Yas Banifatemi, Founding Partner, Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes
Alison Macdonald KC, Barrister, Essex Court Chambers
 

• Growing demand for energy and infrastructure in the digital economy
• The environmental impact of data centres and regulatory responses
• Critical minerals and resource extraction in the energy transition
• Can existing legal frameworks keep pace with rapid technological change?
• What role will arbitration play as tensions between innovation, sustainability and economic growth intensify?

• Are traditional routes to expertise still fit for purpose?
• As firms do more with fewer people, how will associates gain meaningful experience?
• Rethinking recruitment, training and career progression in arbitration
• Using technology to support, rather than replace, professional judgement
• What skills will define the next generation of arbitration leaders?

• How are sanctions, anti-suit injunctions and competing court orders reshaping international arbitration?
• Responding to state interference in arbitral processes
• Arbitration's role in upholding the rule of law
• Can arbitrators remain independent in highly politicised disputes?
• The personal and professional impact of pressure on arbitrators and counsel

In our afternoon fireside chat, we sit down with two distinguished practitioners whose careers have followed very different paths, from private practice to the Bar, from established institutions to new ventures, and through a profession that has evolved dramatically over time. Together with our moderator, they will reflect on the decisions, opportunities and challenges that shaped their journeys, from establishing themselves in arbitration and building their reputations to embracing leadership roles and new career directions. Their candid insights will offer valuable lessons for practitioners at every stage of their professional journey.

• The Gulf's rise as a global commercial and disputes hub
• How are businesses navigating geopolitical uncertainty across the region?
• The growing role of regional arbitral institutions and courts
• Construction and infrastructure disputes in an era of unprecedented investment
• Where will the next wave of Gulf-related disputes come from?

Yas Banifatemi, Founding Partner, Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes
Alison Macdonald KC, Barrister, Essex Court Chambers