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LIDW25

Specialist Arbitration Practices: Essential Expertise or Industry Illusion?

5 June 2025 | 16:00 - 17:30
London International Disputes Week

Speakers

  • Panellist: Arish Bharucha, Partner – Howard Kennedy
  • Panellist: Joanne Clarke, Partner – Howard Kennedy
  • Panellist: Hannah Brown KC – One Essex Court
  • Panellist: Marija Šćekić – Squire Patton Boggs
  • Moderator: Rebecca Wyke, Associate – Howard Kennedy
  • Spaces: 60
  • Venue: Howard Kennedy, 1 London Bridge, London, SE1 9BG

What this session will cover

In this session, the speakers will have a lively debate about whether clients benefit from engaging specialist arbitration practices to represent them in arbitrations, or whether such specialism merely serves as a marketing tool for lawyers.

This event will feature a lively debate on the value and necessity of specialist arbitration practices, seeking to debate the following motion: “This house believes that you don’t need an arbitration specialist. A commercial litigator would do just as well”.

On one side, Arish Bharucha and Hannah Brown KC will argue in favour of the motion. Namely, that the concept of there being a benefit to clients in engaging a specialist arbitration practitioner is an industry illusion and that the push for specialisation could be driven more in the interests of arbitration professionals than by actual necessity.

On the other side, Marija Šćekić and Joanne Clarke will argue against the motion, with the aim of proving that specialist arbitration practices bring essential expertise and industry knowledge to complex cases, providing clients with the benefit of their in-depth knowledge of arbitration procedure.

This event promises to offer insightful perspectives and foster engaging discussions on the importance (or not!) of specialisation in arbitration.

The session will be followed by drinks and networking.

Member hosts

Howard Kennedy, One Essex Court