On 8 March 2021, the CIArb Egypt Branch jointly with CRCICA organized a webinar titled “The New World of Arbitration: Lessons for Counsel and Arbitrators from the Past Year”. The speaker was Ms. Anne Hoffmann, Independent Arbitrator, and the moderator was Dr. Ismail Selim, Director of CRCICA and Vice-Chairman of the CIArb Egypt Branch.

The webinar dealt with the developments in the field of arbitration that have taken place over the past year, from virtual hearings to paperless submissions. Ms. Hoffmann addressed the way in which counsel and arbitrators have changed their way of working, the advantages this may bring, from efficiency to being more environmentally friendly, but also potential pitfalls that practitioners should be aware of. An interesting Q&A permitted to address questions from the increase in the cost-effectiveness of arbitrations to matters of cybersecurity. A poll amongst the participants showed that a large majority believed that the changes we have witnessed are beneficial to its users and that they will stay beyond the pandemic. 145 participants from 31 countries attended the webinar from: Bahrain, Botswana, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, France, Hong Kong SAR, India, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, State of Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe.