Indian, foreign law firms, judges and lawyers come together for third edition of MCIA India ADR Week 2023

The third edition of the India ADR Week (IAW) 2023 was held across Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi between October 9 and 14.

The Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA) led the organization of IAW, with support from more than 20 institutions from India and around the world, including 19 law firms and 10 organizations.

IAW spanned over six days and featured the engagement of over 150 speakers and 600 participants, with over 20% of the participants and speakers hailing from international jurisdictions.

In conjunction with IAW, MCIA also conducted India's inaugural Tribunal Secretary program, where trainers from India and overseas provided training for the cohort.

Keynote addresses were delivered by a lineup of speakers, including Justice Vikram Nath of the Supreme Court, Justice (retired) Ravindra Bhat, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court Prasanna B Varale, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Justice (retired) S Muralidhar, Zia Mody, and Constantine Partasides.

Senior Partner at AZB Vijayendra Pratap Singh said in a press release,

"IAW has come of age, and stamped its calling card as a pan India disputes event. Further, its support from judges, arbitrators, firms (domestic and international) and practitioners is evident from their participation in the events. A strong mix of speakers coupled with an interesting and provocative set of topics made the week truly engaging for all those who attended it. MCIA is definitely India’s glocal champion."

Executive Director, Legal (Asia Pacific & Japan, Service Provider) at Cisco Navneet Hrishikesan remarked,

"The India ADR Week plays a stellar role in showcasing the recent trends and approaches being developed in the field and this year also, it didn’t disappoint. For India’s successful growth, we need ADR to be adopted successfully."

Paula Hodges, KC, head of the global arbitration practice at Herbert Smith Freehills, also shared her perspective on the event, stating,

"The final conference in Delhi was beautifully organised and jam-packed with thought-provoking panel discussions. The deep experience of the Indian legal community in international arbitration was certainly demonstrated and there was plenty of positive news for companies looking to invest in India."

The event witnessed the participation of both domestic and international speakers and participants in a total of 35 sessions, including those on:

• ChatGPT and AI in Arbitrations: flavour of the month, or definitive use case?

• Beyond Blockchain: Resolving crypto disputes through International Arbitration

• Pleading damages in International Arbitration - What do tribunals like to see?

• Role of GCs in running efficient and effective Arbitration proceedings

• Intersection of Arbitration and Insolvency - The Indian perspective

• Early dismissal in Arbitration proceedings - Is India Ready?

• Disclosure and Arbitrator challenges – Where do we stand after Halliburton?

• Enforcing Arbitral Awards in India – What can foreign parties really expect?

The sessions were hosted by various law firms and organisations including PwC, Trilegal, AAA - ICDR, Allen & Overy, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, Young ITA, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Masin, Young MCIA, Accuracy, IAF, Young Arbitral Women Practitioners, FTI Consulting, Debevoise & Plimpton, Trilegal, JSA, Selendy Gay Elsberg, Bharucha & Partners, AIAC, Skrine, Twenty Essex, Saraf & Partners, PSL Advocates & Solicitors, IPBA and LinkLaters.

Other firms associated with the event as sponsors included Dentons Link Legal, J Sagar Associates, Economic Laws Practice, Deloitte, 39 Essex Chambers, Ernst & Young, IndusLaw, Secretariat, Singularity Legal, Archeus Law, American Arbitration Association – International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Masin, AZB & Partners and Osborne Partners. Teres was the transcription partner for the event.