The Secretariat of the Arbitration Board handles the day-to-day operations and administration of the cases, including document management and deadlines. The legal staff of the Secretariat can also make a range of procedural decisions in the cases or ensure that more complex legal and procedural issues are referred to the chair for a decision. The parties and their lawyers cannot correspond directly with the arbitral tribunal.
The Secretariat is authorized to make a range of more narrowly defined procedural decisions in arbitration cases, including those related to deadlines, and to make decisions on behalf of the Board where the rules refer to the "Arbitration Board."
The Secretariat is authorized by the Board to appoint expert assessors, specialists, and to appoint expert judges to the arbitral tribunals, etc. The Secretariat also advises expert assessors and specialists on procedural or legal matters and provides general guidance to the parties and other users regarding the options and requirements for handling cases.
The Secretariat's staff is bound by confidentiality in the handling of cases, regardless of the type of case.
The Secretariat consists of approximately 30 staff members. Case management is primarily handled by the lawyers and secretaries, depending on the procedural step, while the finance department manages both the cases' and the Secretariat's finances. The Secretariat's receptionists are responsible for reception, file management, mail reception, portal handling, meeting catering, and certain case management steps.
Competence development
The Arbitration Board ensures the continuous development of its staff through courses and training, among other initiatives. The Board has taken inspiration from public schemes for the education of lawyers by providing, to some extent, the opportunity to take leave in order for the lawyer to work as an attorney (trainee) at a law firm specializing in construction law or as a trainee at a public construction or building authority. In cases where this occurs, the Board ensures that the individual is not involved in cases with the relevant firm/authority before taking leave and for several years afterward.
The purpose of the Board's website is to ensure that professional users, such as lawyers and expert assessors, have easy access to general information, including rules for handling arbitration cases, and to provide the parties in the construction industry with insight into the Board's work.
If the website does not answer your questions, or if you have questions regarding a specific case, the Secretariat can be contacted at the Arbitration Board's main phone number. Cases are assigned to individual staff members based on case numbers, and the reception staff will be able to assist in getting in touch with the relevant staff member. Emails should be sent to voldgift@voldgift.dk. Incoming emails will be promptly forwarded to the staff member responsible for the case.
If necessary, outgoing emails will be encrypted, and the Board also receives encrypted incoming emails.
