Arbitration Ascendant: PAW 2024 Champions Paris as the Pinnacle of Global Dispute Resolution

How would you sum up Paris Arbitration Week 2024?

We could not be more satisfied; PAW 2024 has been a great success! The numbers speak for themselves, with:

-189 partners,

-187 events (conferences or social events) organized throughout the week,

- 25,000 registrations for events, and

- approx. 9,000 individual users of the website.

The 2024 edition was special because it saw the addition of new events and outstanding new partnerships. We are particularly proud to have been granted the patronage of the Minister of Justice and to have welcomed the Paris Court of Appeal as a new partner, establishing one of our core values, namely the promotion of unity among various stakeholders willing to promote Paris and the development of arbitration in France and worldwide.

PAW is recognized for its historical ties to international arbitration in Paris. As co-presidents, how do you think this year’s events have upheld and enhanced Paris’ position as the world’s capital of international arbitration?

The increasing number of partners and participants and the ability to bring together all stakeholders in international arbitration – lawyers, arbitrators, experts, third party funders, arbitral institutions, national courts, the Ministry of Justice) is the best demonstration that Paris is a global arbitration capital. We also had the privilege of having the Minister of Justice give the introductory address at PAW’s kick-off event. We were also able to support the Paris Court of Appeal in the organization of its event on the autonomy of arbitration at the Paris Tribunal de commerce.

"Both inclusivity and innovation were at the heart of this year’s edition. Inclusivity was reflected in the opening keynote interview and was addressed brilliantly by Florence Gravellier, a former Paralympic champion"

Inclusivity and innovation were central themes of PAW 2024, can you elaborate on the specific initiatives or events that have addressed these themes?

Both inclusivity and innovation were at the heart of this year’s edition. Inclusivity was reflected in the opening keynote interview and was addressed brilliantly by Florence Gravellier, a former Paralympic champion, who discussed diversity and inclusion, with an inspiring (and contagious) energy. The intervention of an important figure from outside the arbitration world was powerful and innovative, and will definitely be remembered as a significant highlight of this year’s PAW.

In addition, the PAW Board innovated again this year, by organizing a pair of events addressing issues and audiences that form part of the objectives it pursues: the first one (co-organized with the CFA 40 and PVYAP) focused on sustainability, a value that PAW has promoted for several years now. The second one was organized with and for in-house counsel, and led to open discussions with arbitral institutions and users of international arbitration on current practices used by in-house counsel, as well as their expectations and needs in the appointment of arbitrators.

This year, PAW incorporated the theme of sport, notably with the presence of Florence Gravellier as a keynote speaker and the introduction of the “PAW Games”.  What unique perspectives do these sports-related elements bring to the discussion of arbitration and dispute resolution?

With the Olympics taking place in Paris this year, adding a sporting dimension to this edition was inevitable! Sports bring everyone together and this was the case with the PAW Games, which gathered more than 40 arbitration practitioners from several countries competing in teams of four.   

Sport and arbitration also share the same values: hard work and resilience, as pointed out by Florence Gravellier during the opening keynote.

Given the significant number of events and participants each year, how does PAW ensure a diverse range of voices and perspectives within the international arbitration community, especially from underrepresented regions or groups?

PAW is an open platform that welcomes many different partners from all around the world. Its partners are highly diverse, representing over 25 different nationalities, and covering the entire international arbitration community, including not only professionals (such as law firms, arbitrators, experts) but also universities, arbitral institutions, associations promoting arbitration among different groups (young practitioners) or regional groups (Asian or African participants). PAW allows all its partners (whether paying or non-paying) to be in charge of the organization of their own events, to choose their topics and select their speakers, but also schedule the day and time of their event. The only requirement is that the events should concern international arbitration! This open and flexible concept guarantees the maximum diversity in the topics discussed and values advanced. We hope to welcome a broader range of partners from more regions around the world next year!

Diversity is also reflected in the participants and speakers – this year, we welcomed participants and speakers of more than 100 different nationalities.

The new online features, such as the PAW Network and the Digital Library, indicate a shift towards enhancing digital engagement. How do you see these innovations impacting participants’ experiences and the overall success of the event?

One of PAW’s objectives is to enhance the organization of this busy week for all and to make it an ever-improving and more user-friendly experience. This is a big challenge, with more than 180 events in the calendar and more than 180 partners!

After the launch of the new PAW website last year, which introduced a smart interactive calendar and allowed participants to have their own personal account and PAW calendar, this year, we introduced a few new features: the PAW pass with a single QR code per participant facilitates their attendance and registration to all events, and the PAW Networking function, allowing participants to view in advance the lists of participants of the event they wish to attend. Lastly, this year we created a dedicated PAW digital library, which will gather and consolidate all digital content (videos, articles, etc.) from previous PAW editions. This will allow participants to access to the rich technical content created during PAW and may become the first and, who knows, the largest digital source of technical content on the subject of international arbitration.

As PAW continues to attract a growing number of young arbitration practitioners, what opportunities are available for them to connect with established professionals, and how does PAW facilitate these interactions?

PAW events are accessible to everyone under the same conditions.

Young practitioners and students are thus free to register for any event, whether conferences or social events, and meet and network with more senior arbitration practitioners.

PAW has always been eager to transmit knowledge and experience to the younger arbitration community.  For this reason, PAW has established a partnership with the master’s programs at Paris Saclay and UPEC universities, and offers to students the exclusive opportunity to attend the conferences of their choice and prepare articles on the topics discussed, as well as to attend events organized by the PAW Board, such as the opening keynote or the opening cocktail.  The ever popular the Seine cruise, dedicated to a younger crowd, is also co-organized by the PAW Board.

We also have a partnership with Paris Baby Arbitration – an organization for young practitioners, which covers a number of PAW events in a special edition of their publication (the Biberon) published after PAW each year – and produce podcasts presenting the objectives of each PAW edition.