CFA40 (Comité français de l'arbitrage)

What CFA40 (Comité français de l'arbitrage) does

The Comité Français de l'Arbitrage (CFA) is a Paris-based non-profit scholarly society founded in 1955 that promotes the French approach to international arbitration. It brings together a community of 300+ legal professionals—lawyers, magistrates, academics, corporate counsel, and young practitioners—and operates the CFA40 youth division for members under 40. The CFA's flagship product is La Revue de l'Arbitrage, the reference French-language arbitration journal published continuously since 1955, supplemented by cumulative General Indexes (1955-2005) and a member directory (Annuaire du CFA). Additional outputs include quarterly conferences, an annual colloquium, arbitration practice workshops, the cross-examination competition (Concours de contre-interrogatoire) for young practitioners, and the Philippe Fouchard Thesis Prize. The CFA initiated the 2011 French arbitration reform and maintains privileged advisory relationships with French public authorities and the Paris Bar Association, as well as with sister scholarly societies internationally.

Revenue is generated through three streams: annual membership subscriptions (€40-€225), annual subscriptions to La Revue de l'Arbitrage (€75-€420), and combined membership-and-journal packages (€115-€595), plus one-time individual journal issue sales (€22-€130). Distribution is handled directly through the CFA secretariat in Paris; there is no field sales force, no technology platform, and no disclosed external investor or parent company. The organization is governed by an elected Bureau led by President Jérôme Ortscheidt, with operations run by a nine-person secretariat. There are no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no AI or technology products in the offering.

Name

CFA40 (Comité français de l'arbitrage)

Legal name

Comité Français de l'Arbitrage

Website

https://cfa-arbitrage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Comité Français de l'Arbitrage (CFA) is a Paris-based non-profit scholarly society, founded in 1955, that promotes French international arbitration through its reference journal La Revue de l'Arbitrage, conferences, and a 300+ member community of lawyers, judges, and academics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Scholarly Publications and Professional Association Services

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

Keywords

• Arbitration scholarly publications
• International arbitration research
• Legal professional society
• French arbitration law
• Arbitration journal subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to the organization's activities, publications, and directory. Fees vary by category: standard membership, young professionals under 30, and students.
2. Journal subscriptions (Revue de l'arbitrage): Annual subscriptions to the organization's flagship French-language arbitration journal, published since 1955. Individual and institutional subscriptions available.
3. Individual journal issue sales: Purchase of individual journal issues and back issues when available. Prices range from €22 to €130 per issue depending on format.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Comité Français de l'Arbitrage (CFA) is a French scholarly society that promotes the French approach to international arbitration through the publication of La Revue de l'Arbitrage (the reference French-language arbitration journal since 1955), a members directory, an annual program of conferences and workshops, and a youth division (CFA40). Revenue is generated from annual membership subscriptions, annual journal subscriptions, combined membership-and-subscription bundles, and individual journal issue sales.

Product overview

The Comité Français de l'Arbitrage (CFA) is a scholarly society focused on promoting French arbitration internationally. Its core offerings center on La Revue de l'Arbitrage, the leading French-language arbitration journal published since 1955, complemented by general indexes for research. The CFA also maintains a members directory (Annuaire), organizes events including conferences and workshops, and operates CFA40 as a youth division for emerging practitioners. Revenue derives from membership subscriptions (ranging from €40 to €595 annually) and journal sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CFA40: A subgroup of the CFA dedicated to young arbitration practitioners and academics under 40 years old, organizing conferences, training sessions, and the cross-examination competition.

Products and services

• La Revue de l'Arbitrage
• Tables générales de la Revue de l'Arbitrage
• Philippe Fouchard - Écrits
• Annuaire du CFA

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CFA40 (Comité Français de l'Arbitrage 40)coreOthersCFA40 is an emanation of the CFA that specifically targets young arbitration practitioners and academics. The two organizations collaborate on events including the cross-examination competition and other activities for young professionals.
• Sister scholarly societies (international)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CFA maintains privileged relationships with sister scholarly societies in different countries, facilitating international networking and knowledge exchange among arbitration professionals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb): CIArb is a UK-headquartered chartered body for arbitrators worldwide, with membership tiers, training, publications, and a member directory — structurally identical to CFA's offering of memberships, the Annuaire, and a flagship journal. Comparable in mission and revenue model (subscription + membership).
• Swiss Arbitration Association / Swiss Arbitration Centre: The Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) is a sister scholarly society promoting arbitration in Switzerland, with comparable publications, conferences, and policy engagement. It competes with CFA for Francophone/European arbitration thought leadership and uses a similar non-profit, member-funded model.
• German Arbitration Institute (DIS): DIS is the German national arbitration body that combines rule-making, administration, and scholarly activity. While more administrative than CFA, it is one of the comparable national arbitration institutions in Continental Europe that CFA benchmarks against in policy and convening roles.
• International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA): ICCA is the leading international scholarly and policy body for commercial arbitration, organizing the flagship ICCA Congress and producing comparative arbitration materials. CFA is its French counterpart, making ICCA the most directly comparable peer in mission (advancing arbitration through scholarly work and convening).

Broad incumbents

• International Bar Association (IBA): IBA is a much larger global legal professional association with arbitration committees, publications, and conferences. CFA overlaps with IBA's arbitration policy and publications arms but operates as a national specialist society rather than a broad professional body.
• ICC International Court of Arbitration: The ICC International Court of Arbitration is the dominant global arbitral institution based in Paris, with a parallel role in promoting international arbitration and shaping practice. It overlaps with CFA on convening and policy influence, though it is an administering institution rather than a scholarly society.

Regional players

• London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA): LCIA is a primary competing international arbitral institution based in London. While it is an administering body rather than a scholarly society, it competes with Paris-based institutions (and indirectly with CFA's standing as part of the Paris arbitration ecosystem) for international arbitration market share.
• Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC): SIAC is the leading Asian arbitral institution, a regional rival to Paris-anchored institutions. It is relevant as a peer competitor shaping the same international arbitration market and policy environment in which CFA operates, even though its business model (case administration) differs from CFA's scholarly focus.

Others

• Paris Bar Association (Ordre des avocats de Paris): The Paris Bar is a close institutional partner — CFA advises the Bar on arbitration matters — and a comparator as a French professional membership body. It is not a scholarly society, but the relationship and shared Paris-based lawyer audience make it an adjacent reference for membership economics and policy engagement.

Emerging players

• Kluwer Law International: Kluwer publishes the Journal of International Arbitration and other leading arbitration titles, competing directly with Revue de l'arbitrage in editorial reach. It is a commercial publisher where CFA is a scholarly society, but they overlap on the arbitration-publication axis and on serving the same international practitioner audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cfa-40

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CFA40 (Comité français de l'arbitrage)