The Atlanta International Arbitration Society is making its annual manual available free of charge via download, the first time in four years of publication that it has been published digitally.  

Renamed the “AtlAS Desk Book 2020,” the manual includes a searchable table of contents to help navigate the 618-page book, which includes UNCITRAL Model rules, arbitration rules and model clauses from 18 principal institutions globally.  

In addition to various additions like drafting guides and “soft law” publications that will aid practitioners in the field, a new chapter to the guide outlines efforts to develop Atlanta as a center for international dispute resolution.

AtlAS emerged early in the 2010s to build the city’s reputation as a location for international arbitration, the legal process baked into corporate contracts by which companies and other entities settle disputes that arise in the course of their business relationship.  

In arbitrations, parties choose contractually a legal seat — the jurisdiction whose laws govern the transaction — and a location, a place where the hearings are actually held, usually before a panel of three arbitrators.  

Most results from the closed-door proceedings are never made public, but the economic impact of hosting them can be large for the global hubs that are used often. These come in the form of spending on hotel stays, airplane tickets and legal fees, among other expenses that trickle down locally. 

Influential voices in the field dedicated this year’s book to Ben Greer, the former head of the international practice at Alston & Bird who has been a champion of the arbitration effort in Atlanta. 

“Ben’s work in various contexts — at Lex Mundi, at the International Bar Association, with the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Georgia and in private practice — have all contributed to the international rule of law and to raising the profile of Atlanta as an international city,” said Glenn Hendrix, founding president of AtlAS and chair of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP.  

Visit the Desk Book homepage on the AtlAS website at https://arbitrateatlanta.org/atlas-desk-book-2020/ 

See the full PDF of the book here 

See the full list of the 18 institutions included in the book here: 

  • Arbitration Institute of Stockholm 
  • Asia International Arbitration Centre (formerly Kuala Lumpur International Arbitration Centre) 
  • Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration 
  • Center for Arbitration and Mediation of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce 
  • British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre 
  • China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) 
  • CPR Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution 
  • Deutsche Institution Fur Schiedsgericthtsbarkeit (DIS) 
  • Henning Mediation and Arbitration Services 
  • Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre 
  • International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) 
  • International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) 
  • JAMS 
  • London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) 
  • Singapore International Arbitration Centre 
  • Swiss Chamber’s Arbitration Institution 
  • Vienna International Arbitral Centre 
  • World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Centre (WIPO) 

As managing editor of Global Atlanta, Trevor has spent 15+ years reporting on Atlanta’s ties with the world. An avid traveler, he has undertaken trips to 30+ countries to uncover stories on the perils...