This Practice Note provides an introduction to some of the key features of international arbitration. Practice Note: Arbitration—an introduction to the key features of arbitration, which is referred to below, may also be of interest to those seeking an understanding of arbitration as a form of Dispute resolution.

There is no authoritative definition of 'international arbitration'. At its simplest, it is arbitration with some element of an international character. Although the meaning of 'arbitration' is well settled, there is no generally agreed definition of the necessary 'international' character.

Further, 'international arbitration' is often taken to mean 'international commercial arbitration' (contrasted with, for example, international investment arbitration) and as such it is important to understand what is 'commercial' for these purposes.

International commercial arbitration has grown substantially in the last 40 years in part as a result of the huge growth in world trade and in part because of the perceived benefits of international commercial arbitration as compared to other forms of dispute