New York, January 25, 2018 – The International Arbitration Club of New York (IACNY) announced today that Grant Hanessian and E. Alexandra Dosman are the recipients of the 2018 Smit-Lowenfeld Prize for the best article in the field of international arbitration. The prize is being awarded for the article, “Songs of Innocence and Experience: Ten Years of Emergency Arbitration,” which was published in The American Review of International Arbitration (Vol. 27, No. 2) (available for free download). The article addresses important questions relating to the increased use of emergency arbitration, including whether the practice fulfills its promise of swift relief, whether legal standards for granting relief are consistently applied, whether decisions by emergency arbitrators are enforceable and how emergency arbitration changes the strategic landscape for practitioners and parties.
The prize was presented to Mr. Hanessian and Ms. Dosman on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, at a dinner and program held in their honor in New York City. The article was chosen by an IACNY selection committee chaired by Rory O. Millson, a retired partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. “Mr. Hanessian and Ms. Dosman have covered a critical topic that continues to evolve and impact the landscape for arbitration around the world,” said Mr. Millson. “We are delighted to welcome them to the ranks of Smit-Lowenfeld award recipients.” The selection committee for the prize also included James P. Duffy IV of Baker McKenzie, Martin F. Gusy of K&L Gates LLP, Fredrick E. Sherman of Jones Day and Richard F. Ziegler of Jenner & Block LLP.
Lawrence W. Newman, Presiding Member of the IACNY and Of Counsel at Baker McKenzie, said: “The article delves into key questions regarding the general practice and efficacy of emergency arbitration, a novel topic that is highly relevant for practitioners today. It is an important contribution to this field.”
Grant Hanessian, chair of Baker McKenzie’s International Arbitration Practice in North America, said: “I’m very honored to receive this recognition from colleagues in the New York international arbitration community. It is a particular pleasure to share this award with Alex, one of the leaders of the next generation of arbitration practitioners.”
Alexandra Dosman said: “I am deeply grateful to the IACNY for this honor. Professors Smit and Lowenfeld were brilliant international lawyers and academics, and to be awarded a prize in their name is one of the most meaningful moments in my career. I am grateful also to Grant for having made the research and writing process so seamless.”
This is the seventh year the IACNY has awarded this prize, selecting one article annually. Prior honorees include Gary Born for his article “A New Generation of International Adjudication;” Professor Charles H. Brower II for his article “Arbitration and Antitrust: Navigating the Contours of Mandatory Law;” Stephen Fietta and James Upcher for their article “Public International Law, Investment Treaties and Commercial Arbitration: An Emerging System of Complementarity?;” Catharine Titi for her article “Investment Arbitration in Latin America: The Uncertain Veracity of Preconceived Ideas;” Nicolas Ulmer for his article “The Cost Conundrum;” and Aloysius Llamzon and Anthony Sinclair for their article “Investor Wrongdoing in Investment Arbitration: Standards Governing Issues of Corruption, Fraud, Misrepresentation and Other Investor Misconduct.”
The annual Smit-Lowenfeld prize honors the late professors Hans Smit, former Stanley H. Fuld Professor Emeritus at Columbia Law School, and Andreas Lowenfeld, former Rubin Professor Emeritus at the New York University School of Law, for their distinguished careers in the field of international arbitration, both as scholars and as arbitrators. Article selection is based on originality, quality, significance and scholarship, among other factors. Honorees are selected annually by the IACNY and are awarded an honorarium of $2,500.
The International Arbitration Club of New York
The International Arbitration Club of New York was formed on June 25, 2010 by 70 founding members as a not-for-profit association. The Club now comprises approximately 115 leading practitioners and scholars in the field of international arbitration who reside and/or work in the New York City area. The Club is governed by a steering committee that includes James H. Carter of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP; John Fellas of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP; David Lindsey of Chaffetz Lindsey LLP; Lawrence W. Newman (Chair) of Baker McKenzie; David W. Rivkin of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP; and Robert H. Smit, formerly of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. The purpose of the Club is to promote best practices in arbitration as a means of settling international commercial disputes, and the Club holds regular meetings to hear speakers from both within and outside of its membership.
The 2018 Award Recipients
Grant Hanessian
Grant Hanessian serves as chair of Baker McKenzie’s International Arbitration Group in North America and formerly chaired the Litigation Department of the Firm’s New York office from 2003 to 2012. He has more than 30 years of experience as counsel and arbitrator in disputes concerning contract, investment treaty, energy, construction, financial services, intellectual property and other matters before virtually all of the world’s major arbitration institutions.
Mr. Hanessian is the U.S. alternate member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris, chairman of the Arbitration Committee of the U.S. Council for International Business (U.S. national committee of the ICC), and a member of the ICC’s Commission on Arbitration and its Task Forces on Arbitration Involving States or State Entities and on Financial Institutions and International Arbitration (leader of Investment Arbitration and Banking & Finance work stream). He is vice president (for U.S.) of the London Court of Arbitration’s North American Users’ Council and a member of the American Arbitration Association—International Centre for Dispute Resolution’s International Advisory Committee and its Advisory Committee on Brazil, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre’s Users Council, the International Arbitration Club of New York, the Arbitration Committee of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on International Commercial Disputes and Club Español del Arbitraje, and is a founding board member of the New York International Arbitration Center.
Mr. Hanessian has authored more than 50 articles and book chapters and spoken at conferences and universities worldwide on international dispute resolution topics. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from New York University and an LL.M. from Columbia University.
E. Alexandra Dosman
E. Alexandra Dosman is an independent arbitrator and author. From 2013 to 2017, she served as the first Executive Director of the New York International Arbitration Center (“NYIAC”). NYIAC is a nonprofit organization formed to advance, strengthen and promote the conduct of international arbitration in New York. In its first four years, NYIAC earned a national and international reputation for market-leading thought leadership in international arbitration.
Prior to joining NYIAC, Ms. Dosman practiced litigation and arbitration at Shearman & Sterling LLP for seven years, where she played a leading role in international commercial and investment treaty arbitration cases. She regularly advised corporate colleagues on dispute resolution clauses of major financing and joint venture agreements.
Ms. Dosman serves as an independent arbitrator in commercial cases, to date under the ICC and UNCITRAL Rules.
Ms. Dosman, a Canadian national, holds a B.A. from McGill University, and an M.A. and J.D. from the University of Toronto. She is fluent in French.
Those interested in submitting an article for consideration for the best article on international arbitration published in English in 2017, please visit The International Arbitration Club of New York’s website at www.arbitrationclub.org or contact Ted Lynch at telynch@jonesday.com or +1.212.326.3897