Organizers of a permanent center for international arbitration hope to open the doors this spring. Supporters, which include 33 law firms, say the center will help New York maintain its position as a global center for resolving disputes in the face of growing competition from legal centers worldwide. It was one of the recommendations of a 2011 task force of the New York State Bar Association.
The center is chaired by Judith Kaye, the former chief judge who is now of counsel to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Its vice chairs are James Carter, senior counsel at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, and Edna Sussman, a full-time arbitrator and mediator. “Around the world there is open recognition of the desirability and importance of having arbitrations centered in your home city,” Kaye said in a news release issued after the project’s official launch at a Jan. 23 event with more than 250 attendees. “With our new center added to an already impressive array of international arbitration resources, New York is truly the place to be.”
