Season 8 Episode 5 - Life Beyond the Hearings

Brian opens with a sit-down interview featuring Kevin Nash, the LCIA’s new Director-General, for an inside look at where the institution, and London as a seat, are heading. Kevin shares his roadmap for updating the LCIA Rules, harnessing technology, and broadening the caseload beyond its traditional strongholds, while reflecting on why he believes London remains arbitration’s global crossroads [TIME 07:22]. In Happy Fun Time, Brian and Sadia park the pleadings and talk real life. How to keep friendships, partners, and family thriving when your calendar is packed with filings, flights, and frantic hearing prep? From setting boundaries to small rituals that signal you’re truly off-duty, they offer candid, battle-tested tips for cultivating “life beyond the hearings” [TIME 32:47].

Season 8 Episode 4 - The Desert Seats

No Happy Fun Time this week, just a deep-dive. Brian sits down with Dimitriy Mednikov, an international-arbitration specialist at Habib Al Mulla & Partners in Dubai, together they decode the UAE’s three-tier system: on-shore courts, the DIFC, and the ADGM [TIME 01:56]. Expect candid takes on why the DIFC often serves as a “conduit” for enforcing foreign awards and on how ADGM’s wholesale adoption of English statutes (contrasted with the DIFC’s more hybrid approach) informs counsel strategy.

Season 8 Episode 3 - Funding 101

Brian and Sadia kick things off with Ayse Yazır ACII of Bench Walk Advisors for a beginner-friendly masterclass on third-party funding: what it is, why you might want it, and how to land it without losing control of your case [TIME 07:57]. In Happy Fun Time, the co-hosts turn a critical eye to The Economist’s “Conference Survival Handbook,” separating smart advice from questionable hacks and sharing their own battle-tested tips for thriving on the arbitration-conference circuit [TIME 44:41].

Season 8 Episode 2 - The Injunction Junction

Brian kicks things off by welcoming David Hunt of Boies Schiller Flexner to unpack the ever-spicier topic of anti-suit injunctions, using the UK Supreme Court’s decision in UniCredit Bank GmbH v RusChemAlliance LLC as a springboard [TIME 13:18]. They explore how the case intersects with the proposed revisions to the Arbitration Act 1996, revisit Enka v Chubb, and debate whether the English courts’ approach is evolving. If anti-suit injunctions and jurisdictional gateways are your thing, this one’s for you.

For Happy Fun Time, Sadia is joined once again by arbitration-lawyer-turned-productivity-guru, coach Jon Passaro [TIME 39:52]. Jon breaks down how a business plan can keep a career on track, sharing a examples listeners can use for their own practice.

Season 8 Episode 1 - LIDW 2025 Countdown

In our season opener, Sadia welcomes back Professor Loukas Mistelis, a senior international‑arbitration partner at Clyde & Co, professor of transnational dispute resolution at Queen Mary University of London, and newly appointed co‑chair of London International Disputes Week (LIDW), to talk about how this year’s programme was designed, the thinking behind its themes, and the innovative approaches shaping one of the world’s leading legal events [TIME 05:39].

Season 7 Episode 13 - Judging Iran

In this festive special episode, Brian and Joel welcome a notable guest, Hon. Charles N. Brower, to their book club gathering [TIME 05:12]. The episode centers around Judge Brower’s memoir, "Judging Iran: A Memoir of the Hague, the White House, and Life on the Front Line of International Justice." The hosts engage in a deep dive into the Judge's rich experiences and perspectives, exploring his significant journey through various international legal spheres.

Season 7 Episode 11 - What’s the “Matter”?

We are happy to welcome Joel back into your ears - albeit briefly - for another great episode. Brian interviews Mark Tushingham from Twenty Essex about two simultaneous decisions handed down by the UK Supreme Court and Privy Council grappling with the interpretation of Section 9 of the Arbitration Act [TIME 04:40]. For HFT, we welcome back Jon Passaro who will coach us on how to invest time now to save time in the future [TIME 28:04].

