London International Disputes Week (LIDW) 2026 has announced a trio of prominent keynote speakers for its International Arbitration Day (IAD).
Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Toby Landau KC and Karyl Nairn KC will headline the arbitration-focused opening day on 1 June, which is spread across three London venues: 3 Verulam Buildings, Debevoise & Plimpton and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.
It is the first time a set of chambers has hosted one of the day’s venues.
Delegates will be able to move freely between locations, with the programme organised around LIDW 2026’s theme of ‘Tradition, trust and transformation in international dispute resolution’.
The organisers said IAD would examine key trends shaping international arbitration while reinforcing London’s role as a leading global disputes centre.
Attendance at IAD will be free, and registration is now open.
Lord Neuberger, now an arbitrator at One Essex Court, brings extensive judicial experience, having served as president of the UK Supreme Court between 2012 and 2017.
Since stepping down, he has continued to sit internationally, including as one of the few remaining UK non-permanent judges of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, retaining that post despite criticism from some civil society groups.
He also sits as a judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court, and has a thriving practice as an arbitrator and mediator.
Neuberger is no stranger to LIDW, having opened the main conference as keynote speaker in 2019, with the week having grown in scale and prominence since then.
Landau, a barrister and arbitrator, formerly a member of Essex Court, has appeared in hundreds of major international arbitrations and is admitted in multiple jurisdictions, including England and Wales, the Dubai International Financial Centre, Singapore – where he was the first silk to be admitted to the Law Society of Singapore – and New York.
Career highlights include helping to draft key arbitration legislation, such as the recently refreshed Arbitration Act 1996, and holding numerous senior academic and institutional roles.
A member of Duxton Hill Chambers in both London and Singapore, he will bring cross-border insights as valuable as Neuberger’s, spanning both practice as an arbitrator and as counsel.
Nairn is an independent arbitrator at London-based Arbitration Chambers and previously co-led top New York firm Skadden’s international litigation and arbitration group from the UK.
She has held senior leadership positions at major arbitral institutions, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).
She was appointed a deputy High Court judge in England and Wales in 2023.
Commenting on the speaker line-up, Philippa Charles, IAD co-lead and an arbitrator at Twenty Essex, said: “Each [of the speakers] brings exceptional distinction and experience, spanning judicial leadership, advocacy at the highest international level and deep engagement with international arbitration as it evolves as part of the dispute resolution landscape both in London and overseas.
“Their collective insights will set a compelling tone for the day, offering delegates insight from acknowledged leaders who are shaping the present and future of international arbitration.”
Loukas Mistelis, LIDW26 co-chair and a partner at Clyde & Co, described IAD as a central focal point of the week that underscored arbitration’s “importance as a consistent thread running throughout the programme alongside litigation and mediation”.
Sessions throughout the day will cover geopolitical shifts, enforcement challenges, artificial intelligence and sector-specific disputes, alongside practical insights into arbitral procedure.
The event precedes LIDW’s main conference on 2 June, at which Sean West, geopolitical strategist and co-founder of Hence Technologies, is one of the keynote speakers.
The latest speaker announcements follow the appointment of Sarah Longden of Quadrant Chambers and Sherina Petit of Stewarts to the LIDW board, which is chaired by Richard Bamforth, who retired from CMS last month.
LIDW26 will feature more than 300 events across 1-5 June. Click here for further details.
The Global Legal Post is a media partner and participating member of LIDW and will be hosting a series of roundtables during the week.
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