Conference programme

In a context of reduced staffing levels, heightened sustainability demands and a growing need for spaces that foster creativity and human interaction, how will office buildings and cities be designed and built in the future?

The session will explore the increasing and varied regulations relating to the movement of art and the impact of those regulations on identified aspects of the art market.

The purpose of this session is to explore practical ways to enhance the cost-effectiveness of expert evidence without compromising analytical rigour or the expert’s assistance to the tribunal. As you know, concerns about the escalating cost of arbitration are increasingly centred on expert involvement. This panel will offer a constructive discussion, bringing together arbitrators, counsel and experts to consider procedural tools that drive efficiency while preserving quality.

As the global community faces intensifying climate impacts, resource scarcity and a rapid transition towards sustainable energy systems, disputes over environmental and energy issues are becoming increasingly complex. These conflicts often involve a diverse range of actors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society. Speakers will examine the unique challenges posed by these disputes, including scientific uncertainty, long-term environmental impacts, transboundary issues and asymmetries of power and information.

A candid discussion about the 'missing middle' – why so many women leave the legal profession mid-career, and what firms, leaders and individuals can do to sustain ambition, confidence and balance.

Across jurisdictions, there’s an observable trend towards accelerated environmental approvals for large infrastructure projects, at times recategorised as strategic projects of national security priority, such as with critical minerals projects. What will this entail for the standard public consultation processes and general stakeholder engagement? Many jurisdictions have ample experience with such public consultation processes, whether in the context of mining or nuclear projects, for example. What are the lessons learned? This session will critically evaluate the latest trends across jurisdictions with environmental permitting procedures, its implications from a social licence to operate perspective, good governance and best practices and ultimately from a sustainable development point of view, which requires balancing business, social and environmental concerns.

Cross-border securities offerings are characterised by specific and recurring requirements and challenges. The panel will discuss the nature of the requirements and challenges, and how best to deal with them. The panel will seek to offer practical guidance for those involved.

International wealth planning, management and preservation strategies often make use of trusts, foundations and a variety of other entities and structures, which can have significant implications for general corporate income tax and international tax planning. This panel will examine common wealth planning strategies and explore the entity classification issues and potential consequences that may arise when jurisdictions take differing approaches and reach contrasting conclusions.

Professional services firms (lawyers, accountants, trustees and real estate dealers) increasingly have to report to, and face enforcement action from, general purpose financial regulators or supra-national agencies such as the new European Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA). A cultural and compliance clash in the making?

The use of AI has become widespread and almost ubiquitous in the community.  A number of courts and tribunals have implemented practice directions, striving to balance the advantages of a new technology against the need to observe high ethical standards. Recent cases suggest that both judges and practitioners must be rigorous in the observance of their ethical standards. To what extent do the courts countenance the use of AI? Is it ever appropriate for judges to use AI? Experienced judges and advocates will discuss the proper role for the use of AI in litigation in the higher courts.

For the mining industry, water is both an indispensable operational asset and one of its greatest potential liabilities. This session will provide a deep dive into the multifaceted legal issues governing water use in mining, from initial allocation to post-closure responsibilities. We will examine the legal frameworks for water permitting, the critical importance of robust tailings dam regulations, and the escalating legal battles over water contamination and community rights. The discussion will focus on risk allocation in project finance, corporate liability for environmental disasters, and the evolving Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards that are reshaping the social license to operate for mining companies worldwide.

As AI tools draft contracts, predict case outcomes and analyse vast datasets in seconds, clients are confronting a fundamental question: what are they actually paying for? This session examines how technology is transforming the essence of legal practice – shifting from time-based billing to value-driven partnerships, from individual expertise to human–AI collaboration, and from traditional service delivery to platform-based models. We’ll explore how forward-thinking firms are reimagining their business models, how clients are demanding unprecedented transparency and measurable outcomes, and how a new generation of lawyers is combining technological fluency with strategic insight. This is the new age of law: faster, smarter and fundamentally different from what came before.

This session will consider subjects such as private equity, AI, and other changes in the ecosystem likely to affect smaller firms.

Join us for our open committee business meeting where all members and Officers are invited to learn more about the current and upcoming activities and developments of the committee.

Join us for our open committee business meeting where all members and Officers are invited to learn more about the current and upcoming activities and developments of the committee.

The panel will explore the evolving global landscape of competition law enforcement against exploitative and exclusionary practices by firms with significant market power or superior bargaining positions. Drawing on recent enforcement trends and legislative developments across key jurisdictions, the discussion will examine the increasing scrutiny of excessive pricing, unfair trading conditions and digital platform conduct.