Published on 7 September 2018 in Client Alerts
This month, the American Law Institute will publish its Fourth Restatement of the Foreign Relations Law of the United States. The new restatement, compiled by some of the most prominent scholars and practitioners in the field, comes more than thirty years after the last restatement on the subject. Even before publication, the new restatement is generating some controversy, which will have particular resonance in the BHR field, due to its assertion that “with the significant exception of various forms of immunity, modern customary international law generally does not impose limits on jurisdiction to adjudicate.” Some have questioned whether this reflects settled law or creates new law. We will comment further in due course.
Volterra Fietta’s intensive hearing schedule for 2026 has continued apace. In July 2026, a team from the firm, led by Robert Volterra, Ahmed Abdel-Hakam and Florentine Vos, represented the Republic of Croatia at a hearing in the Addiko Bank AG and Addiko Bank d.d. v Republic of Croatia (ICSID Case No ARB/17/37).
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From 8 to 10 July 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud met in Jeddah to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments. The visit yielded the signing of 13 new Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) and commercial agreements across trade, investment, energy, mining and natural resources, technology, education, health, people-to-people ties, and defence.
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On 13 July 2026, the United Kingdom and the Swiss Confederation announced the conclusion of negotiations on an enhanced free trade agreement (“FTA”). This followed ten rounds of negotiations to modernise the two States’ bilateral framework which were launched in 2023. The Parties have indicated that they anticipate the final technical edits to be finalised
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On 17 July 2026, Volterra Fietta partner Robert G Volterra spoke at the Asia International Arbitration Centre London Roundtable on “Artificial Justice: Deciphering AI-Generated Fairness in Arbitration”. Robert discussed the growing use of AI in legal practice and dispute resolution, focusing on the limits of current AI tools and the risks associated with their use.
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