Two partners and an associate have joined Withers from Pierce Bainbridge in New York and Los Angeles, while Reed Smith has recruited a Miami-based Brazilian disputes expert.

Skadden has made up 13 new partners across its global practice. Of the six lawyers on the contentious side, five are based in the USA and one is based in the UK.

With a programme that resolutely looks forward, Hong Kong’s Arbitration Week anticipates an intriguing future, one that values Asian opportunities and aligns an international outlook with an integrated approach to Chinese sensibilities, from the Greater Bay Area to the Belt & Road Initiative – but against a backdrop of fierce political controversy.

Model Law reform, the practicalities of third-party funding, assessing the true value of a claim, rethinking investor-state dispute settlement and a masterclass on cybersecurity provided the afternoon’s digest of CDR’s Autumn Arbitration Symposium. Part two of a two-part report.