February 21, 2017

Professor Robert Lutz Appointed to Task Force on International Commercial Arbitration

Professor Robert Lutz has been appointed to the Supreme Court International Commercial Arbitration Working Group by Hon. Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. The task force will study, develop and submit a report about the possibility of allowing foreign and out-of-state attorneys to represent parties in international commercial arbitrations that take place in California. Members of the task force include attorneys and academics who were selected because of their expertise in international commercial arbitration.

Professor Lutz is one of legal education’s foremost authorities on public and private international law, and has held the top posts in several of the most influential organizations in the international law community. Last year, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of International Law.  In 2014, he received the California Bar’s Warren Christopher Award as the Outstanding International Lawyer of the Year.

“As I stated to the Chief Justice when she appointed me to this Working Group on International Commercial Arbitration, I am honored to be included in this august group of international commercial practitioners to address this important economic and legal issue,” Professor Lutz said. “California’s international economic prominence and diverse foreign population pose a need for international dispute resolution capability, and the current limitation on allowing foreign attorneys to represent parties in international commercial arbitrations is a significant deterrent to accomplishing that.”