International Arbitration Forum 2026 – Boston

Join us for our 2026 International Arbitration Forum, a half-day program featuring a networking lunch and interactive panels on cutting-edge issues in international arbitration. Leading practitioners, arbitrators, in-house counsel, and institutional representatives will address disputes arising from collaboration and licensing agreements, drafting effective arbitration clauses, improving efficiency (including emerging AI tools), and evolving ethics issues such as confidentiality and third-party funding. CLE credit is pending.

The event will offer 4 hours of CLE credit (3 hours substantive and 1 hour ethics). The panels will encourage audience participation and engagement.

Schedule

8:00 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast

8:45 a.m. | Opening Remarks

9:00 a.m. | Arbitrating Collaboration and Licensing Agreements
Life sciences, technology, and other innovation driven sectors have emerged as significant growth areas for international arbitration, as companies increasingly turn to it to resolve cross border collaboration and licensing disputes. These matters often involve conflicts over milestone payments, complex royalty and “net sales” calculations, ownership and use of background and foreground intellectual property and data, and allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets or misuse of licensed technology, all of which demand both procedural neutrality and technical sophistication. Similarly, mergers and acquisitions that include earnout or other contingent payment provisions raise many of the same issues, as parties later dispute the financial and operational metrics used to calculate those payments, the efforts undertaken to achieve them, and the information needed to verify performance across jurisdictions. This session explores how these new entrants to international arbitration are shaping practice and examines common dispute flashpoints and strategic considerations for effective resolution.

Moderator: Victoria Alvarez, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Panelists: Maia Harris, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Jeremy Heep, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Ying Zeng, Partner, Han Kun

10:15 a.m. |  Drafting Effective Arbitration Clauses Agreements
International arbitration remains a preferred forum for many in cross-border disputes, but users continue to grapple with rising cost, delay, and growing procedural complexity. This session brings together in-house, outside counsel, and institutional perspectives to examine how tools such as emergency and expedited procedures, robust case management techniques, and innovations like AAA ICDR’s AI Arbitrator are reshaping expectations about speed, fairness, and enforceability. Panelists will discuss where these developments are delivering genuine value, where they fall short, and when other ADR mechanisms may offer more practical solutions for parties seeking faster, more cost effective outcomes.

Moderator: Cal Stein, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Panelists: Matt Adler, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Stuart Dutson, Partner, Stephenson Harwood
Vaughn Morrison, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke 
Armeen Mistry Shroff, Legal Counsel, Bosch USA

11:30 a.m. | Speed and Substance: Rethinking Efficiency in International Arbitration
International arbitration remains a preferred forum for many in cross-border disputes, but users continue to grapple with rising cost, delay, and growing procedural complexity. This session brings together in-house, outside counsel, and institutional perspectives to examine how tools such as emergency and expedited procedures, robust case management techniques, and innovations like AAA ICDR’s AI Arbitrator are reshaping expectations about speed, fairness, and enforceability. Panelists will discuss where these developments are delivering genuine value, where they fall short, and when other ADR mechanisms may offer more practical solutions for parties seeking faster, more cost effective outcomes.

Moderator: Tom Kinney, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Panelists: David Harrell, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Matt Mulqueen, Partner, Accura 
Lisa Romeo, Vice President, AAA-ICDR
Zach Torres-Fowler, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke

12:30 p.m. | Lunch and Networking Break

1:30 p.m. | Ethics in Modern Arbitration: Confidentiality, Third-Party Funding, and More 
Confidentiality has long been a cornerstone of international arbitration’s appeal, but that foundation faces growing pressure from third-party funding disclosure requirements, broader transparency movements, and public court filings during enforcement proceedings. This session brings together in-house and outside counsel to examine how these forces are reshaping confidentiality expectations. Panelists will explore ethical complexities surrounding funder conflicts and disclosure obligations, along with practical protective measures including confidentiality agreements with funders, strategic redactions, and procedural orders to limit exposure. 

Moderator: Indira Sharma, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Panelists: Leslie Davis, Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke
Kamal Shah, Partner, Stephenson Harwood
Conna Weiner, Arbitrator, Conna Weiner ADR / JAMS