I'll be going to the UM Law School International & Comparative Law Review's International Commercial Arbitration Symposium tomorrow. Here's the official announcement,
On January 20, 2006, the University of Miami School of Law International & Comparative Law Review presents a symposium entitled “Dealing With Challenges in International Commercial Arbitration: A Comparative Approach.” Professor Jan Paulsson will give a keynote speech to explain the use of public policy and the notion that a “transnational” public policy could begin to affect enforcement of arbitral awards. Additionally, the other presenters will focus on specific decisions that explicate the judicial climate of their jurisdictions.
International Commercial Arbitration (ICA) is one of the fastest growing fields in crossborder dispute resolution. With the growth of ICA, a transnational public policy (TPP) has emerged that has great potential to change the way businesses and practitioners evaluate the desirability of international arbitration. In this symposium, the International and Comparative Law Review at the University of Miami (ICLR) brings together experts from Europe, Latin America and the United States to consider the classic text on the role of public policy (the New York Convention), the emergence and viability of TPP, and the important trends of which practitioners need to be aware. Other important topics in ICA will be discussed, including anti-suit injunctions, attachment of property, drafting and practical considerations.
Fuller details, including the program, are in this .pdf file. Sounds like a great event if you have any interest at all in this admittedly somewhat specialist subject.
Back in the day, when I was working in a US law firm office in London, most of what I did was international arbitration. It was interesting and highly varied work, with a very diverse set of clients from all over. And now Miami is emerging as a regional center for international arbitration in the Americas.