X
10 - 14 NOVEMBER 2025

Format: Hybrid

Panel Discussion – Navigating Multiparty and Cross Border Disputes in Mega Project Arbitration

The objective of the Panel Discussion is to provide a perspective on legal complexities surrounding multiparty contracts; legal and procedural issues related to joinder of parties; application of the group of companies doctrine; issues arising from consolidation of claims; cross-border challenges in jurisdiction; obstacles and strategies in the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards across different jurisdictions; and potential reforms in arbitration frameworks to address the unique needs of mega infrastructure and construction projects.

The esteemed panel includes Justice Sanjeev Khanna (Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India), Mr. Essam Al Tamimi (Chairman at Al Tamimi & Company), Mr. Mukul Rohatgi (Former Attorney General of India), Ms. Anne K. Hoffmann (International Arbitrator, Hoffmann Arbitrations), Ms. Soraya Corm-Bakhos (International Arbitrator, Corm-Bakhos FZ LLE), and Mr. Mahesh Agarwal (Managing Partner, Agarwal Law Associates, New Delhi, India).

Energy Disputes Across Generations: Traditional Tools for a Transitioning World

This panel will explore how traditional doctrines of international energy arbitration—such as stabilization clauses, force majeure, and political risk protections—continue to shape the evolving landscape of renewable energy disputes. Through a comparative lens, the panel will examine both commercial and investment arbitration frameworks, emphasizing developments across the MENA region and North America. Attendees will gain insight into how legacy tools are being repurposed for new energy challenges, and what skills younger practitioners must master to navigate this dynamic field.

Launching the International Model for Islamic-Based Construction Contract – IBCC 2025 “Balanced Clauses & Innovative Methods of ADR “

Programme Outline:

  • UAE National Anthem
  • Recitation from the Holy Qur’an
  • Opening Remarks by:
  • HE Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, Honorary Sponsor of the Conference.
  • H.E. Prof. Jassim Ali Salim Alshamsi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration (IICRA).
  • Official Launch of Islamic-Based Construction Contract – IBCC 2025:
  • Presented by:
  • Dr. Rami Sulaiman, Secretary General of the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration.
  • Eng. Dr. Kamal Malas, Chairman of the Model Contract Drafting Committee.
  • Signing of Cooperation Agreements

Honoring Ceremony

  • 09:45 – 10:00 Break and Official Opening of the Conference
  • First Session 10:00 – 11:00 AM
  • Topic: Essence and Features of a Shari’ah-Compliant Construction Contract
  • Chaired by: Dr. Rami Sulaiman Abudagga, General Secretary at the International Islamic Centre for Reconciliation and Arbitration (IICRA)

Experts from A to Z: the variety of roles and requirements at different stages of dispute resolution

Through engaging dialogue and interactive Q&A with the audience, the speakers will be looking at:

  1. The evolving role of expert reports.
  2. Judicial examination – the law firm view.
  3. Bridging the gap: aligning delay, quantum, and technical reports in complex arbitrations.
  4. Fact or advocacy? Navigating objectivity and influence in expert reports. The requirements and expectations of stakeholders.

The panel speakers:

  • Murat Karakas (Moderator), Managing Partner, SW Tenet
  • Nikolay Khomyak, Associate Director, SW Tenet
  • Anton Kubasov, Director, Forensic, Kept
  • Sultan Al Ghafri, Managing Partner K&CO, representing Oman Arbitration Centre
  • Mohamed Bahram Al Bulushi, Engineering Partner, A&Co
  • Timofey Nosov, Partner, BSA Law
  • Dmitry Laverychev, Senior Associate, Pinna Goldberg

The Impact of Russian Cases on Assets and Proceedings in MENA and Western Countries

Recently, Russian courts have passed down more than five hundred judgments in favor of Russian sanctioned persons against many large international companies and banks for billions of US dollars. These judgments vary in quantum, and a fair amount of them are quite significant (e.g., RusChemAlliance claim against Linde exceeds USD 2 billion). These judgments may represent a considerable threat to the judgment-debtors. Many of such debtors still have assets/affiliates in Russia. But they may pose even bigger threat for international companies if Russian judgment creditors start their attempts to enforce these judgments in other jurisdictions where such companies have significant assets or operations, such as the UAE and GCC region.

