A distinguishing characteristic of international arbitration hearings is that witness testimony is most often presented in writing in advance of the hearing, with the result that the witness portion of evidentiary hearings invariably consists almost entirely of cross-examination of fact and expert witnesses. There are advantages to presenting testimony in writing in advance, principally in reducing the time spent by arbitrators, counsel and others in hearings, with resultant savings in costs and time, as well as affording time for participants to prepare without having to try to anticipate last-minute testimonial surprises.