Reflections on London International Disputes Week 2025

A week or so has passed since LIDW25 and the dust is beginning to settle. As co-chair of LIDW for my second and final time, I have handed over the baton (there really is a baton) to my successor and thought I might reflect on what LIDW represents and, in particular, where mediation sits in the dispute resolution ecosystem.

LIDW is now, arguably, the largest global gathering of dispute resolution practitioners.   This year we brought together thought leaders, members of the judiciary, practitioners, policymakers, and innovators from around the globe.  We had over 10,000 individual registrations for events throughout the week with delegates from over 100 jurisdictions represented.  We hosted an International Arbitration Day, Legaltech showcase, opening reception at Southwark Cathedral, a main conference for 650 delegates, Gala Dinner and facilitated the 250 member hosted events on Wednesday - Friday of the week.

In my opening remarks to the conference I reflected on this year’s theme:  “Innovation in Dispute Resolution: Navigating Global Risks.”

When I and my fellow co-chairs had sat down to discuss the theme - in the summer of 2024  - a seminal year for elections around the globe  - we probably thought that the world we were in then was already pretty complex.  However, conflict and complexity have continued to rise globally — in commerce, geopolitics, climate, AI, and digital governance — and therefore, I argued, the tools we use to resolve disputes must evolve accordingly.  There is a shared challenge: how do we resolve conflicts in a way that is just, adaptive, and resilient?

Innovation in dispute resolution is not just about efficiency — it’s about legitimacy, accessibility, and preparedness.  The disputes that we manage are not always confined by borders or traditional legal systems. Global risks — from cyberattacks to climate migration, from investor-state conflicts to AI ethics — demand new approaches from the legal community.

We are seeing incredible innovation: online dispute resolution, AI-assisted arbitration, cross-border mediation frameworks, culturally adaptive resolution models, and hybrid public-private mechanisms.  But I believe that innovation must be balanced with trust. As we move faster, we must also think more deeply — about due process, inclusion, and the role of human judgment.

In many of the sessions during the week the message that came out was the importance of the rule of law. In circumstances where the rule of law is being challenged there really is a role for the UK to be a place where parties can come to have their disputes resolved - whether by litigation, mediation or arbitration.  The depth of London’s sophistication in all these methods is something that we should be very proud of.

But what of mediation? Where does it feature in this conversation?  I was pleased this year to see a much greater representation of mediation and mediators throughout the week.  This was due in part to greater involvement by various mediation organisations who co-hosted events on a number of topics.  Discussions ranged  from mediation advocacy to international settlement, from the role of evaluation to investor/state mediation.

We also saw an increase in conversations about mediation in events hosted by law firms and chambers. I, for one, really enjoyed the discussions on resolving insurance coverage disputes without damaging commercial relationships.  This session focussed entirely on mediation with panellists from the USA, Asia and Denmark sharing their insights into the use of mediation and negotiation from the perspectives of the brokers, insurers and claimants.

However, mediation as an equal partner as a dispute resolution method still has some way to go. We are not there yet! While significant strides have been made in integrating mediation into the broader discourse, there remains a continued need for greater adoption, especially within the arbitration community. The challenge lies in further educating potential users and encouraging a cultural shift towards collaborative dispute resolution.

We, as mediators, know the power of conversation and the sharing of different views and that is, perhaps, one of the best elements of LIDW.  We brought together people from all over the world to share ideas, hear different perspectives and make new connections. Ultimately, LIDW's success lies in its ability to foster the crucial discussions and connections that drive the evolution of dispute resolution.

I look forward to continuing the conversation!

The LIDW Co-Chairs baton! (it's even engraved!)