London International Disputes Week 2026

Date: Tuesday 2 June 2026 

The full day Main Conference will once again bring together leaders from across the dispute resolution world to discuss a variety of topical issues on the theme of 'Tradition, trust and transformation in international dispute resolution'.

For more information and registration, click here.

Date: Wednesday 3 June 2026

Time: 09:00 - 10:30 (registration and networking breakfast from 08:30)

The English courts have never been busier with insurance cases but what impact do these decisions have beyond the insurance arena on English jurisprudence more generally? From recent decisions involving stranded aircraft in Russia, to the global pandemic, to seizures of warehouses in Afghanistan and much more besides, insurance disputes have always covered a broad array of subject matters.

This session will look at how insurance disputes in the English courts, both recent and historic, have shaped both English law and the management of cases in the English courts.

Speakers

• Sarah McNally - Partner - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• Rebecca Sabben-Clare KC – barrister – 7KBW
• Alexander MacDonald - barrister - 7KBW
• Hamish Hunter – Senior Associate (Employed Barrister) – Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Members Hosts

• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• 7KBW

Venue

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/632

Date: Wednesday 3 June 2026

Time: 11:30 - 13:00. Registration will begin at 11 a.m. and the session will begin at 11:30.

This panel, hosted by NERA and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, will consider the developing disputes connected with the voluntary carbon market and sustainability claims made in reliance on investments in carbon offsets, as well as the range of complex quantum and valuation issues connected with the use of offsets.

Speakers

• George Anstey - Senior Managing Director - NERA
• Louise Barber - Of Counsel (Australia) - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• Craig Tevendale - Partner - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP

Members Hosts

• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• NERA

Venue

Tower Place, 5 Lower Thames St, London, EC3R 5BT

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/832

Date: Wednesday 3 June 2026

Time: 11:30 - 13:00

In light of recent developments, including the landmark Kent v Apple judgment, the settlement of Merricks v Mastercard and the judgment in Gutmann v South Western Trains, lawyers and experts will discuss what now and where next in the UK collective actions space.

The discussion will be structured as follows with one lawyer and one economist providing their perspectives on each of five key stages in the collective action process:

1. Funding a claim – Luke Horton Grimes & Marzena Meeson
2. Certification – Edmond Lee
3. Disclosure – Kotryna Drasutyte & Naomi Reid
4. Liability – Edan Miles & Hadley Howe Zielona
5. Quantum / pass-on – Alexandra Holroyd & Robert Scherf

Speakers

• Naomi Reid - Senior Associate – HSF Kramer
• Jonathan Amior - Counsel - Hausfeld
• Kotryna Drasutyte - Associate Director - BRG
• Alexandra Holroyd - Senior Associate - Freshfields
• Luke Horton-Grimes - Managing Associate - Mishcon de Reya
• Edmond Lee - Associate Director - BRG
• Marzena Meeson - Associate Director - BRG
• Edan Miles - Associate Director - BRG
• Robert Scherf - Associate Director - BRG
• Hadley Howe Zielonka - Senior Associate - Milberg

Members Hosts

• BRG
• Freshfields
• Hausfeld
• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• Milberg
• Mishcon de Reya

Venue

Lecture Theatre and Breakout Space, The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, Crown Office Row, London, EC4Y 7HL

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/840

Date: Wednesday 3 June 2026

Time: 14:00 - 15:30

Campbell Jackson, EY’s Global Head of Claims and Disputes, and Greig Anderson, a leading commercial disputes lawyer at HSF Kramer specialising in insurance and professional negligence, along with other esteemed panellists will share insights into the latest hot topics relating to disputes within the insurance industry, including current trends in cyber insurance claims and coverage disputes in light of the rapid growth and increasing complexity of cyber related losses.

Speakers

• Aditi Prakash - Director (Moderator) - EY
• Campbell Jackson - Global Head of Claims and Disputes - EY
• Greig Anderson - Partner - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Members Hosts

• EY
• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Venue

EY, 1 More London Place, London, SE1 2AF

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/862

Date: Wednesday 3 June 2026

Time: 11:30 - 13:00

An experienced panel of lawyers from the UK share their insights on how to successfully bring fraud and asset recovery claims involving high profile cross-border fraud before the English Courts including:

• Exploring key recent cases;
• The gateways to establish jurisdiction;
• Strategies for success; and
• Tips on how to deal with a fast changing landscape.

