At the intersection of law and art: the European premiere of Soft Law Almanac Vol. 3 (2025/26)

Presentation

The European premiere of Soft Law Almanac Vol. 3 (2025/26) will take place as a conference on the stage of the Russian Cultural Centre in Paris, featuring leading arbitration experts who appear in the Almanac as speakers. Following the discussion, guests will be invited to celebrate with the project’s creators and contributors.

The idea for this conference arose at the intersection of two intellectual strands: the French publication of Konstantin Sklovsky's article on the theory of the gifts and the philosophy underlying the Soft Law Almanac. Sklovsky's work offers a deeper look at law beyond its formal constructs and reveals the ancient logic of reciprocity at its core. A gift is not an act of generosity, but the creation of a relationship. Giving, receiving and responding is how trust and social bonds are formed. The Soft Law Almanac develops this perspective in a contemporary legal context. It presents law not only as a system of norms, but as a living cultural practice — a space of identity, memory, exchange of ideas and mutual recognition. The legal community is presented not as a
hierarchy, but as a network of dialogue. Arbitration occupies a special place in this construct. It is based on the consent of the parties — the voluntary delegation of power, a gesture of trust. The arbitral award becomes the
response. In this sense, arbitration can be seen as an institutionalized form of reciprocity — a modern, global continuation of the logic of gift-giving.

Bringing together theory, culture and practice within the framework of Paris Arbitration Week, the Soft Law event offers a view of arbitration not only as a mechanism for dispute resolution, but as a cultural space in which trust, recognition and legitimacy are formed through dialogue.