London International Disputes Week 2026 (LIDW26)

JAMS is a proud sponsor of London International Disputes Week 2026.

London International Disputes Week 2026 (LIDW26) marks the seventh edition of this global event, bringing together members of the international disputes community to connect, share insights, and explore developments in dispute resolution. Centered on the theme “Tradition, trust and transformation in international dispute resolution,” the program includes a range of conferences, networking opportunities, and member-hosted events. With participation from delegates worldwide, LIDW continues to serve as a platform for discussion, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas across arbitration, litigation, and mediation.

JAMS-Hosted Panels:

Expert Testimony in International Arbitration: How Decision-Makers Evaluate Science and Technical Evidence 
Hosted by JAMS and Alvarez Marsal 
Wednesday, June 3, 2026 | 2:00–3:30 pm 
Sidley Austin- 70 St Mary Axe, London EC3A 8BE
Direct Registration Link: https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/815 

In complex commercial and international disputes, expert testimony often plays a decisive role. Yet arbitrators and judges are rarely specialists in the scientific, financial, or technical disciplines presented to them. How, then, do decision-makers assess competing experts, and how reliable is that assessment? 

This panel examines expert evidence through the lens of decision science, psychology, and comparative procedure. Drawing on research in cognitive psychology and behavioral decision-making, the discussion will explore how adjudicators process complex expert testimony, the risks of cognitive biases, and how procedural design influences evidentiary evaluation. 

Panelists will address: 

• How arbitrators evaluate conflicting expert opinions in highly technical disputes
• The impact of cognitive biases and heuristics in weighing expert credibility
• Whether procedural mechanisms such as “hot-tubbing” (concurrent expert evidence), tribunal-appointed experts, or written expert conferencing improve comprehension and reliability
• Differences between civil law and common law approaches to expert evidence
• Practical strategies for counsel in presenting and testing expert testimony
• Techniques arbitrators can use to ask more effective questions and structure expert proceedings to enhance clarity 

By combining academic insight with practical experience, this session will provide actionable guidance for improving the evaluation of expert evidence in international arbitration and complex disputes more broadly.
Moderator: 

• Dr. Darya Shirokova, Founder, Houston Place of Arbitration – Houston

Speakers: 

• Tony Cole, Esq., FCIArb, International Arbitrator, JAMS
• Colin Johnson, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal
• David Roney, Partner and Co-Leader of the Global Arbitration, Trade and Advocacy practice, Sidley & Austin
• Additional speaker to be confirmed

Minds vs. Machines: AI’s Promise and Limits in Mediation  
Hosted by JAMS and Gatehouse Chambers 
Thursday 4 June, 2026 | 9:00-10:30 am – Mediation Session
Gatehouse Chambers- Gray's Inn, 1 Lady Hale Gate, London WC1X 8BS 
Direct Registration Link (Mediation Session): https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/825 

This interactive session explores whether artificial intelligence can meaningfully perform the role of a mediator in complex disputes by staging a live, side-by-side mediation simulation between a human mediator and multiple AI systems. Using a cross-border commercial dispute, both tracks operate on identical facts, allowing the audience to directly compare how each approach navigates key elements such as emotional dynamics, confidential information, negotiation strategy, and power imbalances. The session highlights where AI can enhance efficiency—such as in risk analysis and option generation—while exposing its limitations in handling nuance, trust, and relational judgment. A structured debrief and audience engagement then translate these observations into practical insights on the ethical, regulatory, and professional implications of AI-assisted mediation, helping participants assess how, and to what extent, AI may reshape dispute resolution practice.
Moderator: Giuseppe De Palo, Esq., JAMS 
Mediator: Tim Hardy, FCIArb, JAMS 
Counsel for Client 1: John de Wall, Gatehouse
Counsel for Client 2: Elizabeth Fox, Greenberg Traurig
Client 1: Sylvia Nouri, Freshfields
Client 2: Lisa Skipp, DAC Beachcroft

Minds vs. Machines: AI’s Promise and Limits in Arbitration   
Hosted by JAMS and Gatehouse Chambers 
Thursday 4 June, 2026 | 11:30 am-1 pm – Arbitration Session
Gatehouse Chambers- Gray's Inn, 1 Lady Hale Gate, London WC1X 8BS  
Direct Registration Link (Arbitration Session): https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/826 

This mock hearing session examines the growing role of artificial intelligence in arbitrator selection by framing it as a live dispute argued before a tribunal. Counsel present opposing positions—one advocating that AI-driven tools enhance neutrality, diversity, and efficiency, and the other warning that algorithmic opacity risks undermining due process, legitimacy, and party autonomy. Through adversarial argument and a short, reasoned “award,” the tribunal addresses core issues such as independence, transparency, bias in data, and enforcement implications. Audience voting before and after the decision highlights how perspectives shift, while the debrief translates the exercise into practical insights on the legal, ethical, and procedural considerations surrounding AI-assisted arbitrator selection. 