Season 7 Episode 10 - The Early Dismissal

In this episode, Brian and Jan delve into the nuances of early dismissal applications in international arbitration. They discuss the ethical and strategic considerations that emerge from such applications [TIME 03:05]. During the Happy Fun Time segment, Brian offers his insights on conditional fee arrangements and explores other innovative fee arrangement types between arbitration lawyers and their clients [TIME 20:00].

Season 7 Episode 8 - The Programming Language

In this packed episode, Brian dives into a thought-provoking discussion with Tim Robbins, exploring the intricacies of efficiency in arbitration [TIME 05:49]. We’re also joined by Simon Camilleri, who brings us keen insights into the Law Commission’s final report on the reform of the English Arbitration Act 1996 [TIME 36:58]. And stick around for our Happy Fun Time segment, where Brian and Jan demystify the utility of programming in our professional undertakings [TIME 59:34].

Season 7 Episode 7 - From Caracas with Love

Groove back into gear, Arbitration Nation, because we are rolling back after our sunny summer siesta! First up, Brian speaks to Andrew Fulton KC and Manuel Casas, as they dive deep into a tale of politics intertwining with international law, the Maduro Saga [TIME 05:22]. For Happy Fun Time, Brian and Jan will be discussing the latest shifts in the WFH policies which are making waves in the legal industry [TIME 30:55].

Season 7 Episode 6 - The Excess of Mandate

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer holiday (if you're fortunate enough to have one)! As you relax, we have another great episode for you. First, Brian treats us to a review of the partial annulment of the Khudyan v. Armenia award concerning issues of dual nationality [TIME 6:35]. For HFT, we invite back Jonathan Passaro for another great interview concerning the dreaded annual reviews [TIME 26:47].

Don't forget to register for the 20th Anniversary ICAL Conference in Stockholm here.

Season 7 Episode 5 - The Crippling Arbitration

In Episode 5, Saadia introduces a news-worthy update about the multi-jurisdictional saga regarding the recognition and enforcement of a USD 15 billion arbitration award issued between the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu and Malaysia [TIME 06:16]. Then, for HFT, Brian recounts the trials and tribulations of file sharing and how institutions are adapting their technology to facilitate case management [TIME 25:15].

Season 7 Episode 4 - The Arbitrage Station

With a full suite of co-hosts, we tackle a question that has bothered us all: why do people confuse arbitration with arbitrage [TIME 34:12]? But before that, we engage in another Arbitration Book Club discussion, this time based on our reading of Mikaël Schinazi’s book The Three Ages of International Commercial Arbitration [TIME 03:31].

For those who, like us, remain confused please see the following dictionary definitions:

Arbitration: “[t]he formal process of having an outside person, chosen by both sides to a disagreement, end the disagreement“

Arbitrage: “[t]he method on the stock exchange of buying something in one place and selling it in another place at the same time, in order to make a profit from the difference in price in the two places“

Season 7 Episode 3 - Challenge Paranoia

In Episode 3, Brian welcomes the first interview of the season, Simon Camilleri [TIME 06:40], who introduces the proposed reforms to the English Arbitration Act of 1996. We discuss the consultation process and our personal views on the need and adequacy of the reforms. Then, for HFT [TIME 27:24], Brian and Saadia discuss how close is too close in the arbitration community - are we victims of challenge paranoia?

Season 7 Episode 2 - The Ambulance Station

In this second episode of the season, Saadia and Brian discuss whether government bailouts can be a basis for investment arbitration claims; a recently published decision on the issue serves to set the scene on the now much talked about Credit Suisse saga.* [TIME 00:02:38] During Happy Fun Time, we ponder whether arbitration lawyers have become ambulance chasers and if so, is that ok? [TIME 00:21:08]

*Since the recording of this episode we have learned that Japanese bondholders, in addition to Singapore bondholders, are also contemplating a treaty claim against Switzerland following the AT1 bond wipe out.

Season 7 Episode 1 - The AI Station

We’re back in business, with a slightly changed format: shorter, snappier, and a semi-retired Joel. In this first episode of season 7, we discuss how different aspects of recent technology advancements influences the practice of arbitration. Brian first discusses the development toward decentralised autonomous organisations [TIME 05:27], before the season’s first Happy Fun Time addresses how new AI tools are changing how we conduct arbitration work [TIME 20:08].