London International Disputes Week (LIDW) has announced its 2025 Main Conference speaker line-up, led by keynote Joan Donoghue, the distinguished American jurist and former president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

This year’s theme for the event, which will take place on Tuesday 3 June at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, is Innovation in Dispute Resolution: Navigating Global Risks.

Donoghue, who joined Twenty Essex as an arbitrator in February, is known for her work as a public international lawyer with the US government and on the ICJ.

Speaking ahead of LIDW25, she said: “In today’s increasingly interconnected world, global risk poses growing challenges for the peaceful settlement of disputes.”

Noting the geopolitical, economic and technological challenges faced by clients, she called upon practitioners to be “agile, forward thinking and open to ideas to ensure that the legal mechanisms underpinning dispute resolution remain both effective and responsive”.

LIDW25 runs from 2-6 June and also includes Monday’s International Arbitration Day, which will be hosted this year by Linklaters, Simmons & Simmons and Squire Patton Boggs, an opening reception, a gala dinner and more than 150 member-hosted events.

Last year LIDW attracted 8,000 delegates, representing more than 100 countries.

Panel sessions

Artificial intelligence will feature prominently in this year’s main conference programme, which will be delivered at the flagship Westminster venue for a second year.

Delegates will hear from James Besley, co-head of legal at Google DeepMind, who has played a pivotal role in shaping DeepMind’s approach to legal challenges in AI and emerging technologies. He will join Gregory Mostyn, CEO and co-founder of the AI dispute solution Wexler, in a fireside chat exploring the intersection of law, technology and dispute resolution. 

AI is also one of the themes being discussed by a panel on the future of dispute resolution, moderated by William Peake, global managing partner at Harneys, with speakers including Freshfields’ Andrew Austin, partner and head of dispute resolution at Freshfields; Natasha Harrison, founding partner at Pallas Partners; Fiona Meany, global head of litigation at Jones Lang LaSalle; and Lorraine Medcraft, managing director at Epiq, one of the event’s sponsors.

Tariffs

With tariffs and trade high in the public mind, a panel on supply chain disputes and risk mitigation will be moderated by Jeremy Wilson, partner at Covington & Burling, with panellists including Commercial Court judge, Mr Justice Henshaw; Richard Indge, managing director at Ankura; Natasha McCarthy, international counsel at Debevoise & Plimpton; and Marc Merrill, general counsel at Uniper.

This year’s View from Business will be provided by Lord Karan Bilimoria, chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) UK, in discussion with Poonam Melwani KC of Quadrant Chambers. Bilimoria, who follows 2024 speaker Josh Bayliss, CEO of the Virgin Group, in delivering business insights, said: “Disputes are a fact of life in business. The ability to manage and resolve them while minimising commercial disruption is crucial.” 

Cherie Blair KC, co-founder and chair of Omnia Strategy, will participate in a morning panel discussing the geopolitical and economic landscape and its impact on disputes.

She said: “At a time of profound change and uncertainty, with the post-1945 order and the rules-based system that many have long taken for granted now in flux, there is much to reflect on at LIDW this June, [and] how the legal profession is both practically and theoretically addressing the complex global risks we face.”

Joining her will be moderator Campbell Jackson, a partner at EY; Christopher Adebayo Ojo SAN, principal partner at Nigerian law firm Bayo Ojo & Co; and Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Innovation and ethics

A session on judicial innovation in dispute resolution will be moderated by Stephen Dowling SC, co-founder of TrialView, and will feature Lord Justice Birss, deputy head of civil justice for England and Wales; Wayne Martin AC KC, former chief justice of Western Australia and chief justice of the DIFC Courts; and Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, president of the Qatar International Court and a former lord chief justice of England and Wales.

Another hot topic will be on ethical responsibilities in dispute resolution, featuring arbitrator James Castello, deputy chair of the London Court of International Arbitration; barrister Hana Abas, of Cloisters Chambers; Adele Falconer, general counsel EMEA at Christie’s; and Professor Joan Loughrey of Queen’s University Belfast. 

RPC’s Jonathan Cary, LIDW co-chair, said the conference would “explore the key challenges and opportunities shaping global dispute resolution”. 

He added: “As innovation and geopolitical shifts continue to redefine the landscape, this year’s conference will foster critical discussions and fresh perspectives from leading experts across jurisdictions and industries.”

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.