Navigating through maelstroms – aboard ODR

3 May 2024


Free of charge, registration required. 
Click HERE to register.


Date:
May 3, 2024 (Friday)


Time: 1:30pm - 5:00pm

Venue: Niccolo Room, Murray Hotel, 22 Cotton Tree Drive, Central, Hong Kong

Description:

Dispute resolution can be convoluted, complicated and confusing. As we try to sail through stormy disputes, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) could be a lifeboat, but being onboard with ODR can be an unfamiliar experience. In eBRAM’s inaugural ODR Conference, we invite you to explore with us two key questions:

(A)       does the use of ODR help or harm the bottom line for legal practice and business; and

(B)       how far can AI technology be applied to arbitral award drafting and during the mediation process and still be regarded as acceptable, if at all?

Join us as we set sail to chart new courses in ODR!



Program:

1:15 – 1:30pm

Registration

1:30 – 1:40pm

Conference kick-off

1:40 – 1:45 pm

Opening Address

1:45 – 1:50pm

Welcome Remarks

1:50 – 2:00pm

Keynote Speech - ODR between Human and Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges

2:00 – 2:50pm

Panel Impact of ODR efficiencies on the value of legal practitioners and revenue of law firm.

ODR consists of a set of tools designed to streamline arbitral, mediation and generally dispute resolution processes. The objective of ODR is to provide greater cost and time efficiency. No one doubts the importance of reducing monetary and time costs, and many jurisdictions have even undergone legal reforms that encourage traditionally slower and more costly litigation to be more efficient. Introducing technology that can satisfy these requirements is one part of the equation, but another important factor to actual implementation of faster processes lies in the economics of running a legal business. Efficiency could mean fewer billable hours. This panel will discuss the tensions underlying the efficiencies afforded by the use of ODR and the realities of maintaining a successful legal business. It will also explore the potential of aligning business interests with efficiency.

Moderator:

Speakers:

2:50 – 3:00pm

Coffee Break

3:00 – 3:10pm

Sharing – Exploring the potential uses of generative AI for ODR

Generative AI is one type of AI (one which in the past year has dominated headlines) which continues to hold immense promise for the future. Generative AI is especially good at summarising information, synthesising data and subsequently generating useful content. In discovering its potential application in the context of ODR, generative AI could assist in dramatically speeding up the drafting of legal documents or the generation of personalised settlement proposals. In this short introduction which serves as a precursor to the debate to follow, Ms Sharyn Ch’ang will debunk some of the myths about generative AI, and highlight some of the benefits and risks of use of generative AI by the legal profession and those involved in ODR.

3:10 – 4:05pm

Debate AI should be used in drafting arbitral awards and in mediation

AI can significantly enhance efficiency by automating tasks like summarising legal authorities, collating evidence so that the factual matrix can be interrogated, drafting of legal documents and even portions of arbitral awards. On the other hand, to what extent can the dispute resolution community, the legal industry and the wider world accept either AI-made decisions, or AI-assisted decisions, or not at all? What about allowing AI to assist with non-determinative parts of the arbitral award? And is it acceptable to use AI for generating prompts and potential settlement solutions for mediators? What about transparency, fairness, and accountability? Current ODR processes emphasise the human-element in the determinative process, but as both AI and ODR technologies evolve, striking the right balance between AI’s potential benefits and safeguarding legal rights and the sanctity of the dispute resolution process become critical. Hear this debate and see where we can draw the line.

Adjudicators:

Speakers:

4:05 – 4:15pm

Closing Remarks

4:15 – 5:00pm

Cocktail Reception

 

About eBRAM

eBRAM is an arbitration and mediation institution combined with Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and LawTech facilities. Our objective in providing this integrated service is to leverage new technologies to make dispute resolution more accessible to disputants. Our ODR facilities are designed to reduce the overhead in the management of cases and the friction caused by traditional administrative procedures. We hope that this frees disputants to put more of their focus on resolving their actual disputes, rather than spending energy disputing over the technical aspects of how to run their case.

eBRAM is one of seven qualified institutions under the Arrangement Concerning Mutual Assistance in Court-ordered Interim Measures in Aid of Arbitral Proceedings by the Courts of the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. eBRAM is also one of five listed ODR Providers worldwide under the APEC Collaborative Framework for ODR of Cross-Border B2B Disputes.

In 2023, eBRAM expanded beyond providing ODR services through launching the Deal-making Portal (DMP), an online tool that facilitates cross-border transactions by using technology to help enterprises to identify and collaborate with potential business partners.

eBRAM provides a one-stop service for enterprises from the start of their cross-border transactions to contract completion, and to dispute resolution if and when disputes arise.


Photo by Johannes Plenio On Unsplash

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