Sarah Sackman KC, the courts and legal services minister, has been confirmed as the opening keynote speaker at London International Disputes Week’s (LIDW’s) main conference on 3 June.

She joins a line-up of top speakers at the conference, which returns to the QEII Conference Centre and will include sessions hosted by leading legal figures and senior industry leaders. 

Highlights include a keynote address by former ICJ president and leading American jurist, Joan Donahue, alongside contributions from ICC International Court of Arbitration president Claudia Salomon and Deborah Enix-Ross, immediate past president of the American Bar Association.

Sackman was appointed minister of state for courts and legal services in December 2024, following her election as MP for Finchley and Golders Green in July that year. 

She briefly served as Solicitor General, one of the government’s senior legal officers, prior to taking on her current role, the number two position in the department, which is led by Lord Chancellor and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood. The move was the result of a reshuffle sparked by the resignation of transport secretary Louise Haigh.

“I’m proud to speak at London International Disputes Week, to highlight the UK’s world-class legal expertise on the global stage,” she said.

Noting the legal sector’s economic benefits to the UK, she added: “As markets rapidly change, innovative dispute resolution not only settles disagreements but drives economic growth and transforms industries, which are vital in our fast-evolving world.”

LIDW has a history of welcoming government ministers as speakers.

Mike Freer, Sackman’s predecessor under the previous Conservative government, spoke at LIDW in 2023 while then justice minister Lord Wolfson of Tredegar KC spoke at the virtual event held in 2021. The then Lord Chancellor, David Gauke MP, closed the inaugural conference in 2019.

Before becoming an MP, Sackman was a barrister at Francis Taylor Building and later, Matrix Chambers, focusing on public, election, planning, environment and rating law.

She was appointed as King’s Counsel commensurate with her role as Solicitor-General before being moved in a reshuffle.

Jonathan Cary, a disputes partner at RPC and LIDW co-chair, said: “Bringing her experience as a practising barrister, former Solicitor General, and now as the minister of state for courts and legal services, we look forward to the minister’s insights and reflections on international dispute resolution and the UK’s place at its heart.”

Sackman’s address at the LIDW Main Conference will kick off a day of discussions on the most pressing topics in litigation, arbitration and disputes, including the impact of the current geopolitical and economic landscape.

The day also features a fireside chat with James Besley, co-head of legal at Google DeepMind, a ‘View from Business’ presented by Lord Karan Bilimoria, chairman of the UK branch of the International Chamber of Commerce, and a celebration of 200 years of the Law Society of England and Wales led by current president Richard Atkinson. One of Atkinson’s predecessors, Stephanie Boyce, delivered the keynote address at LIDW 2022, with the Law Society having been involved in LIDW since its inception.

Running from 2 to 6 June, LIDW will open with International Arbitration Day, which features contributions from Kevin Nash, director general of the London Court of International Arbitration, and Mrs Justice Cockerill, former head of the Commercial Court. Sessions will cover the newly enacted Arbitration Act and sector-specific challenges in areas such as energy and mining.

Other sessions during the week include panels on artificial intelligence in dispute resolution, managing supply chain risk, and the future of mass claims in the UK and Europe. There will also be discussions on fraud prevention, workplace investigations and how mediators, arbitrators and litigators can collaborate more effectively.

Click here to view the full LIDW25 programme and register for events, some of which are free-to-attend, while others are paid for.

The Global Legal Post is a media partner of LIDW25.