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October 29, 2026

Registration is officially open for the CPR Institute 2027 Annual Meeting in New Orleans,
Feb. 3-5, at the JW Marriott!

Join CPR Institute’s community, including counsel from Microsoft, Amgen, ConocoPhillips, LyondellBasell, and other leading companies, for the premier ADR thought leadership conference of the year!

Registration includes access to 8 CLE Panels covering AI Use Cases in Dispute Resolution, Findings from a Commercial Mediation Survey, the Global Counsel Dispute Prevention Playbook, Ethics in Arbitration, and much more.

Ample networking opportunities will be available, including daily Dine-Arounds, events to explore New Orleans, and the CPR Institute's 50th Anniversary Celebration Reception!

Legal privilege is one of the most fundamental protections afforded to those seeking legal advice. Yet as in-house lawyers and firms increasingly rely on AI for research, drafting, investigations, and compliance activities, new questions are emerging about confidentiality, disclosure risk, and the protection of communications with AI tools.

Hosted by Three Crowns and presented by CPR Institute's European Advisory Board, this program will explore how AI is reshaping the basic tenets of legal privilege analysis across jurisdictions, with a particular focus on European perspectives and cross-border matters. Panelists will discuss emerging legal developments, practical safeguards, and strategies for law firms and legal departments seeking to embrace AI while maintaining client trust and confidentiality.

The Corporate Counsel Connection is a regularly recurring opportunity for in-house counsel at CPR Institute member companies, as well as individual corporate counsel members, to connect and network with like-minded peers via candid, member-led conversations.

The Thursday, November 5 call at 11 a.m. ET will feature a discussion on third-party subpoenas, managing them, and related issues such as data collection, in addition to other member-submitted topics.

Y-ADR and CPR's Investment Disputes Joint Subcommittee of the Arbitration Committee and Banking and Financial Services Alliance invite you to a program on how geopolitical developments are affecting investment disputes from the emergence of a claim through the arbitration and enforcement process.

Speakers:

Paola Ramirez, Partner, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, McMillan LLP

Kabir Duggal, Ph.D., SJD, Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, and a CPR Distinguished Neutral

Katie Gonzalez, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Karthik Nagarajan, Assistant General Counsel - International Litigation, Kimberly-Clark

CPR’s Y-ADR Steering Committee is proud to present the second edition in "The Modern Lawyer Series," a multi-part series for all experience levels, covering practical skills every lawyer needs today. Focused on practical lawyering skills, the program will provide techniques for client counseling, risk communication, and strategic decision-making that attorneys can apply when advising clients and assessing options in complex disputes.

Speakers:

Y-ADR Moderator: Rutger Metsch, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP

Marjorie Corman Aaron, Attorney & Professor Emerita, Just Decisions

Donny Surtani, Independent Arbitrator, Mediator, Counsel

Sponsored by CPR’s Y-ADR Steering Committee.

This program is suitable for experienced attorneys (non-transitional) and is pending approval for 1.0 credit NY CLE* in the category of Skills (New York State).

Join us at Davis Polk's NYC office at 1 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, just ahead of NY Arbitration Week. This program is open to the public and free to CPR Institute members and CPR Neutrals.

Sponsored by CPR Institute's Dispute Prevention Committee, speakers will present on the use of CPR's Dispute Management Board Rules and how they may be used to manage conflict during the life of a project, whether it be the construction of a facility, a long-term contract, or any commercial relationship that could benefit from a standing board empowered to make interim decisions to move the relationship to the next step.

Speakers:

Duncan MacKay, Deputy General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at Eversource Energy & CPR Institute Council Member

DeAndra Roaché, Arbitrator & Mediator at Cynergis Dispute Resolution Services

CPR Institute President Serena Lee will be joined by Mia Levi, CPR Dispute Resolution Services, for the upcoming NAPABA Convention in Los Angeles for a program entitled “Behind the Curtain: What Really Happens in Mediation & Arbitration.”

