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18 April 2025 / Thomas Snider , Dalal Alhouti , Robin Hayden
Issue: 8113 / Categories: Features , Profession , ADR , Arbitration , Commercial
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International arbitration: what lies ahead?

216112
Thomas R Snider, Dalal Alhouti & Robin Hayden consider the key developments in international arbitration in 2024 & what practitioners should watch for in 2025
  • 2024 saw increased arbitration caseloads, new institutional rules and updated practice guidelines, as well as a series of important rulings.
  • During the rest of 2025, we can expect further growth of digital asset disputes, new regulations around third-party funding, renewed interest in specialised rules, increased use of artificial intelligence in the arbitral process, and continued growth in environment, social and governance disputes.

Arbitration is in a period of growth, with arbitral institutions reporting a rise in the number of cases. The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) registered its second-highest number of cases in 2024, while the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) recorded that its participants spanned 141 countries, with construction and energy generating the most cases between 2021 and 2023.

2024 also saw the launch of a new institution in the Middle East,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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