Speakers

• Alexander Milner KC - Fountain Court Chambers 
• Andrew Durant – FTI Consulting
• Heather Rankin – Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• Phillip D'Costa - Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP

Members Hosts

• Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Venue

Penningtons Manches Cooper, 125 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7AW

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/696 
 

Date: Wednesday 3 June 2026 

Time: 14:00 - 15:30

Political tensions and the prospect of political change in the UK raise risks and opportunities for multinational actors including those with actual or potential investments in the UK. On the left and the right politicians and, increasingly, political parties are willing to contemplate significant interference with private assets for asserted public interest reasons; while calls for the UK to reconsider its relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) continue. This session will consider the extent to which corporate property and commercial interests are protected in English public and human rights law in an environment of political turbulence, and the extent to which those protections are rooted in English common law, beyond the ECHR.

Registration begins at 13:30

Speakers

• Amy Rogers KC - 11KBW
• Rupert Paines - 11KBW
• Nusrat Zar - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• James Wood - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Members Hosts

• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• 11KBW

Venue

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/671

Date: Thursday 4 June 2026 

Time: 09:00 – 10:30 (Networking breakfast and registration from 08:30)

As multilateral systems face growing strain and institutional legitimacy faces fundamental challenges, the role and relevance of public international law are increasingly uncertain. This session examines how international law is made, contested and enforced when major powers selectively invoke norms and traditional governance anchors such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization lose influence. The discussion considers treaty practice, contested sovereignty, collective security and the potential future for middle powers. It maps the structural challenges confronting international law and asks whether states should rebuild institutions, create new ones or rethink the foundations of global governance. 

Speakers

• Professor Payam Akhavan (Chair) – Twenty Essex
• Marco de Sousa, Partner – Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• Penelope Nevill – Twenty Essex
• Professor Devika Hovell – The London School of Economics and Political Science
• Professor Marko Milanović - The University of Reading, School of Law

Members Hosts

• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• Twenty Essex

Venue

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/606

Date: Thursday 4 June 2026

Time: 19:00 - 20:30 (Registration from 18:30; a networking reception will follow the panel event from 20:00)

As India expands its global economic footprint, disputes involving the Indian State and State Owned Entities (SOEs), such as PSUs, are becoming increasingly consequential for cross border investors and multinational contractors. This panel examines the landscape of both commercial arbitrations and investment treaty claims involving the Indian State and SOEs, against the backdrop of evolving governmental policy, legislative reforms, array of judicial decisions and on the ground experience.

The panel will consider a range of issues on the commercial disputes front, including the Government’s recent push toward mediation as the preferred dispute-resolution mechanism in public contracts, practical strategies for effective contractual design, and mitigating procedural and enforcement risks when contracting with SOEs. On the investment-arbitration front, the panel will explore, among other things, India’s new generation FTAs and related policies, attribution of responsibility of state entities, the evolving contours of sovereign immunity, and practical challenges in enforcing awards in India and abroad.

Designed for practitioners and clients alike, the discussion will offer a practical and forward looking lens on navigating common pressure points when arbitrating against the Indian State or SOEs, with insights on dispute strategy, risk allocation and mitigation, and the future direction of state related arbitration in one of the world’s most dynamic jurisdictions.

Speakers

• Anuradha Agnihotri (Moderator) - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• Amar Gupta - JSA Advocates & Solicitors
• Neeti Sachdeva - The Mumbai Centre For International Arbitration
• Justice L. Nageswara Rao - 39 Essex Chambers; Former Judge of the Supreme Court of India
• Rashna Mistry - Tata Projects
• Niranjan Venkatesan KC - One Essex Court

Members Hosts

• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• JSA Advocates & Solicitors
• Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration

Venue

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/737

Date: Thursday 4 June 2026

Time: 11:30 - 13:00

Concurrent cross-border proceedings, competing anti-suit and anti-enforcement injunctions, local insolvency proceedings, and the permanent enforcement threat have become a common risk factor for major UK, US and EU companies litigating in Russia.

