With this in mind, on Wednesday, 9 July 2014, TAB President Jesús de Alfonso and Dr. Javier Junceda, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, signed a collaboration agreement in order to promote training in arbitration among professionals in the legal field, and to promote the culture of arbitration as an alternative method of conflict resolution. To achieve these objectives, the TAB and the UIC will organize joint activities to promote arbitration, conciliation and mediation and collaborate on the development of related teaching programmes. They will also share statistics and market studies related to arbitration; participate in think tanks, seminars, talks and master classes; attend study sessions aimed at improving their activities and projects; cooperate in the promotion of one another’s seminars and courses; and take part in legislative initiatives concerning arbitration, conciliation and mediation. The agreement will also allow for UIC students to attend live arbitration sessions organized by the TAB.

This agreement between the UIC and the TAB is the fruit of an earlier cooperation agreement between the two institutions, when professionals from the TAB participated in the UIC’s advisory councils and helped draw up training plans. The TAB has also taken part in the UIC’s programmes and recognizes the UIC’s institutional interest in alternative methods of conflict resolution.

Arbitration is an alternative to the judicial court system and enables the resolution of all types of conflicts and disputes that are governed by law, whether they are between individuals or companies. Decisions have the same effect as a final court sentence, and are binding for both the parties involved and the public authorities. Arbitration is notable for its confidentiality, effectiveness and efficiency: the entire process is usually completed and a final decision reached within a period of no more than six months, with no scope for appeal.