The Brazilian Arbitration Act

Brazil has risen to extraordinary prominence as an arbitration seat, and Brazilian law in matters of domestic and international arbitration has been watched all over the world due to its arbitration-friendly legislation and cutting-edge case law. This is the first book to fully recognize and elucidate this phenomenon with a detailed article-by-article examination, in English, of decisions of the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) and the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (STJ) on each of the Brazilian Arbitration Act’s (BAA) provisions. More than two hundred judicial decisions are directly quoted.

In-depth annotation of the text of each article includes the following:

• a short descriptive summary of how the article is interpreted by case law and doctrine;
• a thorough report of decisions of the Brazilian superior courts since the 1996 enactment of the BAA referring to that article, presenting not only the majority view but also dissenting opinions; and
• a list of authorities interpreting each article and its relevant case law.

All decisions that could represent current case law on arbitration are considered. Nearly half of the quoted decisions have direct impact on international arbitration, and many deal with enforcement of arbitral awards. Therefore, the book will attract not only Brazilian practitioners but will be particularly useful to international counsel and arbitrators dealing with Brazilian parties or cases with a Brazilian element. The only book of its kind, it will prove indispensable for arbitration scholars and law libraries.

“By providing a careful and comprehensive compilation of Brazilian case law on arbitration, with a particular focus on the Superior Court of Justice’s leading precedents, this volume makes a valuable contribution to the continued development of arbitration in Brazil and elsewhere. While it will no doubt be of great use to the Brazilian bar, it is a particularly useful reference for the non-Brazilian practitioner and scholar, who do not have ready access to Brazilian court decisions or, in many cases, even knowledge of the Portuguese language”.

From the foreword by Donald Francis Donovan