Moderator: Giuseppe De Palo, Esq., JAMS
Tribunal: Stephen Townley, FCIArb (JAMS, Chair), Frederico Singarajah (Gatehouse), additional tribunal member to be confirmed
Counsel (Proposition): Alberto Fortun (Cuatrecasas), Ucheora Onwuamaegbu (ArentFox Schiff)
Counsel (Opposition): To be confirmed
 

Where Powerhouses Collide: Managing Disputes Across the US, UK, and India 
Hosted by JAMS and Phoenix Legal  
Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 2:00– 3:30 pm
International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC)- 1 Paternoster Ln, London EC4M 7BQ  
Direct Registration Link: https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/816 

From global finance to insurance, technology, entertainment, and manufacturing, many of today’s most consequential commercial relationships are forged at the intersection of the United States, the United Kingdom, and India—creating both extraordinary commercial opportunity and uniquely complex dispute risk, and linking financial markets, industrial supply chains, and technology ecosystems across three legal powerhouses. The scale of economic integration is substantial: in 2024, total U.S.–India trade in goods and services reached approximately $212.4 billion, UK–India bilateral trade exceeded £42.6 billion, and U.S.–UK trade totaled an estimated $340 billion, making it one of the largest and most integrated bilateral trading relationships in the world. 
 
As commercial activity accelerates across this tri-jurisdictional axis, disputes are increasingly shaped by forces that extend well beyond the contract itself—including shifting tariff regimes, regulatory divergence, and heightened uncertainty in political and economic relationships. This panel examines how disputes involving the US, UK, and India are influenced by cultural negotiation norms, internal decision-making dynamics, and strategic choices around dispute resolution mechanisms, particularly in matters involving financial institutions, cross-border investment, and complex commercial arrangements. 
 
The discussion will explore how parties and counsel design dispute resolution strategies that manage cross-border risk, preserve commercial relationships, and deliver effective outcomes across jurisdictions. Set against London’s role as a global hub for finance, dispute resolution, and international legal services, the session offers a practical, experience-driven perspective on resolving disputes where economic integration, legal culture, and industry realities collide. 
Moderator: 

• Joe Tirado, International Arbitrator & Mediator, JAMS  

Speakers: 

• Gautam Bhatikar, Partner, Phoenix Legal
• Dipen Sabharwal KC, Partner, White & Case
• Sherina Petit, Partner, Stewarts
• Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, President (Legal) and General Counsel (Europe), Hinduja Group

Everything I Know About Commercial Dispute Resolution I Learned from Boxing and Combat Sports 
Hosted by JAMS in partnership with LawInSport and Secretariat 
Friday, June 5, 2026 | 11:30 am – 1 pm
International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC)- 1 Paternoster Ln, London EC4M 7BQ
Direct Registration Link: https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/817 

Few industries combine high stakes, global audiences, and intense personalities quite like combat sports. Boxing and other combat sports regularly generate complex disputes involving promoters, broadcasters, athletes, sanctioning bodies, and commercial partners—often under extreme time pressure and public scrutiny. The need to resolve conflicts quickly while preserving events, contracts, and reputations has produced practical approaches to dispute resolution that blend legal precision with deal-making instincts.

Drawing on lessons from the world of boxing and combat sports, this session explores what commercial dispute resolution can learn from an industry where negotiation, leverage, and timing are everything. Topics include managing disputes when events cannot be delayed, balancing regulatory and commercial interests, navigating high-profile conflicts among powerful stakeholders, and applying the pragmatic problem-solving culture of combat sports to complex commercial disputes beyond the ring.
Moderator: 

• Jeffrey G. Benz, Esq., FCIArb, FCollArb, CEDS, Arbitrator & Mediator, JAMS

Speakers:   

• Stephen Townley, FCIArb, Arbitrator & Mediator, JAMS
• Ivory Bishop, Counsel, Cozen O’Connor
• Shalabh Gupta, Associate Director, Secretariat
• Additional speakers to be confirmed

Additional Panels featuring JAMS Neutrals:

Innovation in Resolution: AI, Technology, and the Changing Face of ADR 
Hosted by Gunnercooke LLP and Selborne Chambers 
Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 4:30-6 pm
CEDR, 100 St. Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8BU
Direct Registration Link: https://register.lidw.co.uk/event/801 

The panel event will delve into the increasingly topical issue of AI and innovation in mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The session will explore how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are transforming the practice of mediation and ADR, covering themes such as: AI-assisted dispute resolution tools and platforms; the use of technology in online dispute resolution (ODR); ethical and regulatory considerations for AI in mediation; and the implications for practitioners, parties, and institutions. The session will draw on perspectives from international practitioners, legal technologists, and leading ADR institutions. 
Speakers:  

• Ryan Abbott, M.D., Esq., FCIArb, Professor of Law and Health Sciences - University of Surrey School of Law and JArbitrator & Mediator, JAMS
• Mr Max Cole - Barrister - Selborne Chambers
• Ms Ishmeet Kaur - Senior AI Engineer - Legora
• Khaled Moyeed - Partner - gunnercooke