolve International (Qatar)

• RC International Disputes (Romania)

• Feras Al Shawaf Law Firm (Saudi Arabia)

• GNCI Law (Spain)

• Cetinel Law Firm (Turkey)

• Habib Al Mulla and Partners (United Arab Emirates)

• Foley Hoag (United States)
• Asia Legal (Vietnam)

There are 14 guides in the Law Over Borders series, which also covers topics including artificial intelligence, cryptoassets, data protection, ESG, fashion and luxury law.

For further information about the guides, email associate publisher [email protected].