Franco-German CMS law prize awarded for thesis on arbitration

Berlin – This year's Franco-German CMS law prize has been awarded to Dr Valériane König from Berlin. Her thesis on "The precedent effect of international arbitration awards – a dogmatic empirical analysis of commercial and investment arbitration" at Berlin's Humboldt University particularly impressed the jury by linking basic research and a suggested new methodology with the empirical analysis of more than 400 arbitration awards: "In view of the growing number of international disputes and increased popularity of international arbitration proceedings, Dr König's work has particular relevance to current practice," said Dr Gerd Leutner, jury member and partner at CMS Hasche Sigle. "The thesis shows that arbitration decisions frequently make reference to earlier cases, something which is of very considerable importance for international commercial law."

The prize was awarded during the annual Franco-German business club conference in Berlin. The congratulatory speech was given by the president of the Berlin Franco-German business circle (CEFA), Gonzague Dejouany, managing director of EDF Deutschland GmbH. 
Commercial law firms CMS Hasche Sigle and CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre, the German and French members respectively of the international CMS organisation, first awarded the joint prize in 2005. The two international firms use the prize to promote the cross-border exploration of legal or tax topics on a comparative basis. The award is made annually to postgraduates for a thesis or dissertation. The CMS Franco-German Workgroup is coordinated jointly by partners Dr Gerd Leutner, CMS Hasche Sigle, and François Hellio, CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre.

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