Where your agreement provides for arbitration seated in London, or otherwise under English procedural law, the service of process clause will normally extend the process agent's role to arbitration documents. We accept notices of arbitration and related documents alongside court proceedings, provided the appointment wording covers them.
Arbitration starts with a notice
An arbitration begins when the claimant delivers a notice or request for arbitration in the manner the agreement and the chosen rules require. For a respondent overseas, the same service problem arises as with court proceedings: the claimant needs a reliable address, and deadlines for responding and appointing arbitrators start running from delivery. Naming a process agent in the agreement solves it for institutional and ad hoc arbitration alike.
Getting the scope right
The one drafting point that matters to us is alignment: the appointment we sign must match the clause. If your dispute resolution provision refers disputes to arbitration, tell us at order stage so the appointment expressly covers notices and documents in arbitration proceedings as well as court documents. A mismatch between clause and appointment is exactly the kind of gap a well advised claimant will probe, and it costs nothing to close at the outset.
How receipt works
Arbitration documents are handled with the same urgency as a claim form: logged on arrival, verified against the named agreement, notified to you immediately and forwarded, usually within one day. London is one of the busiest arbitral seats in the world, and appointments supporting London arbitration clauses are a routine part of our work for clients in over 60 countries. Start with the order form and note the arbitration clause in your details.