The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting unique challenges for the fair, efficient and orderly disposition of commercial disputes in Australia and world-wide.
The social and economic impact of the virus will likely continue to have legal and access-to-justice implications for some time, giving rise to new disputes and delaying the progress of existing disputes before the courts.
The depth of this crisis creates a need for parties and their legal representatives to consider carefully appropriate and alternative options for the efficient, timely and cost-effective resolution of disputes.
ACICA has developed an information sheet — Managing the Impact of COVID-19: Use of Arbitration to Mitigate Risk — outlining the benefits that arbitration offers to parties in dispute and the particular application of those benefits in the time of COVID-19. With links to resources developed by ACICA, we hope this document will provide guidance to parties and counsel.
As noted, ACICA is also providing a 25% discount on registration fees for cases commenced from 1 May 2020 to 31 October 2020 to assist parties through this difficult time.
