The Paris Court of International Arbitration renders decisions in connection with cross-border business disputes between and among parties from diverse jurisdictions. PCIA Arbitration Awards are legally binding on both sides to a dispute, and are enforceable in local courts in 172 countries worldwide. 

Parties often seek to resolve disputes through PCIA arbitration due to a number of advantages over judicial proceedings including: 

•⁠  ⁠The parties’ ability to choose what substantive and procedural law governs the arbitration. This is often called the principle of ‘party autonomy’.

•⁠  ⁠In contrast to litigation, where one cannot “choose the judge”, arbitration allows the parties to choose their own tribunal, since it is the parties who appoint the arbitrators. This is especially useful when the subject matter of the dispute is highly technical, and arbitrators with an appropriate degree of expertise can be chosen.

•⁠  ⁠Arbitration is considerably faster than litigation.

•⁠  ⁠Arbitral proceedings (other than investor-state arbitration) and arbitral awards can be made confidential.

•⁠  ⁠In arbitral proceedings the language of arbitration may be chosen, whereas in judicial proceedings the official language of the country of the competent court will be automatically applied.

•⁠  ⁠Due to the provisions of the New York Convention of 1958, arbitration awards are more easily enforced in other nations than court verdicts.

•⁠  ⁠There are very limited avenues for appeal of an arbitral award, which is an advantage because it limits the duration of the dispute and any associated liability.