Legal Support for Disputes Before the RSPP Arbitration Center

The Arbitration Center at the All-Russian Public Organization "Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs" (hereinafter referred to as the “RSPP Arbitration Center”) is an autonomous, permanent arbitral institution authorized to administer domestic dispute arbitrations as well as international commercial arbitrations.

The seat of the RSPP Arbitration Center, including its central administrative apparatus, is located in Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation.

The institution’s authority to administer arbitral proceedings was granted by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 798-r dated April 27, 2017, marking the first time such a specialized right was officially conferred in Russia.

The RSPP Arbitration Center administers a broad spectrum of domestic and international (cross-border) disputes. Eligible parties to these proceedings include individuals, sole proprietors, corporate entities, public law entities, and any other subjects that, despite lacking formal corporate status, possess the legal capacity to act as a claimant or respondent in judicial proceedings under applicable law.

Case Management and Procedure Before the RSPP Arbitration Center

To initiate arbitral proceedings, a claimant must submit a formal Statement of Claim to the RSPP Arbitration Center. The submission must specify:

1. The date of execution of the Statement of Claim;
2. The full names (including patronymic, if applicable) and the registered seats or residential addresses of all parties involved;
3. The jurisdictional basis establishing the competence of the arbitral tribunal;
4. The specific remedies and relief sought by the claimant;
5. The factual circumstances and legal provisions upon which the claimant bases its claims;
6. The supporting evidence validating the grounds of the claim, alongside an itemized calculation of the damages or amounts sought;
7. The total value of the claim (amount in dispute); and
8. A comprehensive inventory of all documents and supplementary materials appended to the Statement of Claim.

Concurrently, the following documents must be attached to the Statement of Claim:

1. A copy of the arbitration agreement or clause stipulating that the dispute shall be resolved via arbitration;
2. Copies of all documentary evidence verifying the underlying facts of the claimant's case;
3. Proof of payment demonstrating settlement of the mandatory registration or arbitration fee; and
4. A valid power of attorney or other instruments certifying the authority of the individual executing the Statement of Claim.

The decision regarding the formal admissibility and acceptance of the Statement of Claim is rendered by the Chairman of the RSPP Arbitration Center within 5 business days from the date of its physical or electronic receipt.

The respondent is entitled to submit a formal Statement of Defense within 15 calendar days for domestic disputes, and within 30 calendar days for international commercial arbitrations, calculated from the date of receipt of the Center’s notice of acceptance. Upon a timely motion by the respondent, this filing window may be extended by the arbitral tribunal.

The Statement of Defense must articulate:

1. The date of execution of the defense;
2. The full corporate name or individual identity and address of the respondent;
3. An explicit admission or denial of the claims, detailed responses to each allegation, and references to the specific legal principles and facts supporting the defense;
4. The evidentiary basis corroborating the respondent’s counter-arguments; and
5. An inventory of all attached exhibits and procedural materials.

The response must be accompanied by copies of all supporting documents and a power of attorney verifying the representative's capacity to sign the submission.

Adjudication of Disputes Before the RSPP Arbitration Center: Legal Counsel

Beyond the formal pleading requirements, it is critical to recognize that dispute resolution before the RSPP Arbitration Center strictly adheres to the core principles of party autonomy, adversarial proceedings, and the equal treatment of all parties.

The arbitral tribunal maintains absolute independence and impartiality. Upon request, the tribunal clarifies procedural rights and obligations, cautions parties on the legal ramifications of taking or omitting specific procedural steps, facilitates the realization of party rights, and establishes optimal conditions for an exhaustive examination of evidence, fact-finding, and the accurate application of substantive law.

Furthermore, the tribunal conducts the arbitration in accordance with the institutional rules of the RSPP Arbitration Center, subject to any modifications validly agreed upon by the parties. On matters unaddressed by the institutional rules, the party agreement, or the governing lex arbitri, the tribunal retains the discretion to conduct the proceedings as it deems fit, including the absolute right to determine the admissibility, relevance, materiality, and weight of any submitted evidence.

Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the seat of arbitration is Moscow, Russian Federation. Domestic arbitrations are conducted exclusively in the Russian language. International commercial arbitrations are conducted in the language(s) designated by the parties' agreement; absent such an agreement, the tribunal determines the language of the proceedings, duly factoring in the positions of the participating parties.

The tribunal resolves disputes based on Russian substantive law or, where legally permissible, the choice of foreign law designated by the parties to govern their contractual relations. In the absence of an express choice of law, the tribunal applies the substantive law determined via the conflict-of-laws principles it deems most appropriate. Any reference to the law or legal system of a given state is construed as a direct reference to its substantive law, specifically excluding its renvoi or choice-of-law rules. The tribunal renders its final award in strict compliance with the terms of the underlying contract, factoring in applicable trade usages and commercial customs.

Evidentiary elements comprise any factual data through which the tribunal ascertains the presence or absence of circumstances supporting the claims or defenses. Admissible forms of evidence include written submissions, physical exhibits, party explanations, witness testimonies, expert expertises, and related documentation. Notably, depending on the case dynamics, the tribunal may condition the admissibility of oral witness testimony upon the submission of a supplementary written witness statement and a formal written confirmation of truthfulness by the witness for inclusion in the case file.

Fees, Costs, and Expenses in RSPP Arbitration Proceedings

To access the dispute resolution mechanism of the RSPP Arbitration Center, parties must remit the mandatory financial fees, which comprise:

1. The arbitration fee – a consolidated sum payable upon the filing of each Statement of Claim, consisting of the arbitrator honorarium fee and the administrative fee;
2. The honorarium fee – the allocated portion of the arbitration fee reserved exclusively for remunerating the arbitrators and tribunal secretaries;
3. The administrative fee – the portion of the arbitration fee designated to cover the general operational overhead of the RSPP Arbitration Center, including organizational, infrastructural, and developmental expenses;
4. The registration fee – an advance component of the administrative fee utilized to offset the initial processing costs incurred at the commencement of the arbitration;
5. Additional arbitration expenses – distinct outlays connected to the proceedings that are separate from the core arbitration fee (encompassing tribunal-specific costs and procedural costs);
6. Tribunal-specific costs – direct disbursements incurred by arbitrators due to their participation in the case, including travel, lodging, and site-inspection expenses for examining physical evidence;
7. Procedural costs – specialized operational expenses, including sums payable to experts and interpreters, witness expenses, and costs associated with holding hearings outside the standard premises of the RSPP Arbitration Center; and
8. Party costs – expenditures incurred directly by the litigants, including professional legal fees for external counsel, representation expenses, and corporate travel costs.

The RSPP Arbitration Center accepts all disputes that are legally arbitrable under applicable statutory law. This encompasses domestic commercial cases, international disputes featuring a foreign element, complex corporate disputes, and cases involving individual actors, ensuring that conflicts are resolved under modern arbitral frameworks that mirror global best practices, speed, and confidentiality.

Legal Representation Before the RSPP Arbitration Center

1. Counseling corporate entities on the strategic feasibility of initiating proceedings before the RSPP Arbitration Center and preparing foundational legal assessments;
2. Drafting and filing structured Statements of Claim and procedural petitions with the RSPP Arbitration Center;
3. Formulating tailored Statements of Defense, jurisdictional objections, and counterclaims to mitigate corporate liability;
4. Providing end-to-end legal support and case management for commercial disputes administered by the Arbitration Center at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; and
5. Representing client interests through assertive oral advocacy and evidentiary presentation across all stages of RSPP arbitration hearings.