Washington Arbitration Week 2025

JAMS is a proud sponsor of Washington Arbitration Week (WAW) taking place October 6-10, 2025.

This year JAMS will be hosting three panels at our JAMS Washington, D.C. Resolution Center on October 7, 2025. Join us for breakfast and a full morning of panels, networking, and lunch to conclude. Featured speakers include JAMS neutrals, Lorraine M. Brennan, Esq., Cynthia H. Cwik, Esq., FCIArb, Jeffrey M. Senger, Esq., FCIArb, Joe Tirado, and Conna A. Weiner, Esq., FCIArb.

WAW 2025 will bring together the Washington, DC international arbitration community and the global arbitration community related to DC, including arbitrators, practitioners of investment and international commercial arbitration, damages experts, asset tracers, international organizations, diplomats, academics, researchers, and students.

JAMS Featured Panels on October 7, 2025:

9:00 am-10:15 am

Navigating Global Life Sciences Disputes: Emerging Trends and Challenges in International Arbitration

Presented by JAMS

Direct Registration Link: In-Person | Virtual

The life sciences sector has seen remarkable growth in international arbitration as the preferred method for resolving complex cross-border disputes, from licensing and joint ventures to clinical trials and supply chains. This presentation will examine key arbitration issues including expert witness management (the challenges of locating experts, presenting scientific testimony, maintaining neutrality, and handling conflicting methodologies), the emerging role of artificial intelligence in transforming these processes (streamlining document review, enhancing expert analysis, and navigating regulatory compliance), and strategic considerations for handling damages and quantum questions in these cases.

Moderator:

• Jeffrey M. Senger, Esq., FCIArb, Arbitrator & Mediator, JAMS – Washington, DC   

Speakers:

• John Townsend, Partner, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, LLP – Washington, DC
• Sudhanshu Roy, Associate, Foley Hoag – Washington, DC
• Marney Cheek, Partner, Covington & Burling – Washington, DC
• Conna A. Weiner, Esq., FCIArb, Arbitrator & Mediator, JAMS – Boston

10:30 am-11:45 am

Tools of Tomorrow: A Workshop on AI Technologies in International Arbitration

Presented by JAMS in collaboration with Jus Mundi

Direct Registration Links: In-Person | Virtual

This hands-on workshop will offer a practical look at how artificial intelligence is being deployed in international arbitration today. Participants will hear directly from leading technology providers and arbitration practitioners as they showcase cutting-edge AI tools used for legal research, document automation, case analytics, award drafting, and more.

Rather than a traditional panel discussion, each provider will deliver a brief demonstration of their tool’s capabilities, followed by a facilitated discussion on real-world use cases, ethical considerations, cost implications, and strategic adoption. Attendees will come away with a grounded understanding of how these tools are transforming arbitration workflows and what questions to ask when evaluating and integrating such technologies into their own practices.

This workshop is ideal for arbitrators, counsel, tribunal secretaries, and institutional representatives looking to explore the frontier of AI-powered dispute resolution.

Moderator:

• Kelby Ballena – International Arbitration Specialist, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, LLP – Washington, DC

Speakers:

• Annie Lespérance, FCIArb – Head of Americas, Jus Mundi – New York
• Jacqueline Schafer, Founder & CEO, Clearbrief – Seattle
• Cynthia H. Cwik, Esq., FCIArb, Arbitrator & Mediator, JAMS – Los Angeles
• David Bartolone, Vice President & General Manager, Kluwer Law International and MediRegs – Vienna, VA
   

12:00 pm-1:15 pm

Sovereigns Settle Too: From Public Sector Disputes to Investor-State Mediation

Presented by JAMS in collaboration with ICSID

Direct Registration Links: In-Person | Virtual

Governments routinely engage in mediation, resolving disputes across tax, labor, regulatory, and environmental matters through structured, facilitated negotiation. If mediation works within governments, why is it not yet mainstream in the investor-state context? This panel challenges the artificial divide between domestic and international mediation involving sovereigns. Drawing from real-world cases, including extensive public-sector mediation activity in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, panelists will explore how and why governments already know how to mediate, and what’s preventing that practice from crossing borders into the investor-State context. The discussion will examine how institutions, legal frameworks, and cultural and professional perceptions intersect—and how organizations like ICSID and JAMS can help bridge the gap to normalize mediation in investor-state disputes.

Moderator:

• Frauke Nitschke – Senior Legal Counsel and Team Leader, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) – Washington, DC 

Speakers:

• Lorraine M. Brennan, Esq. – Mediator & Arbitrator, JAMS – New York
• Ximena Bustamante – Founding Partner, PACTUM Dispute Resolution Consulting – Quito
• Joe Tirado – Mediator & Arbitrator, JAMS – London & New York
• Bill Marsh, Independent International Mediator – London
• Jonathan Hamilton, Partner and Co-Chair of International Arbitration Practice, Paul Hastings – Washington, DC