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10 - 14 NOVEMBER 2025

Format: In Person

Build or Break: Arbitrating Infrastructure with Money at Stake

As global capital continues to power infrastructure and construction projects across the Middle East and beyond, the disputes that follow are no longer just about defects, delays, or design flaws. They increasingly sit at the intersection of complex financing structures, sponsor-driven risk allocation, and high-stakes joint ventures — all underpinned by arbitration clauses intended to offer certainty across jurisdictions.

This AAA-ICDR panel brings together construction sector general counsel, private equity dealmakers, and arbitration experts to examine how today’s cross-border disputes are shaped as much by capital strategy as by contract performance. From fund-backed EPC arrangements and indemnity chains to multi-contract disputes and investor-state overlays, the session will explore how arbitration institutions and tribunals are adapting to a rapidly shifting landscape — and what users still want done better.

Key Discussion Points:

  • What’s changing in construction disputes: new claimants, new structures, new forums
  • How private equity ownership reshapes arbitration posture, evidence, and risk appetite
  • ICDR insights into the international dispute resolution process
  • What general counsel and funders really want from arbitrators and institutions
  • Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how dispute resolution strategy must evolve in capital-intensive infrastructure environments, and how the AAA-ICDR’s rules and practice can support effective outcomes in a high-value, multi-party context.

The three Cs for Avoiding and Resolving Construction Claims on Disputes Regarding GigaProjects: Communication, Collaboration, and Commitment

Light breakfast/refreshments followed by a moderator and four-person panel to discuss how effective and timely communication from project team members during the conceptual design phases can minimize future claims, how collaboration between multidisciplinary teams can avoid costly rework, and how commitment to leveraging expert consultants early in the project can mitigate costly claims at project completion.

Crypto Disputes: A Global View from the Coalface

This will be a moderated discussion between experts working in the field of crypto disputes on the global stage.. The focus will be the practical realities of crypto disputes, rather than an exploration of the law.

Paper Trails and Red Flags: The Challenges of Meeting Your Evidential Burden

Please join us for a panel discussion on the challenges of overcoming evidential hurdles in international arbitration.
Winning or losing a case can so often hinge on evidence. Building a persuasive narrative and robust case theory will always be an uphill battle where evidence is missing, incomplete, or in the possession of the other party. This can be particularly challenging in the context of bribery and corruption, fraud, and company mismanagement.

Our experts will discuss the ways in which evidentiary hurdles can be overcome while also mitigating the risks of evidence being discarded by a tribunal or deemed inadmissible.

This panel event is an interactive real-world scenario-based session during which the panellists (including senior Covington lawyers and members of FRA’s forensic accounting team) will share experiences from matters which involved a novel evidentiary issue. Each scenario will be outlined in turn for the audience, identifying the key issues and the dilemma that needed to be addressed, with audience members encouraged to offer their own perspectives.

The discussion will be followed by networking drinks. We look forward to seeing you there

Pioneering Arbitration Through AI and the Metaverse with RAALC

RAALC Law Firm proudly presents “Pioneering Arbitration Through AI and the Metaverse”, a groundbreaking evening experience during Dubai Arbitration Week 2025 that redefines the boundaries of dispute resolution in the digital age.

Designed for arbitrators, legal professionals, academics, and innovators, the event invites participants to explore how artificial intelligence and immersive virtual technologies are reshaping arbitration—from case preparation and hearings to decision-making and enforcement.

The evening opens with an elegant Welcome Reception followed by inspiring opening insights introducing the theme of AI-driven and metaverse-enabled arbitration.

At the heart of the program lies the Rotating Group Discussion Series — a dynamic format where guests move between thematic stations every 15 minutes, each unveiling a new frontier of debate.

Participants don’t just listen—they experience the future of arbitration through a suite of Interactive Highlights, including:

  • Metaverse Arbitration Simulations – Step inside an immersive virtual hearing powered by AI, experiencing how evidence, advocacy, and decision-making evolve in digital space.
  • Arbitration Trivia Challenges – Real-time legal quizzes designed to test reflexes and knowledge in a fast-paced, competitive setting.
  • Legal Challenge Stations – Practical exercises inviting attendees to draft airtight clauses, assess bias scenarios, and tackle real-world arbitration dilemmas.
  • Networking Lounge – An interactive environment to exchange ideas, forge collaborations, and engage with peers shaping the future of arbitration.
  • The evening concludes with the Announcement of Contest Winners and Concluding Remarks, celebrating innovation, insight, and collaboration among forward-thinking professionals.

Much Ado About Enforcement

With Dubai becoming an ever increasingly key centre of business for both English and Indian companies, it is imperative that businesses understand the ability to enforce judgments and awards between the respective jurisdictions. This presentation will look at the practical steps needed to allow enforcement in England & Wales, India and the DIFC from experienced practitioners as well as provide an overview of what ancillary measures may be obtained in aid of such enforcement.