The English courts generally strive to uphold agreements between
parties and this principle applies equally to arbitration
agreements. The English courts are also committed to supporting
arbitrations over which they have jurisdiction.
The English Arbitration Act 1996 defines an arbitration
agreement simply as: "an agreement to submit to arbitration
present or future disputes (whether they are contractual or
not)" (and requires such an agreement to be in writing).
The statutory requirements for a valid arbitration agreement are,
therefore, minimal (although it is advisable to provide as much
detail as possible about the future framework of any arbitration,
to reduce the risk of dispute). The English courts have shown
that they are prepared to afford the parties some leniency when
deciding if an arbitration agreement entered into by the parties is
valid, and to strive to interpret ambiguities in such a way that
the validity of the agreement may be upheld. A