The Russian courts have increasingly accepted "exclusive jurisdiction" over claims which have clear choice of jurisdiction clauses in favour of alternative venues.  They have also initiated “local insolvency” proceedings against foreign entities, which allows claimants to bring foreign defendants into Russian proceedings, obtain judgments and insolvency orders, and seek recognition and enforcement of such measures against assets located outside Russia.

This discussion will cover: (i) the emerging risks from the Russian litigation landscape and how they are spreading around the globe; and (ii) strategies to deal with those risks.

Speakers

• Emma Deas, Partner – Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• Alexander Gridasov, Senior Associate – Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP

Members Hosts

• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• KK&P Trial Lawyers

Venue

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Primrose St, London, EC2A 2EG

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/870

Date: Thursday 4 June 2026

Time: 11:30 - 13:00

Mediation is now embedded in the fabric of UK civil justice – and its influence is increasingly felt across international dispute resolution. For litigators and in-house counsel, staying current is no longer optional. The courts’ approach to ADR is evolving quickly, with direct implications for privilege, disclosure strategy, costs exposure and professional risk.

This panel will provide a focused but substantive update on the issues that matter most to practising lawyers.

We will examine the current boundaries of without prejudice protection in mediation and the absence of a standalone mediation privilege in English law. In an environment where disclosure obligations are under sharper procedural control, understanding how ADR materials are treated is critical to protecting clients and avoiding unintended waiver.

The session will also explore the courts’ changing stance on refusal to mediate. Lawyers must now advise clients with a clear understanding of when declining mediation may be defensible – and when it may carry adverse costs consequences.

We will also consider procedural developments and what the increasing institutional support for mediation signals for future reform. For international practitioners, the session will place UK developments in a broader global context, examining how UK mediation principles influence cross-border disputes and how they compare with emerging ADR frameworks overseas.

For UK lawyers, this is about risk management, costs protection and professional responsibility. For international lawyers, it is about understanding the direction of travel in one of the world’s leading dispute resolution jurisdictions – and the likely ripple effects across common law systems.

In short, this session equips practitioners to advise confidently, strategically and in line with the latest judicial and procedural developments shaping mediation today.

Speakers

• Michel Kallipetis KC - Commercial Mediator - Independent Mediators
• Camilla Macpherson - Knowledge Lawyer - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Members Hosts

• Independent Mediators
• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP

Venue

International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC) 1 Paternoster Lane, London, EC4M 7BQ

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/978         

Date: Thursday 4 June 2026

Time: 14:00 – 15:30 (Registration from 13:30; networking reception from 15:30)

Construction plays a critical role in the timely delivery and operational effectiveness of defence sector projects, from defence infrastructure to specialised facilities and installations. Against the current backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions and renewed focus on defence spending globally, construction claims and disputes pose significant risks to project continuity and even national security interests. This panel will explore the key legal and contractual challenges in managing construction claims and disputes within the defence sector, providing insights on this increasingly complex and high-stakes area.

The event will be followed by a networking reception.

Speakers

• Mike McClure KC - Partner - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• Amund Bjøranger Tørum - Partner - BAHR
• Bob Breeze - Partner - HKA
• James Doe - Partner - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Members Hosts

• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• HKA

Venue

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/616

Date: Friday 5 June 2026 

Time: 11:30 - 13:00 (registration from 11:00)

This session will explore the scope of the duties of company directors to keep themselves properly informed of business affairs, and the circumstances in which their knowledge (or lack of) and conduct may be scrutinised by claimants, insolvency practitioners and/or regulators.

Speakers

• Andrew Thompson KC - Erskine Chambers
• Greg Lascelles - Partner - Hausfeld
• Natasha Johnson - Partner - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
• Richard Mendoza - Of Counsel - Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Members Hosts

• Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
• Hausfeld & Co LLP

Venue

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG

More information and registration

https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/615