This event brings together leading arbitration practitioners and experts to explore how the UAE’s arbitration landscape is evolving in response to technological innovation and recent judicial developments. Through two focused panel discussions, the event will address both the challenges of resolving AI and technology-related disputes, and the practical implications of recent UAE court decisions on arbitration practice.
Format: In Person
Preserving Legacy through Effective Dispute Resolution: Arbitration & Family Businesses in the GCC
Family businesses form an integral part of the GCC region’s economic system. Over the past decade, family businesses have been facing increasing and unique challenges, part of which have flowed over to a foray of dispute resolution forums. More specifically, disputes have revolved around issue pertaining to generational transitions and successions, shareholders’ conflicts, and governance issues, amongst other things. This panel will explore how arbitration can serve as a culturally-sensitive and confidential mechanism to effectively resolve intra-family and commercial disputes while preserving both legacy and relationships.
Key Discussion Points:
- Arbitrability of Family Business Disputes: Navigating local laws, public policy, and the scope of arbitration clauses in family constitutional documents and shareholder agreements.
- Balancing Confidentiality and Transparency: Why institutional arbitration may be better suited than courts for handling sensitive internal disputes.
- Governance and Succession Planning: How dispute resolution mechanisms are evolving in modern family charters.Enforcement Challenges & Regional Nuances: Lessons from GCC jurisdictions on the recognition and enforcement of awards involving family entities.
- Case Studies: Insights from actual disputes involving family businesses with local activities or or cross-border investments.
THE LAW x CRCICA Cocktail Reception
Join us for an elegant evening of connecting and networking at the THE LAW x CRCICA Cocktail Reception, held during Dubai Arbitration Week 2025. This exclusive gathering will bring together leading professionals from the arbitration and legal community in a refined and welcoming environment designed to foster engagement and collaboration.
The evening will provide a distinguished setting for professional exchange and networking. Guests will have the opportunity to engage with peers, strengthen existing relationships, and build new connections within the arbitration and legal community.
From Award to Action: An Update on Cross-Border Enforcement and Practical Tips from Market Leading Experts
An update on the cross-border enforcement of arbitration awards and practical tips from the panel. The discussion to include recent updates and examples on the enforcement of foreign arbitration awards in the UAE, UK, Bahrain and Oman and a discussion surrounding the benefits of early asset tracing exercises and interim relief to the successful enforcement of awards.
Breakfast Event – Managing legal risk and future proofing in an ever-changing world
Explore how organisations are navigating geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty, as well as the evolving role of legal counsel as strategic business partners. We will also examine approaches to future-proofing in a rapidly changing environment and the impact of technology and AI on legal risk management
How to manage risks to the construction of Data centres in the Middle East and beyond?
As demand for digital infrastructure surges across the Middle East and globally, the construction of data centres presents unique challenges, ranging from complex timelines and technical specifications to regional regulatory and geopolitical factors. These complexities often give rise to disputes and delays. Join us for a dynamic in-person panel discussion moderated by Yendall Hunter to delve into real-world case studies, discuss best practices and provide insights held at the Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, Dubai, the event will also feature an open forum for audience questions and engagement.
Dispute Resolution in Emerging Industries: The Shock of the New
Fintech and crypto are fast-growing emerging industries in which the UAE is becoming a leading player. Opportunity and gain, however, are the flip sides of risk and loss. As the industry and the underlying technologies develop and evolve, the law and regulators are struggling to keep up. In that context, disputes are becoming more common: between platforms and customers, between investors and founders and between founders themselves. The panel seeks to shed some light on where ADR stands today in this rapidly changing industry.
Arbitration Auction: Bidding for the Future of Dispute Resolution
Step into an immersive auction-framed debate where the lots up for bid are thought-provoking ideas for the future of arbitration. In this interactive session, the audience will take the role of bidders while leading arbitration centers present their visions for practical innovations in the field. The event will conclude with a networking reception.
Supported by Dubai Sotheby’s International Realty.
Changing tides of dispute resolution in infrastructure & energy projects – what the client wants. Hear from those at the forefront of managing disputes on the client side of major projects about what they want from their counterparties to permit the effective resolution of disputes
Welcome and introduction of panellists
Panel discussion
Q&A
Networking
Panel Discussion: Interplay between Arbitration and International Relations in light of Geopolitical Shifts
Amid an increasingly volatile global environment, economic sanctions and geopolitical tensions are significantly transforming the field of international arbitration. This session will provide an analysis on how arbitrators, legal counsels, and arbitral institutions are addressing the challenges arising from complex and evolving sanctions regimes, jurisdictional restrictions, and enforcement challenges. The topic is highly relevant, given the growing use of sanctions in response to global conflicts, trade disputes, and shifting political alliances. The event is aimed at analyzing the effects of international relations on the conduct of arbitral proceedings and the enforcement of arbitral awards and exploring practical strategies for mitigating geopolitical risks within arbitration processes.