Institutional Arbitration or Ad Hoc Arbitration? Not Such an Obvious Choice

This article presents two methods of dispute resolution through arbitration which are institutional arbitration and ad hoc arbitration. Selected aspects of arbitration proceedings conducted by permanent arbitration tribunals are presented on the example of The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Dispute Resolution Center of the American Arbitration Association (AAA - ICDR), the Hong Kong Arbitration Center (HKIAC) and the Court of Arbitration at the Polish Chamber of Commerce (SAKIG). The rules of arbitration, the rules for the parties to bear the costs of arbitration and the duration of the proceedings were compared to illustrate the similarities and differences of each institution, which was contrasted with the parties’ ability to freely shape the rules relating to arbitration in the case of ad hoc arbitration and the application of the general UNCITRAL rules.