ICC Arbitration Counsel
Structured, supervised and demanding — used deliberately, an advantage.
Counsel in ICC arbitrations and in the recognition and enforcement of ICC awards under the New York Convention.
- Institution
- ICC International Court of Arbitration
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Current rules
- 2026 ICC Rules of Arbitration
- In force from
- 1 June 2026
ICC arbitration,
run with the enforcement in view.
The ICC International Court of Arbitration, based in Paris, administers arbitrations under the ICC Rules of Arbitration; the 2026 ICC Rules entered into force on 1 June 2026. ICC arbitration is structured and supervised: the Court confirms or appoints the arbitrators, fixes the advances on costs, monitors the timetable and scrutinises draft awards before they are issued.
ME Law acts for claimants and respondents in ICC arbitrations and in the court proceedings around them — from the request for arbitration and the constitution of the tribunal, through case management, evidence and hearings, to the award and its enforcement under the New York Convention.
- Requests, answers and counterclaims
- Emergency arbitrator applications
- Expedited and early-determination procedures
- Enforcement of ICC awards
ICC arbitration is structured, supervised and demanding. Used deliberately, that structure is an advantage.
The first decisions
shape the ICC case.
In an ICC arbitration the agreement, the applicable version of the Rules, the seat, the tribunal and the procedure have to work as one coherent process. We decide each of them deliberately, in that order.
The framework the parties chose
Scope, preconditions, parties, seat, language and the version of the ICC Rules that applies — identified before any procedural position is taken.
Law of the contract, law of the seat
The law governing the merits is kept distinct from the law of the seat, which governs court support and the only place the award can be set aside.
Nomination and confirmation
Nominations weighed for expertise, availability, language and independence, within the mechanism the agreement and the Rules provide — and challenges where needed.
A proportionate procedure
The case management conference, timetable, document production, witness and expert evidence are designed to decide the issues that matter, not to reproduce court litigation.
A scrutinised award that holds
The award passes through the Court’s scrutiny before it is issued; we plan its enforcement — and anticipate any challenge — from the outset.
ICC arbitration,
stage by stage.
Each stage of an institutional arbitration has its own rules, deadlines and strategic choices. Select a category to see the typical matters and the related services.
Commencing or Answering an ICC Case
Requests for arbitration, answers and counterclaims, and the early applications — on jurisdiction, joinder, the seat and the number of arbitrators — that set the course of the case.
- Requests for arbitration
- Answers and counterclaims
- Jurisdictional objections
- Joinder and consolidation
Tribunal Constitution & Challenges
Identifying, vetting and nominating arbitrators; responding to the other side’s nominations; and challenges based on independence, impartiality or disclosure.
- Party nominations
- Sole and presiding arbitrators
- Disclosure and conflicts
- Challenges before the Court
Emergency Arbitrator & Interim Measures
Emergency arbitrator applications under the ICC Rules — including, under the 2026 Rules, preliminary orders to prevent an urgent application being frustrated — and interim measures from the constituted tribunal or the courts.
- Emergency arbitrator applications
- Preliminary orders
- Interim measures from the tribunal
- Court relief in aid of arbitration
Expedited & Early-Determination Procedures
The ICC’s expedited procedure, the 2026 Rules’ opt-in highly expedited procedure for straightforward disputes, and applications for the early determination of claims or defences that are manifestly without merit or manifestly outside the tribunal’s jurisdiction.
- Expedited procedure
- Highly expedited (opt-in) arbitration
- Early determination applications
- Bifurcation of issues
Evidence, Hearings & Advocacy
Memorials, document production, witness statements and expert reports, cross-examination and closing submissions — prepared for the tribunal and the procedure the parties adopted.
- Memorials and submissions
- Document production
- Witness and expert evidence
- Hearings in person or remote
Enforcing & Challenging ICC Awards
Enforcing ICC awards under the New York Convention where the debtor’s assets are, defending them against set-aside at the seat, and resisting enforcement where a recognised ground exists.
- New York Convention enforcement
- Set-aside at the seat
- Freezing relief in aid of enforcement
- Resisting enforcement
ICC arbitration
under the 2026 Rules.
The 2026 ICC Rules
The 2026 ICC Rules of Arbitration entered into force on 1 June 2026 and apply to arbitrations commenced from that date. The main changes:
- Terms of Reference — long a hallmark of ICC procedure — are no longer mandatory, although the tribunal may still use them where appropriate.
- Early determination: a party may ask the tribunal to dispose early of claims or defences that are manifestly without merit or manifestly outside its jurisdiction.
- Highly expedited procedure: a new opt-in procedure, available whatever the amount in dispute if the parties agree, requires the final award within three months of the initial case management conference.
- Emergency arbitrators may issue preliminary orders, including without notice, to stop an urgent application being frustrated.
- Arbitrators are subject to enhanced disclosure requirements and an express duty of confidentiality.
Which version of the Rules governs a case depends on when it was commenced and on what the parties agreed.
How an ICC case runs
The claimant files a request for arbitration with the Secretariat; the respondent answers and may counterclaim. The ICC Court confirms or appoints the arbitrators, fixes the seat if the parties have not, and sets the advance on costs, which is calculated on the amount in dispute. The tribunal then holds a case management conference and fixes the timetable: written submissions, document production, witness and expert evidence, and a hearing. Before any award is issued, the Court scrutinises the draft; scrutiny addresses form and may draw the tribunal’s attention to points of substance without affecting its freedom of decision.
Urgent and faster procedures
Emergency arbitrator provisions allow urgent relief before the tribunal exists. The expedited procedure provides a simplified, faster process for lower-value cases, and the 2026 Rules add a highly expedited option the parties may choose. Courts at the seat, and elsewhere, may also grant interim relief in support of the arbitration — the choice of forum is a strategic decision, not a formality.
The seat and the courts
ICC arbitrations can be seated anywhere. The seat’s arbitration law governs court support and set-aside, so the seat is chosen for the quality and predictability of its courts as much as for convenience.
Enforcing an ICC award
An ICC award is enforced like any other foreign award, under the New York Convention in more than 170 States — see award enforcement.
Claimants and respondents
under the same rules.
We act for claimants and respondents, and advise parties deciding whether these rules belong in their contracts.
Parties to ICC Clauses
Companies bringing or defending claims under contracts that provide for ICC arbitration.
Respondents Facing a Request
Early strategy on jurisdiction, counterclaims and the tribunal after a request is served.
Joint-Venture Partners & Investors
Shareholder and investment disputes under ICC arbitration agreements.
Contractors & Energy Companies
Project and energy disputes, where ICC arbitration is a common choice.
General Counsel
Clause drafting and lead counsel alongside internal teams.
In ICC arbitration, the early procedural decisions shape everything that follows. We make them deliberately.
Facing an ICC arbitration?
Discuss it in confidence.
Whether you are preparing a request, have just been served with one, or are negotiating an ICC clause, speak with senior counsel before the first procedural deadline.
Consultations are held in person or by video, wherever you are. Describe the matter briefly — no confidential details are needed until a conflict check is complete.