The use of Information Technology in arbitration

Information technology (IT) has invaded the legal profession. Very few are those who, today, do not work on a daily basis with electronic communication technologies. And dispute resolution is one of the most rapidly developing fields of IT usage. This special issue thus seeks to chart progress of the use of IT in offline arbitration. This issue is not meant for specific niches of dispute resolution, but for standard procedures. In other words, it is not about online dispute resolution (ODR), but about how various IT solutions may be put to good use in traditional arbitral proceedings. Moreover, it is not meant for particularly computer-literate counsel or arbitrators, but for practitioners with a standard understanding of IT. Hence, its subject matter is centered on a discussion of the more commonplace IT solutions (e.g. e-mails, online filing, case-management websites, videoconferencing), and not of exotically sophisticated and rarely used technologies. This issue is practice oriented, and thus includes practice guidelines and suggests standard forms for the use of IT. It also presents the services currently offered by arbitral institutions, such as NetCase, the ICC´s IT facility that has just become operational. This work is the product of a multi-disciplinary research project carried out at Geneva University Law School and Center for Computer Science (MIRALab), financed by the Swiss National Research Fund. The text in its present form is the draft version of a book, to be published in the course of next year with Kluwer Law International. Hence, any comment or suggestion is welcome