The English Arbitration Act 1996: International Paradigm or Room for Improvement?

1. Introduction
With the introduction of the Arbitration Act 1996 (hereinafter – Act), England became one of the world’s first major jurisdictions to introduce radical legislative reform in response to the rapid growth of international commercial arbitration in the 1980s and 1990s. Reform was necessary in order to establish a more sophisticated legal framework, with the requisite support for the integrity of the arbitral process. Almost two decades after the Act coming into force, this article explores whether the Act has effectively created an international paradigm to inspire other jurisdictions or if room for improvement still remains.