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1999 Int'l Bus. L.J. 354 (1999)
"Arbitral Jurisprudence"

handle is hein.journals/ibuslj15 and id is 354 raw text is: Arbitral jurisprudence resembles an English garden, chaos appears to reign, but the arbitrators act as invisible gardeners in a structure which has its own brand of logic. The absence of an overriding jurisdiction charged with controlling awards in international commercial arbi- trations, as much as the fact that arbitral awards are confidential and that they are not systematically published, all contribute to this impression of muddle, shady patches, secrecy and anarchy. It follows that anyone involved in international com- merce who opts for arbitration will be keen to acquire a better understanding not only of the substantive solutions imposed by an award, but of the thought process of the arbitrator. Can one speak, however, of the thought process of an arbitrator as we speak of the thought process of a French judge, as compared with his English equiva- lent? There is much greater diversity among arbitrators, coming as they do from different countries and legal cultures, than among the judges of a national judicial system. To differences of personality are added cul- tural differences. Arbitrators, however, do not work in isolation, alone in their ivory towers. They mix with each other, consult the same documentation, compare their practices and theories, and deliberate together. From this kind of contact, there has emerged a logic peculiar to arbitration. In published awards, one can detect com- mon trains of thought, identical thought processes, and the development of similar substantive solutions. La jurisprudence arbitrale est a I'image d'un jardin anglais : le desordre y regne en apparence mais les arbitres sont les jar- diniers invisibles d'une composition qui suit sa logique. L'absence d'une juridiction supr6me qui aurait pour mission de contr61er les sentences arbitrales du commerce internatio- nal de m6me que la confidentialite des procedures d'arbitrage ou bien encore le defaut de publication systematique des sen- tences y sont pour beaucoup dans cette impression de fouillis, de zones d'ombre, de secret et d'anarchie. II s'en suit que tout operateur du commerce international qui opte pour le recours i I'arbitrage est avide de mieux connaftre non seulement les solutions de fond degagees par les sen- tences mais aussi le mode de raisonnement de I'arbitre. Mais, peut-on parler d'un mode de raisonnement de l'arbitre comme on peut parler du mode de raisonnement d'un juge francais en comparaison avec celui de son homologue anglais ? En ia matiere, Ia pluralite s'impose. La diversitd des arbitres venant de pays et de cultures juridiques diff~rents est bien plus importante que ia diversite des juges d'un systeme judi- ciaire national. A la diversit6 des personnalites se rajoutent les differences culturelles. Pourtant, les arbitres ne travaillent pas seuls, isoles dans leurs tours d'ivoire. Us se fr6quentent, consultent la m~me documentation, confrontent leurs pratiques et leurs thdories, et d61iberent ensemble. De ces contacts nait une logique propre SI'arbitre. Les sentences publiees permettent de constater des traits de pens6es communs, des modes de raisonnement identiques et, finalement, un d~veloppement des solutions de fond similaires. Avocat aux barreaux do Paris et de Suede, Lagerlof & Leman, Linklaters & Alliance. Avocat au barreau de Paris, Linklaters & Paines. RDAI/IBLJ, N' 3,1999

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