The Arbitration Clinic

La Clinique d'Arbitrage

Our Assessment

While arbitration is the surest way to resolve international trade disputes, there is still little justice open to weak parties. Yet, the interactions between the parties to be protected and arbitration are becoming more numerous and raise important issues. The students of the MACI, anxious to help impecunious people and held by an arbitration agreement, decided to offer a free service and help with conflict resolution open to all. Indeed, as private justice, the arbitration procedure can often generate very significant costs. If solutions already exist, especially with third-party funders, they remain uneven and often selective. It is this deficit that we seek to address the through the Arbitration Clinic, an unprecedented structure in the world of French law.

Our project

More than 80% of the costs generated by arbitration proceedings correspond to lawyers’ fees. Led by Professor Thomas Clay, the Arbitration Clinic aims to make this justice more accessible by offering a completely free service. Students, supervised by recognized professionals, deliver legal advice for a better resolution of conflicts. Each file is at a moment transmitted and taken in hand by a specialist lawyer, leaving to the party only the administrative costs and expertise related to the procedure.

Following the analysis of Maximim de Fontmichel, Professor and Vice-Dean of the faculty, the Clinic proves that “if arbitration can be a weapon of procedural oppression, it can also become a tool that promotes access to justice to weak parties “.

For more information, see the article by Professor Thomas Clay on the Arbitration Clinic.

Contact

To contact the Arbitration Clinic, simply send an email to clinic@maci-saclay.fr. A response will be formulated as soon as possible to satisfy the request.