On August 26, 2022 an International Online Arbitration Summit was held in China. A list of presenters in English can be found here.

NCTDR Fellow Michael FANG gave a presentation on “Meta verse Arbitration” (Meta-Arb).

As a sample of the quality of presenters, here are the panelists in one of the sessions entitled “Innovation and Development of Online Arbitration in the Era of Digital Economy”

Moderator: Zhiqiang Li, the 30th President of Inter-Pacific Bar Association
Presenter 1：Jian Tan, Principal of the Secretariat, China Academy of Arbitration Law
Presenter 2：Manqi Chen, HKSAR Deputy to National People’s Congress，Founding President of the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong
Presenter 3：Natalia Petrik, Deputy Secretary General, the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC)
Presenter 4：Donna Huang, Director, ICC Arbitration and ADR, North Asia
Presenter 5：Rintaro Tanaka, Head of the Department of Japan External Trade Organization in Guangzhou Representative Office, Head of the Department of the Economic Analysis and Enterprise Aid
Presenter 6：Jun Fu, Professor, School of Law, Director of the Faculty of International Law, University of International Business and Economics
Presenter 7：Jian Chen, Deputy Secretary General, Shanghai Arbitration Commission

For the full agenda, just visit http://odr.info/files/summitagenda.pdf

Full information about the event (in Chinese) is available here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/oTGlwIf-52Rh3IG1m_uyKw

（Zeng Yating at HUT Law School）

Check out the great new ICODR podcast from NCTDR Fellow Ian Macduff. From the podcast website:

“The ICODR Podcast, from the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution (icodr.org), covers the rapidly growing field of online dispute resolution. Hosted by Ian Macduff, the podcast interviews ODR experts from around the world to discuss the latest developments in the field, with an eye to ethics, culture, security, and impartiality. “

Current episodes include discussions with Ethan Katsh, Leah Wing, Colin Rule, and Petros Zourdoumis — with more coming soon.

The ICODR podcast series is hosted by NCTDR Fellow and ICODR board member, Ian Macduff who interviews ODR experts from around the world to discuss the latest developments in the field, with an eye to ethics, culture, security, and impartiality. The inaugral interview is with ODR and NCTDR founder, Ethan Katsh.

This new publication can be accessed here.

ODR Ethics and Standards: What Do They Mean to Our Practices? Thursday, June 9, 2022 @ 11am-12:30pm EST https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/98085295001

This international panel is moderated by Leah Wing & Daniel Rainey and jointly sponsored by The National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution & The International Council for Online Dispute Resolution. The National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution, birthplace of ODR, issued a first set of ODR Standards that it has revised in 2022 jointly with the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR). The panel includes NCDTR Fellows and ICODR members Mirèze Philippe, Morenike Obi-Farinde, Ana Maria Maia Gonçalves, and Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab. We will discuss the relevance and implications for employing ODR ethical standards in light of the new risks that ODR raises and ways it can compound on-going ethical concerns for ADR and courts (e.g.: data security, confidentiality, power imbalances, and AI-enhanced and repeat player biases). Panelists will explore the role of ODR standards in the ethical and accountable delivery of ODR across a wide spectrum of jurisdictions, sectors, and types of practice. This event will be recorded and posted in our NCTDR Webinar Archive.

A conversation with Richard Susskind (author) & Ethan Katsh (NCTDR Founder) June 13, 2022 @ noon EST https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/99148280113

This event celebrates the 2022 edition of The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts by Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind (OUP 2022). Professor Richard Susskind OBE is the world’s most cited author on the future of legal services. He is President of the Society for Computers and Law, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Oxford Internet Institute, and, since 1998, has been Technology Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. He will discuss the impact technology will have on the legal field and other professions in his conversation with Ethan Katsh, the father of ODR and founder of the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution. This event will be recorded and posted in our NCTDR Webinar Archive.

While taking the real work of the people’s courts into consideration, the Opinions aim to leverage the role of blockchain in cementing judicial credibility, facilitating social governance, preventing and resolving risks, promoting high-quality development, etc., so as to reinforce the advance of smart courts on all fronts and the modernization of the judicial system and judicial capabilities. The Opinions issued May 23, 2022 include the following sections: I. Overall requirements; II. Requirements on building the blockchain platforms of the people’s courts; III. Making the most of the data tamper-proof technology of blockchain to further enhance judicial credibility; IV. Giving full play of the essential role of blockchain in optimizing business processes to constantly improve judicial efficiency; V. Fully tapping the tremendous potential of blockchain connectivity to enhance judicial collaboration; VI. Leveraging properties of the blockchain alliance of mutual recognition and trustworthiness to facilitate economic and social governance; VII. Guarantee measures. To read it please see：https://sway.office.com/TZCGYoTyLFfVqxbO (Michael Fang; Zeng Yating at HUT Law School)

NCTDR has issued a paper, Framing the Parameters for Online Dispute Resolution introducing a framework for use in considering what constitutes ODR. With the recent burst in use of videoconferencing in dispute resolution during the global pandemic, growing interest in the application of artificial intelligence, and the development of sophisticated technologically supported platforms, robust discussions are underway about the state of play of ODR. We hope this ODR Framework will contribute to increased understanding and ethical design and use of technology in dispute handling.

The National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution and the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution have jointly issued revised Online Dispute Resolution Standards.

Join us for ODR 2022 in Dublin or online! NCTDR’s 21^st annual International Online Dispute Resolution Forum offers an exciting program on cutting edge ODR developments. Registration for in-person is open and free registration for online participation is available thanks to our sponsors (use Discount Code: NCTDR2022). Time Zone Alert: Program times are for Dublin.

Daniel Rainey (http://danielrainey.us/) has been asked to join the Uniform Law Commission (ULC – https://www.uniformlaws.org/home) as an observer to the study committee following the work of the U.N. Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation.  According to the ULC’s self description, the ULC “(also known as the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws), established in 1892, provides states with non-partisan, well-conceived and well-drafted legislation that brings clarity and stability to critical areas of state statutory law.”   The study committee is focused on the Singapore Convention and its impact.  As an observer, Rainey will bring an online dispute resolution (ODR) perspective to the committee’s deliberations, and will introduce a discussion of the Universal Disclosure Protocol for Mediation (UDPM – https://universaldisclosureprotocolmediation.com/ or https://udpm.org).