Inside VIAC: Niamh Leinwather on International Arbitration, the VIACan Ambassador Network and More

In this episode of Arbitration Acumen, J.P. Duffy [add link] speaks with Niamh Leinwather [add link], secretary general of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC) [add link], an international arbitration institution based in Vienna, Austria. Niamh walks through VIAC's 2025 caseload data, the VIACan ambassador network's expansion across Central and Eastern Europe, VIAC's 2021 rules for smaller investor-state disputes, the transparency-versus-confidentiality debate over publishing arbitral awards, and a new think-tank protocol for spotting deepfakes in arbitration evidence. VIAC's 2025 docket totaled 69 cases, roughly 81 percent of them international, extending a trend that has held even as domestic arbitration slowly grows. The VIACan ambassador program, launched in February 2023, has grown into a network of 54 ambassadors across 39 countries. Niamh also touches on VIAC's plans to expand into India and China. VIAC's 2021 investment arbitration rules were designed to give small and medium-sized investors an affordable, efficient path for resolving lower-value investor-state disputes. Niamh also discusses how VIAC balances growing calls for transparency with parties' expectations of confidentiality when publishing anonymized awards and extracts, and previews a new protocol from VIAC's legal tech think tank to help arbitrators and counsel identify deepfakes and tampered digital evidence. Episode Highlights [4:36] How International Is VIAC's Caseload? Niamh shares VIAC's 2025 caseload numbers, 69 cases with roughly 81% international, and explains why VIAC's docket has stayed more international than many peer institutions even as domestic arbitration slowly grows. [13:53] How Did VIAC Build Its Ambassador Network? The VIACan ambassador program grew from a February 2023 launch into a network of 54 ambassadors across 39 countries, giving VIAC people on the ground across Central and Eastern Europe. [16:57] A “Baby” Set of Rules for Smaller Investment Disputes: VIAC's 2021 investment arbitration rules were created to give small and medium-sized investors an affordable, efficient option for lower-value investor-state disputes. [20:41] The Tightrope of Publishing Arbitral Awards: Niamh unpacks the tension between calls for more transparency in arbitration and parties' expectations of confidentiality, and how VIAC approaches publishing anonymized awards and extracts. [27:07] Inside VIAC's Legal Tech Think Tank: The think tank has worked on AI use in arbitration and is developing a new protocol to help arbitrators and counsel identify deepfakes and tampered digital evidence Subscribe to Arbitration Acumen on: Apple Podcasts: https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/... Spotify: hhttps://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/... Subscribe to our YouTube channel: / @bracewellllp Subscribe to our newsletters: https://bit.ly/3s0LzT7 Connect with Bracewell online: Website: https://bracewell.com/ LinkedIn: / bracewell X/Twitter: / bracewelllaw Threads: https://www.threads.net/@bracewellllp Instagram: / bracewellllp Facebook: / bracewell.llp TikTok: / bracewell.llp #arbitration #artificialintelligence #digitalevidence #internationalarbitration #disputeresolution #internationallaw #arbitrationlaw