13 March 2024, LONDON – London International Disputes Week (LIDW) has today announced that Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and Vice President of the World Bank, will deliver the closing keynote address at this year’s Core Conference on Tuesday 4 June.
Spearheading an era of reform at ICSID, Meg Kinnear is a global leader in the arbitration community and her appearance further builds on the prestigious speaker list for this year’s Core Conference at LIDW24.
The Core Conference is poised to be an unparalleled platform for networking and knowledge-sharing among legal professionals and high-profile participants. Discussions and keynotes led by internationally renowned judges, arbitrators, and lawyers will occur throughout the day to offer insights into the most topical issues of the moment.
LIDW24 will host delegates across five days from Monday 3 to Friday 7 June. Under the theme, ‘Uniting for Global Challenge and Opportunity’, this year’s series of events will be the most expansive yet, showcasing London’s role as the leading centre for international dispute resolution. Tickets for the Core Conference are now on sale here. The full calendar of events is available at https://2024.lidw.co.uk/
Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and Vice President, World Bank, said:
“Innovation and inclusivity are the hallmarks of London International Disputes Week. LIDW24 promises to continue that tradition at a time when the rule of law and peaceful dispute resolution are essential in confronting our current global challenges.
I look forward to sharing perspectives from ICSID—the leading institution for the resolution of international investment disputes—and learning from colleagues with their own unique insights and solutions.”
In addition to this, details of LIDW’s highly-anticipated International Arbitration Day, on Monday 3 June before the Core Conference, have also been unveiled. International Arbitration Day will be hosted across the offices of Clyde & Co, Covington & Burling, and Kirkland & Ellis, to kick-start LIDW24. It will feature keynotes from industry leaders such as Lord (David) Wolfson, KC. Panel discussions will span a wide range of topics in key jurisdictions, from India to Saudi Arabia, and from Africa to North and Latin America.
Networking drinks at Kirkland & Ellis will be followed by the LIDW opening reception at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms. Tickets for the reception, which is sure to be a sell-out, can be found here.
Luiz Aboim, International Arbitration Day lead for LIDW, said:
“I am delighted to launch the agenda for International Arbitration Day, which will feature keynotes from distinguished arbitral experts, and panel discussions geared towards exchanging insights from jurisdictions across the globe.
I am also thrilled that one of the most respected figures in global arbitration, Meg Kinnear, will be the closing keynote speaker at this year’s Core Conference.”
Registration is now open for LIDW24. Tickets for the Core Conference are available to purchase at https://2024.lidw.co.uk/event/33 . For more information and updates, visit https://lidw.co.uk/, as well as LIDW’s social channels on X (@LIDW_) and LinkedIn (@London International Disputes Week)
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Contact:
Izzie Weller – Portland Communications
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Chris Simmons – Portland Communications
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Notes to editors:
Meg Kinnear is the Secretary-General of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Ms. Kinnear joined ICSID in June 2009.
She worked as Senior General Counsel (2006-2009) and Director General of the Trade Law Bureau of Canada (1999-2006). Prior to this, Ms. Kinnear also worked as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Justice of Canada (1996 -1999) and Counsel at the Civil Litigation Section of the Canadian Department of Justice (1984-1996).
Ms. Kinnear has frequently spoken on and published with respect to international investment law and procedure, including as a co-author of Investment Disputes under NAFTA (Kluwer Law Publications, June 2006; updated editions released January 2008 and June 2009). Ms. Kinnear holds degrees from the University of Virginia (LL.M.) and McGill University (LL.B.). She is admitted to the Bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario) and the District of Columbia Bar.
LIDW first took place in 2019 to drive the future of international dispute resolution in London. It aims to be a forward-thinking forum that explores and contributes to the future of dispute resolution, celebrates London as a leading centre for the handling of international disputes, and demonstrates London’s genuine commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the rule of law. It aims to achieve these goals by bringing together all the stakeholders in London’s dispute resolution community, including those overseas, to debate and explore the key issues and topics and to help drive awareness and best practices globally.
Last year’s LIDW hosted:
- Over 13,000 individual event attendances
- 3,000 in-person delegates
- Over 1,000 virtual delegates
- 43 jurisdictions represented
- Close to 800 international delegates
- Close to 500 speakers
- Over 100 panel sessions
International Arbitration Day includes sessions on the following topics:
- Vision 2030 and beyond: Arbitration’s role in Saudi Arabia’s transformation
- ASEAN’s arbitration landscape in the Year of the Dragon: Power and Progress
- India’s review of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act and arbitration ecosystem – India’s Push for Regional Prominence?
- Europe horizon scanning – a kaleidoscope session
- Latest developments in the MENA region
- Sanctioned countries: sanctions and arbitration – a practical perspective
- Growing and emerging markets in Africa
- Great Expectations. Discussion on Baltic States and Arbitration
- The use of arbitration for resolution of disputes in the Balkans
- Space – the new disputes frontier?
- Silicon Valley leads the way – is arbitration the answer for tech disputes?
- Arbitration in Latin America – the next decade, the shift in policies
LIDW encourages membership from across the disputes community, including law firms, barristers’ chambers, arbitrators and mediators involved in litigation and arbitration in the UK courts and tribunals, and organisations providing ancillary services to litigators and barristers, including litigation funders, eDiscovery providers, expert witnesses, media and publishing houses.
LIDW24’s panel discussions with internationally renowned experts – including senior judges, arbitrators, lawyers, experts, clients and more – will discuss:
- How to think about artificial intelligence in law – Delegates will hear an exclusive recorded address from preeminent legal technology expert Professor Richard Susskind OBE KC (Hon) on the use of AI in dispute resolution, raising probing questions to be debated by an expert panel.
- Risk and reputation in a values-driven world – Chaired by Moira Thompson Oliver, Head of Business and Human Rights at Slaughter and May, this session will explore the challenges faced by organisations balancing the need to advance their sustainability and ESG objectives, meet associated reporting and due diligence obligations, while also protecting their position in the resolution of related disputes.
- Disputes funding: predictions for the future – A panel including Mrs Justice Cockerill, judge in the English Commercial Court, will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the funding market in the UK, EU, and beyond, and what these mean for organisations seeking disputes finance or facing funded claims.
- Client perspectives on dispute resolution – Suber Akther, Principal Litigation Counsel at Siemens Energy Limited, will lead a discussion with other senior in-house lawyers on whether current dispute resolution methods and practices achieve what clients need in today’s international business environment.
- The global landscape for enforcement of judgments and awards: a case study – Moderated by Mr Justice Henshaw of the English Commercial Court, a panel of litigation and arbitration experts from around the world will navigate current cross-border judgment and award enforcement issues, trends and obstacles by reference to a practical case study.