You have learnt that you are a defendant in Russian proceedings notwithstanding your respective DR clause. What will you do?

We will discuss the three basic approaches:

  • Ignore it
  • Just challenge jurisdiction
  • Employ a full-scale litigation,

and the factors to be taken into account to choose the right approach, e.g.:

  • Chance to win
  • Obligations before the third parties (e.g. insurance companies)
  • Availability of investment arbitration vs Russia / need to create the track record of attempts to get access to justice in Russia
  • Assets / affiliates in Russia
  • Bankruptcy in Russia and its implications for the business outside of Russia
  • Parallel proceedings in different jurisdictions and starting arbitration proceedings
  • Anti-suit and anti-enforcement injunctions – benefits and perils of the “war of injunctions” and remedies available in the UAE courts
  • Enforcement of Russian judgments in the UAE

Link to the online broadcast: https://youtube.com/live/8GPY18E-lGQ?feature=share 

Change of the Seat of Arbitration Due to Substantial Change in Circumstances: Myths and Reality

This unique event offers an immersive exploration of a timely and complex issue in international

arbitration: the change of the seat of arbitration due to a substantial change in circumstances.

Moving beyond traditional presentations, we’ll show a mock arbitration proceeding centered

around a fictional dispute where this critical question arises. A panel of distinguished arbitrators

will dissect the legal and practical implications of such a change.

Investment arbitration in the Middle East

Baker Botts is pleased to host a roundtable discussion on Investor-State Dispute
Settlement (ISDS) in the Arab World: Recent Trends and Developments.
We have witnessed in recent years a significant increase in investor-state claims
involving Arab states. The session will bring together leading arbitration
practitioners and regional experts to examine the evolving landscape of ISDS in the
Arab world. The discussion will focus on recent cases, treaty reform efforts, and
practical implications for investors and states engaged in cross-border disputes in
the region.
Following opening remarks by Baker Botts co-head of the International Disputes
group, Dr. Johannes Koepp, Baker Botts associate Ms. Ana Martinez Valls will
present the most recent data and trends on ISDS in the Arab world. This will then
be followed by a roundtable discussion by a highly distinguished panel of speakers
featuring Ms. Samaa Haridi (international arbitrator partner at King & Spalding in
New York, currently serving as an officer in a number of arbitral organizations,
including as Vice President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, past Senior
Co-Chair of the Arbitration Committee of the International Bar Association, and a
member of ICCA’s Governing Board) and Dr. Faris Nasrallah (head of arbitration at
Crescent Petroleum) and author of numerous publications including “Bilateral
Investment Treaty Overview – United Arab Emirates”, Investment Claims, Oxford
University Press, 2019). The debate will be moderated by Baker Botts partner Ms.
Dorine Farah.
The session will be followed by a cocktail reception to continue what promises to be
an engaging and thought-provoking discussion.
This event offers an opportunity for practitioners, in-house counsel, and clients to
exchange views on current trends and future directions in investment arbitration in
the Arab region.
We look forward to welcoming you on 13 November.
This will be a hybrid event. Space is limited, so if you wish to attend in person, we
ask you to sign up as early as possible.

Mediation of IS Disputes: Opportunities, Challenges, Future Prospects

topics to be explored include:

The fundamentals of a mediation process

The advantages of mediation in the ISDS context

Obstacles and challenges, including balancing transparency v. confidentiality and addressing issues of authority

Best practice in mediator selection (and the increasing trend for co-mediation)

The political, legislative and institutional landscape (including the Singapore Convention on Mediation)

Practical insights from counsel, mediators and clients on optimizing mediation for investment disputes

Whether you are an investor representative, host state representative, legal counsel, or dispute resolution professional, this panel will provide valuable insights into making mediation a more effective tool in ISDS. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with thought leaders shaping the future of investor-state mediation.