Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer lawyers explore Turkic disputes landscape at GAR event

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer partners Patricia Nacimiento and Stuart Paterson and senior associate Adilbek Tussupov participated in GAR Live: Turkic Region 2026, a full-day conference that brought together leading arbitration practitioners, in-house counsel and institutional representatives from across the Turkic-speaking region and beyond.

Held by Global Arbitration Review on 23 April 2026 at The Ritz-Carlton in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the event attracted over 120 participants, underlining the growing importance of the region as a hub for international arbitration and cross-border dispute resolution.

Patricia delivered a keynote address entitled “A new reality: What is your response?”, exploring how geopolitical shifts, the energy transition and developments in public international law are reshaping the landscape for cross-border disputes and international arbitration. 

Stuart spoke on the GAR Live Symposium panel, where he shared insights from the UAE’s experience with international financial centres and special economic zones, drawing comparisons with current initiatives in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. His remarks contributed to the broader discussion on institutional frameworks and best practices for developing arbitration-friendly environments in the region.

The conference programme covered a range of practical and strategic topics, including procedural efficiency and case management, construction and infrastructure arbitration, and advocacy, ethics and procedural misconduct, reflecting the key issues faced by arbitration users and practitioners operating in the Turkic region. Adilbek delivered welcome remarks ahead of the firm’s networking reception, which formed part of the event’s networking programme and provided an opportunity for delegates to connect following the day’s discussions.