Supportive Legal Framework
Arbitration Friendly Courts
Georgia’s federal and state courts rigorously enforce arbitration agreements and awards. Indeed, the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which is based in Atlanta, is arguably the most international arbitration friendly court in the United States and among the most arbitration-friendly courts in the world.
A Positive Legislative Framework
In 1998, Georgia became one of the first jurisdictions in the world to enact substantial portions of the 1985 United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. In 2012, Georgia also adopted most of the 2006 amendments to the UNCITRAL Model Law.
A Welcoming Environment for Advocates and Neutrals of all jurisdictions
Parties contemplating international arbitration in Georgia literally have the entire world to choose from in selecting counsel on neutrals. No other U.S. jurisdiction is more open to non-silenced lawyers for international arbitration. Indeed, Georgia has been touted by the American Bar Association (ABA) Task Force on International Trade in Legal Services as a singular model for other states in addressing issues arising from globalization, cross-border legal practice and lawyer mobility. As in other leading arbitral centers, foreign lawyers may appear as arbitrators or counsel in international arbitration proceedings, but Georgia goes one step further in also authorizing foreign lawyers to represent their clients on pro-hoc vice basis in the state courts in judicial proceedings ancillary to arbitration.
