April 17, 2025
Secretariat was a proud supporting partner of Paris Arbitration Week (PAW) 2025. The event, which took place from April 7 to 11, brought together more than 10,000 arbitration practitioners from 135 countries. We were thrilled to participate in dynamic discussions and share our passion and expertise with the international arbitration community.
During the week-long symposium, our experts hosted panels exploring ongoing challenges and emerging trends across various arbitration topics, including infrastructure claims, sports arbitration, and construction disputes. On the final day, we were honored to be recognized as the #1 Expert Witness Firm in the GAR 100 Expert Witness Firms’ Power Index 2025.
Here are the highlights from our time at PAW 2025.
Directors Etienne Berge and Nicolas Noyer commenced Secretariat’s PAW participation, speaking on a panel titled “The Challenges of Claims in the Infrastructure Sector — Current Trends and Comparative Perspectives by Counsel, Experts and Arbitrators from Around the World.”
The Secretariat-hosted panel featured prominent arbitrators, lawyers, and quantum and delay experts from Asia, North America, and the UK. Drawing on their unique experience of working with clients across various industries and continents, Etienne and Nicolas joined panelists Elodie Dulac (King & Spalding), Philippe Boisvert (Borden Ladner Gervais LLP), and Jean-François Le Gal (Pinsent Masons) in discussing emerging and existing trends in construction claims. The experts provided insights into how construction claims are dealt with in their different geographies, comparing:
We were grateful to share valuable perspectives, learn from the diverse experience of our esteemed colleagues, and discuss innovative ways to navigate emerging and ongoing challenges in construction claims.
Associate Directors Shalabh Gupta and Amran Nawaz analyzed the intersection of law, finance, and sports during the “The Business of Sports: Navigating Investment, Regulation, and Disputes” panel discussion.
This panel, also hosted by Secretariat, brought together leading arbitrators, lawyers, and financial experts to examine the evolving landscape of business and disputes across professional sports. Drawing on their experience working with clients across various sports, industries, and continents, the panelists provided insights into the intricate financial, commercial, and regulatory matters shaping professional sports.
We enjoyed comparing commercial and sports arbitration and exploring how dispute resolution in sports can learn from challenges faced in other industries. Thank you to our fellow panelists — Steven Bainbridge (Greenberg Traurig), Jeffrey Benz (4 New Square Chambers), Shamin Choudhury (Linklaters), and William Sternheimer (Court of Arbitration for Sport).
On Thursday afternoon, Managing Director Oliver Barnes participated in the Global Arbitration Review (GAR) Live: Construction Disputes panel “Family Fortunes or Family Feuds?”
Oliver joined Aarta Alkarimi (Chrysalis), Liam Hart (Reed Smith LLP), Douglas Jones (independent arbitrator), Peter Rosher (Reed Smith LLP), and David Thomas (Keating Chambers) to discuss the pros and cons of disputes involving NEC contracts and examine if and how NEC contracts may deliver fewer disputes, greater cost clarity, and improved collaboration.
On Thursday evening, we attended the 15th Annual GAR Awards. During the event, Secretariat was named as the #1 Expert Witness Firm in the Global Arbitration Review (GAR) 100 Expert Witness Firms’ Power Index 2025, earning the top-ranking spot for the second consecutive year.
The Secretariat team attending the event included Mike Saulsbury, Eric Guyer, Alexandre Riviere, John Little, Natasha Willicombe, Howard Rosen, Nick Child, Travis Taylor, Shane Kennett, Björn Brand, and Oliver Barnes.
This award reflects our experts’ steadfast commitment to providing objective insights, impactful testimony, and exceptional client service in the most complex, high-value arbitrations.
Managing Directors Michael Koenig and David Craig, writing in the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Magazine, examine the accelerating rise of ephemeral messaging and its growing impact on compliance, investigations, and litigation.
New York and California Step Forward as Federal Enforcement Retreats
As federal regulatory priorities narrow under the Trump administration, state attorneys general and financial regulators are preparing to take on a more active role in white collar and securities enforcement. With the DOJ and the SEC recalibrating their focus, states such as New York and California are asserting their authority to fill gaps in corporate oversight.
Policy News and Stock Market Volatility
When it comes to explaining stock market volatility, the story is rarely straightforward. In their article Policy News and Stock Market Volatility for the Journal of Financial Economics, Director Kyle Kost and coauthors Scott R. Baker, Nicholas Bloom, and Steven J. Davis revisit Robert Shiller’s 1981 finding that stock market fluctuations cannot be fully explained by realized future dividends.