Arbitrators routinely refer in their decisions to awards rendered by other arbitral tribunals that deal with the same issues. However natural it may seem to arbitrators and to parties who will refer to arbitral precedents in an attempt to support their position, such an approach raises many practical and theoretical questions.
Is there such a thing as arbitral precedent? What weight should arbitrators give to decisions previously rendered by other arbitral tribunals? Can arbitral “case law” exist without consistency? Does such consistency exist? Is it necessary or simply desirable? What is the respective weight to be given to arbitral and national case law when arbitrators have to decide a case in accordance with a given law?
These are some of the questions that this book explores, in the context of both international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration.