On May 7, 2018, William Charron, in conjunction with the Netherlands Arbitration Institute (NAI) and The Hague-based Authentication in Art (AiA), announced the formation of a new, specialized arbitration and mediation tribunal exclusively dedicated to resolving art law disputes. The "Court of Arbitration for Art" (CAfA), as the tribunal will be known, will conduct proceedings around the world, addressing the full spectrum of art disputes, including authenticity, contract and chain of title disputes, copyright claims and more. 

With CAfA scheduled to officially launch on June 7, Charron - the architect of the concept and co-leader of Pryor Cashman’s Art Law practice - spoke with The Observer about why the tribunal is uniquely positioned to make decisions on art cases that will be accepted and welcomed by the market. 

“We believe that both sides of an art law dispute would be very interested in obtaining the efficiency and reliability of a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Art,” he said. “Plaintiffs generally don’t seek to delay rulings on their own claims; and in art disputes, where claims can cast clouds over the art at issue, the current owners would have an interest in getting a resolution and lifting that cloud as quickly as possible.” 

Charron explained that “both sides would have the benefit of seeking resolutions before a body of experienced art lawyers who are well-versed in the issues and well-positioned to efficiently and reliably weigh and decide the evidence.” 

Read the full Observer piece here. 

More About Charron’s Practice

As co-chair of Pryor Cashman’s Art Law practice, William Charron represents clients on a range of matters, including authenticity, title, copyright and contract disputes. He frequently writes and speaks on issues impacting the art world, such as provenance disputes, World War II restitution cases, artist royalty rights, and procedural law issues.

In addition to conceiving and advancing the Court of Arbitration for Art, he is an advisory board member of AiA; a founding board member of the Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM) in New York; and a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Art Law Committee.

Learn more about his practice here.