Guyader Avocat · International arbitration
These institutions pay arbitrators by the hour. Estimate the total cost from their official schedules and your assumptions on hours and rates.
- LCIA 2023, HKIAC 2026 and ICDR 2025 schedules
- Editable hour and rate assumptions
- Sensitivity table
Estimated cost of the arbitration
Sensitivity to hours and rates
Total for different assumptions, everything else unchanged. The highlighted row matches your settings.
| Hours per arbitrator |
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Arbitrating in London, Hong Kong or New York?
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How to read the estimate
Assumptions, not a scale. At the LCIA and the ICDR, and usually at HKIAC, arbitrators are paid for the time spent. The cost therefore depends mostly on the number of hours, which only the course of the case will fix. The suggested values (80, 200 and 450 hours per arbitrator, rates of GBP 450, HKD 6,000 or US$ 700 per hour) are examples to adapt: at the LCIA, the standard sole-arbitrator scenario lands close to the median cost published by the institution; the sensitivity table shows their effect.
What comes from the official schedules. LCIA: GBP 1,950 registration fee, Secretariat hourly rates, 5% overhead on tribunal fees, GBP 250 to 650 range for arbitrators. HKIAC: HKD 10,000 registration fee, administrative fees by amount in dispute, HKD 7,500 hourly cap and optional ad valorem schedule. ICDR: initial filing fee and final fee by claim amount.
What is not included. Arbitrators’ expenses, hearing rooms, VAT or local taxes, any tribunal secretary and your counsel costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an LCIA arbitration cost?
According to the LCIA’s study of awards rendered from 2017 to 2024, the median cost of an arbitration, institutional costs and tribunal fees included, is US$ 117,653, with a median duration of 20 months. Counsel costs come on top.
What is the maximum hourly rate of an LCIA arbitrator?
The schedule provides for rates between GBP 250 and GBP 650 per hour. A higher rate is only possible in exceptional cases, with the express agreement of all parties.
What is the HKIAC hourly cap?
HKD 7,500 per hour for cases filed from 1 January 2026, unless otherwise agreed. The parties may instead choose the ad valorem schedule, which caps fees according to the amount in dispute.
How are ICDR arbitrators’ fees set?
Each arbitrator states a rate; the Administrator designates a reasonable daily or hourly rate in consultation with the parties and arbitrators, taking into account the size and complexity of the case.
Why are these institutions not in the comparison tool?
Because their fees do not follow a scale tied to the amount in dispute. A comparison only makes sense on identical hour assumptions, which this estimator allows.
Sources: LCIA Schedule of Arbitration Costs in force since 1 December 2023 and LCIA Costs and Duration Analysis (awards 2017 to 2024), lcia.org; HKIAC 2024 Schedule of Fees applicable from 1 January 2026 and 2024 Rules, hkiac.org; ICDR International Arbitration Fee Schedule amended 1 September 2025 and International Dispute Resolution Procedures, Article 38, adr.org. Independent estimate by Guyader Avocat. General information, not legal advice for a specific case.