Panel discussion
This is an open panel discussion — four experts and a moderator take the stage to debate, challenge assumptions and search for answers to the most uncomfortable questions in modern arbitration.

Moderator: Vladimir Pestrikov, Partner, Dyakin, Gortsunyan & Partners.

Speakers:

• Elena Trusova, Partner, Advocate, ALUMNI Partners.
• Anna Zabrotskaya, Managing Partner, Nordic Star.
• Anton Kubasov, Partner, Fidem Research Group.
• Asha Treesa Bejoy, Founder & Managing Partner, ATB Legal, FCIArb.

Key issues for discussion:

Block 1: AI in arbitration: an assistant or a threat to the enforceability of awards?

• When AI genuinely helps and when it creates procedural risks
• How to set limits on AI use to avoid jeopardising the enforceability of an award

Block 2: The parties’ choice: new criteria and a new generation of arbitrators

• How the criteria for selecting arbitrators are changing: experience, specialisation, availability and nationality
• A new generation: who will take over from the established masters?

Block 3: Trends in international arbitration: an expert’s perspective

• How the market for expert services has evolved and what challenges the parties face when engaging experts
• What to expect from the market in the near future — and how these changes affect the efficiency of arbitration and the quality of the reasoning behind the award of damages

Block 4: New tools for procedural efficiency in arbitration

• Highly Expedited Arbitration Provisions and other tools for procedural efficiency in the new ICC Arbitration Rules 2026
• Early Determination — how to screen out manifestly weak claims

A format that allows participants not just to listen, but to take part in the discussion and choose for themselves which topics to explore.

The round-table sessions run in parallel. Each session consists of three 30-minute rounds. At the start of each round, participants are assigned to tables based on the topics that interest them. The moderator remains at the table for all three rounds and guides the discussion, whilst participants are free to move from table to table — this means that in a single session, you can discuss three different topics with different experts.

At each table, there is a lively exchange of views, analysis of case studies and practical scenarios. If you wish to delve deeply into a single topic, stay at the same table for all three rounds. If you want to cover more ground, move on. The choice is yours.


Round table 1: Arbitration in the Space Sector

Moderator: Evgeny Raschevsky, Partner and Head of the International Arbitration and Litigation Practice, EPAM Law Offices.

• Disputes arising from contracts for the launch and operation of satellites: specific features of evidence
• Space law and arbitration: applicable international treaties
• Space risk insurance and subrogation in arbitration

Round table 2: Investment Arbitration: Protecting Investments in New Geopolitical Landscape

Moderator: Sergey Alekhin, Partner in the Dispute Resolution and Sanctions Practice, E L W I

• Access to investment arbitration for Russian investors
• Enforcement of awards against states in the current environment
• Restructuring investments and securing protection under international agreements

Round table 3: Arbitration and Insolvency: Conflicts of Jurisdiction and Practical Pitfalls

Moderator: Yuri Makhonin, Partner, Dyakin, Gortsunyan & Partners.

Speaker: Andrey Vladimirovich Egorov, PhD in Law, Professor, Department of Civil Law Disciplines, HSE University.

• The arbitration clause and counterparty insolvency: does the clause remain effective?
• Recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards in cross-border insolvency proceedings
• Challenging transactions and parallel proceedings

Round table 4: Intellectual Property Arbitration: Special Rules and Arbitration Institutions with Specialised Jurisdiction

• Specialised arbitration institutions for IP disputes: WIPO and other centres
• Specialised rules for IP disputes: expedited procedures and their effectiveness
• Evidentiary issues in IP disputes

Round table 5: Ethics in Arbitration: Conflicts of Interest, Independence and New Challenges

Moderator: Stepan Sultanov, Partner, Head of International Commercial Arbitration Practice, KIAP.

• Conflicts of interest: where to draw the line
• Nationality and impartiality of arbitrators
• Disclosure and transparency standards

Round table 6: Drafting an Effective Arbitration Clause: Multi-tiered Structures, Escalation Clauses, Combined Mechanisms

Moderator: Yury Babichev, Partner, ALUMNI Partners.

