Event Report

On Tuesday 28 June 2022, Legal Business, The Legal 500, GC Magazine and The In-House Lawyer presented their annual International Arbitration Summit to an engaged audience at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster.

Delegates were treated to a programme of lively and often interactive discussions on all the most pressing issues facing international arbitration in 2022 and beyond, with a host of A-list speakers to boot.

Rethinking witness evidence in international arbitration
Sponsored by McDermott Will & Emery and hosted by partner Michael Darowski, the panellists discussed the subject of witness evidence in international arbitration – its usefulness, and whether recent reforms in the English Commercial Court could teach any valuable lessons. Arbitrator Simon Nesbit offered an authoritative account, reassuring those in attendance that witness evidence is treated suitably seriously.

Has the world been turned upside down? Trends in international arbitration
During this session, delegates were exposed to an international discussion on the state of global dispute resolution. Sponsored by K&L Gates and moderated by partner Ian Meredith, valuable perspectives from Asia-Pacific were shared by fellow K&L Gates partner Susan Munro and Mingchao Fan from the Shanghai Arbitration Commission, who were beamed in virtually to share the latest local legal and regulatory developments.

Entente cordiale? Divining the law of the arbitration agreement
In a detailed presentation courtesy of RPC and moderated by partner Jonathan Wood, the panellists pondered the parallel English and French interpretations of the governing law of arbitration agreements in Kabab-Ji SAL (Lebanon) v Kout Food Group (Kuwait). Accompanied by partner Shai Wade from RPC, Ricky Diwan QC from Essex Court Chambers and vice-president of ICC Court Malgorzata Surdek-Janicka, the panel contemplated whether the risk of contradictory judgments in this area can be avoided.

The evolution of legal technology and the role AI should have in arbitration
Will we ever have a fully virtual courtroom? This was the kind of question generated after Lineal’s panel on the role of artificial intelligence in arbitration. In this lively session, moderator and Lineal’s senior vice president for client solutions, Brian Stempel, and his panel of experts answered many of the audience’s burning technological questions.

Building resilience and minimising risk in supply chains
Global causing disruption to increasingly globalised supply chains in various ways including volatility in supply and demand, shortage of raw materials and significantly higher costs, which, in turn, brings dispute risk. On behalf of sponsor Eversheds Sutherland, partner Luisa Zukowski chaired this discussion which saw the panellists share insights on the challenges faced by different sectors in various jurisdictions.

Crypto and NFT disputes: do you arbitrate or litigate?
Featuring incisive commentary from His Honour Judge Pelling QC, Judge in Charge of the London Circuit Commercial Court, this Gatehouse Chambers-sponsored session brought home the harsh realities of pursuing lost crypto assets via dispute resolution. Moderated by Sam Karim QC, the panellists evaluated the merits of both litigation and arbitration in this space and provided insights into this evolving world.

Contingency representation in high-value commercial arbitrations
In the final event of the day, led by Ashkan Candey and sponsored by his litigation-only firm CANDEY, this panel explored the evolution of jurisprudence in English law and practical questions of contingency funding. This included paying for barristers, fraud, enforcement, adverse cost liabilities, the effect of insolvency and the primacy of the solicitors’ lien in protecting and advancing lawyers rights.

Legalease would like to thank all the sponsors, speakers, event staff and attendees for making the International Arbitration Summit possible, and we hope to see you again next year.

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