The International Court of Arbitration® of the International Chamber of Commerce registered its 20,000th case, just as the Court’s new facility to administer ICC arbitrations in North America formally opened its doors in New York City.

On January 27, SICANA, the U.S. corporate entity responsible for the administration of cases under ICC dispute resolution rules, and for the promotion of ICC dispute resolution services in North America, started administering existing cases and registering new requests for arbitration.

That evening, a welcoming reception to celebrate the opening of SICANA – housed at the same Midtown Manhattan address as USCIB’s headquarters – was presided over by ICC Chairman Terry McGraw, chairman of McGraw Hill Financial [now S&P Global].

“ICC has been firmly committed to establishing a presence in one of the Court’s most important markets for some time,” said Court President John Beechey. “I am delighted that that ambition has now been realized with the start of the Court’s operations in New York, where cases are now being administered and may be registered. This is a very important development for the Court’s business worldwide.”

The New York office, led by SICANA Executive Director Josefa Sicard-Mirabal, encompasses an educational and training team, including deputy directors Rachel Clarke and Suzanne Ulicny, and a case management team which includes:  Rocio Digon, counsel; Steven Holder, deputy counsel; and Sherlin Tung, deputy counsel.

Case No. 20,000 came in the form of a transport sector dispute, initiated by a U.S. claimant against a Canadian respondent. The arbitration is seated in Chicago and applies the laws of the State of New York.

“We are delighted to be part of ICC’s 20,000th milestone case and look forward to upholding the principles of dispute resolution rules and promoting ICC dispute resolution services in this region,” Digon.

“In conjunction with ICC Secretariat case management teams in Paris and Hong Kong, the Manhattan-based team will significantly increase the appeal of our arbitration services to parties, counsel and arbitrators in North America,” according to Andrea Carlevaris, the ICC Court’s secretary general.

North American parties made up nearly 10 percent of the 767 cases filed with the Court in 2013. Case number 20,000 brings the number of cases arbitrated under the 2012 ICC Rules of Arbitration to 1,485. The ICC International Court of Arbitration® was established in 1923, soon after the world business organization’s founding.

ICC’s current Rules of Arbitration have been in force since the beginning of 2012 and are used worldwide to resolve disputes through arbitration – governing the conduct of ICC Arbitration proceedings from start to finish.

To learn more about ICC arbitration and ADR services on ICC’s website, please click here.

Staff contacts: Josefa Sicard-Mirabal