• Multi-tiered structures (arb-med-arb): do they work in practice?
• Escalation clauses: common pitfalls and how to avoid them
• Combined mechanisms: when to use them

Round table 7: Third-Party Funding: Who Pays for Arbitration and Who Controls the Proceedings

Moderator: Alexey Yadykin, Partner, White Square.

• Permissibility of TPF in different jurisdictions
• Funding disclosure: institutional requirements and practice
• Conflicts of interest in TPF and the impact of funding on the outcome

Round table 8: Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in New Jurisdictions

Moderator: Tatyana Neveeva, Managing Partner, Head of International Arbitration and Cross-Border Disputes Practice.

• New enforcement centres: where awards are recognised and enforced in practice
• Recognition of awards in Asia, the Middle East and Africa
• Anti-suit injunctions and parallel proceedings: how to defend your client

Round table 9: Arbitration in India: Reform, Practice and Choice of Forum

Moderators: Elena Lebets, Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution Practice, Nordic Star; Sameer Jain, Managing Partner, PSL Advocates & Solicitors; Chair, ICC India Arbitration Group.

Invited Speakers:

• Hon'ble Mr. Justice Pranav Trivedi, Judge, High Court of Gujarat.
• Dr. Pinky Anand, Senior Advocate, Honorary Professor, National Law University Delhi.
• Anish Wadia C.Arb, Chartered Arbitrator, Mediator and Adjudicator (Mumbai, India).
• Sneha Nagaraj, Founding Partner, Frontline Law Partners, ICC YAAF South Asia Representative.
• Jagdish Solanki, Deputy Solicitor General of India, Advisor to the Hon’ble Minister of Law and Justice.

• Indian arbitration: legislative reform and emerging practice
• Enforcement of awards in India: actual timeframes and obstacles
• Indian arbitral institutions and the choice of forum for disputes with Indian counterparties

The session format combines presentations by experts on the most pressing topics with an open dialogue with the audience.

60 minutes – panel discussion. 30 minutes – questions from participants.

Questions may be submitted in advance via the registration form or by email to the organisers. The moderator will select the most interesting questions – their authors will be able to ask their question in person and, if they wish, state their position at the conference under Chatham House Rule.

Moderator: Alexey Dudko, Senior Partner, Head of the Dispute Resolution and Investigations Practice, LEVEL Legal Services.

Speakers:

• Anish Wadia C.Arb, Chartered Arbitrator, Mediator & Adjudicator (Mumbai, India).
• Vadim Vunukainen, Partner, Dyakin, Gortsunyan & Partners.
• Stepan Sultanov, Partner, Head of International Commercial Arbitration Practice, KIAP.

Key issues for discussion:

• Blocking Sanctions Through the Lens of Investment Protection Standards: Legal Assessment and Prospects for Enforcement of Arbitral Awards
• Application of Articles 248.1 and 248.2 of the Russian Arbitrazh Procedure Code: practice, challenges and forecasts
• Enforcement of awards against Russian parties in friendly and unfriendly jurisdictions

Block A (45 minutes). ELWI x FBK Consulting workshop: Cross-examination of an expert witness
Interactive workshop: a mock cross-examination of an expert, with an analysis of techniques and mistakes

Speakers:

• Igor Churkin, Managing Partner, FBK Consulting.
• Evgeny Babanin, Director, Valuation and Transaction Advisory Services Department, FBK Consulting.
• Dmitry Bayandin, Senior Counsel, Dispute Resolution and Sanctions Practice, E L W I

Block B (60 minutes). The Role of Experts in Arbitration
Open panel discussion without prepared speeches

Moderator: Igor Lebedev, Partner, Head of the Financial Fraud Investigations and Litigation Support Group, Kept

Speakers:

• Victoria Volgina, Counsel, E L W I.
• Ellina Izotkina, Counsel, International Disputes and Sanctions Regulation Practices, LEVEL Legal Services.

Key issues for discussion:

• Expert selection criteria that matter more than formal qualifications, and costly mistakes in choosing an expert
• Joint expert reports: when they save time and money, and when they leave the parties with a vague document that does not assist the tribunal
• How AI and new technologies are changing work with experts and affecting the assessment of expert reports