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The Panel
An invited panel of senior arbitrators with depth across our areas of practice.
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A private commercial arbitration institution in South Africa
Verca offers a panel, rules, platform and venues to the parties under a single all inclusive fee.
The Institution
The institution
Purpose
Why the institution exists
People choose arbitration to keep a dispute private, to end it properly, and to stay in control of it. Too often they get the opposite. The dates slip, every interlocutory step adds cost, and the award lands late and over budget.
Verca exists to hold the process. We bring the panel, the rules, the platform and the venues into a single institution, under one fixed fee, and we administer each matter actively from referral to award. The result is arbitration as it was meant to be: private, defined in time and cost, and final.
Mandate
One institution, from referral to award
Verca administers commercial arbitration in South Africa under its own institutional rules. Each matter is registered to a procedural track on referral by us, heard by an arbitrator drawn from the Verca panel, nominated by the parties or appointed under the Rules, and concluded with a final binding award. You can instruct attorneys, brief an advocate directly, or appear yourself.
A panel, rules, platform and venues under a single all inclusive fee to the parties.
What the Institution Provides
Four institutional elements, one fee
The arrangements that make a matter slow or unpredictable are settled before it begins.
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The Rules
A complete set of institutional rules, with five procedural tracks for different categories of matter.
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The Platform
Verca Case Accord, the role based digital environment through which each matter is administered under the Rules. Case data resides on infrastructure in the South Africa region, in keeping with POPIA data residency requirements.
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The Venues
Hearing venues in the principal centres of the Republic, with in person, virtual and hybrid sittings.
Enforcement
A process that is held to its timetable, not merely published
Verca administers the timetable itself, with defined timeframes for every track and a mechanism in the Rules for dealing with default. Where a party misses a step, Verca brings it to the attention of the parties and of the arbitrator, the defaulting party has two days to remedy it, and failing that the arbitrator may proceed without it, limit its case, refuse evidence or grant default relief.
The Platform
Verca Case Accord
Verca Case Accord is the digital environment on which every arbitration is administered from referral to award. It brings each user's matters, track workflows, documents, notes, reports and next steps into one secure place, with access determined by role and a dedicated case manager allocated to every matter. Each user can only see the information and functions their assigned role has been given access to.
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Your matters in one environment
Each attorney, legal representative, advocate and authorised participant has a secure environment suited to their role. They can see every matter in which they are involved, but only the information and functions their assigned role has been given access to.
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The track becomes a working process
The procedural track is broken into visible workflow steps aligned with the Rules. The platform shows what has been completed, what is due next and when it is due, and sends reminders so that each participant can act in time.
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Documents and working notes together
Authorised users can upload documents and view the complete matter record available to their role. Notes can remain private within their own team or be shared externally in the matter, keeping internal preparation distinct from formal collaboration.
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Reporting without rebuilding the record
Matter information is available in full reports, with users able to select the information needed for a particular report. Attorneys and legal teams can give clients a clear account of progress without recreating the history of the matter by hand.
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Access for clients and corporate teams
Clients can be granted full viewing access to their matters. Corporate clients can have their own environment across matters, giving authorised internal teams a direct view of progress, documents and reporting while each participant sees only what their role permits.
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A case manager for every matter
A dedicated Verca case manager is allocated to every matter and administers it from referral to award. The case manager establishes access, monitors the workflow and timetable, and remains the point of contact throughout.
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Full onboarding and separated views
Verca provides a full onboarding service for each firm, setting up its users, roles and access permissions. Within a firm, each user can be limited to their own matters, and corporate clients can separate access between their internal teams or divisions. Comprehensive platform support is available throughout.
Rules in operation
Compliance is acted on, not merely recorded
The workflow records each required step against the applicable track and Rules. If a participant does not comply, the platform identifies the default and the case manager initiates the prescribed steps to compel compliance or move the arbitration forward under the Rules. The software provides the record and prompts; Verca administers and enforces the process.
Sovereignty
Hosted in South Africa
Case data resides on infrastructure in the South Africa region, in keeping with the Protection of Personal Information Act. Access is by secure login and assigned role. Each user can only see the matters, documents, notes, reports and functions that Verca has granted to that role.
The full lifecycle, in one system
- 01Referral and the opening of the matter.
- 02Filings, evidence and correspondence between the parties and the tribunal.
- 03The procedural timetable and our directions.
- 04Collegial review of the draft award, as a check against obvious error or oversight.
- 05Appeal, where the parties have elected it.
- 06The final award, and the supporting application pack where enforcement is required.
A single service, a single fee
Verca Case Accord is part of our service to the parties, included in the single all inclusive fee. There is nothing separate to license, install or pay for. Parties receive a fully administered arbitration, run on our platform, for one known cost.
Facilities
Facilities
We provide the hearing facilities for each matter as part of the single fee. There is nothing separate for the parties to find, book or pay for.
Venue
A venue arranged for the matter
Whether the parties are in a major centre or a smaller town, we source and arrange an appropriate hearing venue in the location most convenient to them. We handle the sourcing, booking and cost. The parties simply attend.
Format
Virtual and hybrid hearings
Not every matter needs a room. We facilitate virtual and hybrid hearings, so parties and witnesses can participate remotely where that is more efficient or where distance makes attendance impractical. The format is settled at the outset to suit the matter.
Record
The hearing on record
Where a hearing is held, we provide the parties with an official transcript of the proceedings. A clear record of the hearing forms part of the facilities, not a separate account.