After trying for several seasons, Joel manages to finally talk the others into recording a somewhat shorter episode. We achieve this by focusing on only one substantive topic, namely settlements - when, how and why do arbitrations settle [TIME 07:09]? Happy Fun Time is about what to do when you don’t have anything to do, or more precisely: how to allow yourself to relax in an otherwise stressful legal profession [TIME 30:32].
The first interview of Season 5 is with Jeremy Sharpe, who talks to Joel about the investment law advisory center that is being discussed by UNCITRAL Working Group III [TIME 12:16]. Then Brian dives into an issue which is top of mind in 2020: do parties have a right to a physical hearing [TIME 39:14]. Happy Fun Time is a little gloomy, as Saadia talks about “doom scrolling” and how to avoid it [TIME 01:08:15]. Stay safe, everyone!
There are three of us! Saadia Bhatty is the new co-host and enters the podcast with full force. This historic episode begins with a discussion about the largest arbitral awards in history [TIME: 11:11], followed by Saadia’s premier segment: institutional v. ad hoc arbitration [TIME 34:05]. For Happy Fun Time, we use World Mental Health Day as a reason to discuss lawyers’ mental health with Elizabeth Rimmer from Lawcare [TIME 1:01:00].
[In the discussion on largest awards, Joel is wrong about the costs ordered in the Yukos arbitration: in fact, the state was ordered to pay some $60 million in costs and fees]