Those attending the NAPABA Convention on Friday, November 13, will enjoy an interactive, entertaining, and informative program where, in 75 minutes, attendees will get a peek into what mediators, arbitrators, and ADR providers are thinking through a lively, truncated mock mediation and arbitration simulation. Serena and Mia will be joined by a wonderful cast of speakers, who will embody their respective roles as clients, advocates, mediation and arbitration administrators and neutrals.

Learn more

CPR Dispute Resolution Services is proud to present: "The User Imperative and the In-House Perspective: Recalibrating Arbitration Across the Americas" at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, November 16, as part of New York Arbitration Week, in collaboration with Bermudes Advogados.

This in-person program will take place at Mayer Brown's office located at 1221 6th Ave, New York, NY 10020. As part of NYAW, this event is open to the public and free to attend.

Join us for the CPR Institute's Africa Arbitration Day - New York taking place on November 19 at the King and Spalding offices in New York! Thank you to our sponsors King & Spalding, Debevoise & Plimpton, DLA Piper, Econic Partners, White & Case, and Barbri.

We are excited to announce Panel 1: Arbitrating Energy Disputes in Africa, which explores recent trends in African energy arbitration and the impact that evolving regulatory frameworks, state reforms, energy-security priorities, and the transition agenda may have on future investment and dispute resolution across the continent.

Moderated by Efat Elsherif, White & Case LLP

Zawadi Lemayian, Econic Partners

Marco de Sousa, HSF Kramer

Mark Friedman, Debevoise & Plimpton

Thomas Voisin, King & Spalding

AAD-NY will include an arbitration moot for students, two substantive panels (CLE pending), a coffee break, and a cocktail reception with hors d'oeuvres.

This in-person program will precede the CPR Annual Meeting and will be held at the JW Marriott New Orleans, located at 614 Canal Street. Following the program, Wednesday evening will be a reception with the CPR Board and Annual Meeting 2027 attendees.

Speakers:

Michael Lewis, Mediator, Arbitrator, and Neutral - JAMS

Linda Singer, Mediator, Arbitrator, and Allocation Neutral - JAMS and CPR Distinguished Neutral

This public program is a paid ticketed event. Admission for CPR Institute Members and CPR Neutrals is $995. All others: $1,295. The ticket includes lunch for both days and access to the reception. Please register in advance for the appropriate ticket if you wish to attend.

The European Advisory Board Meeting will take place on November 3, in London, hosted by LALIVE. Attendance is limited to European Advisory Board members, Y-ADR Steering Committee (Europe) members, and invited guests only.

CPR’s Rules Revision Committee will be meeting biweekly/every other week, starting
November 4, to review and update CPR’s Administered Arbitration Rules and International Administered Arbitration Rules, both of which were last updated in 2019. This committee is by invite only.

CPR Institute Members may join a Committee, Industry Alliance, or Task Force and apply for a leadership position using the form below.

Committee & Leadership Form

The CPR Institute’s Awards Program honors outstanding scholarship and practical achievement in the field of alternative dispute resolution. Award criteria focus on processes, techniques, systems, commitment, and scholarship that address the resolution, prevention, or creative management of major disputes involving public or business institutions, including between corporations, between government and corporations, or among multiple parties.

Send electronic file nominations (in PDF or Word format), via email to Helena Tavares Erickson, SVP, CPR Institute & Corporate Secretary at herickson@cpradr.org.

Awards Submission

The 10th Anniversary of CPR's International Mediation Competition (IMC) will be hosted once again by Insper at its state-of-the-art campus in beautiful São Paulo (Brazil). A leading international mediation competition held in Latin America, this annual event demonstrates CPR’s commitment to promoting mediation across the globe while also showcasing the leadership of the Brazilian community in hosting this marquee program.

1. Experienced mediators are invited to serve as judges for the IMC to

a. judge the written statements (no travel required) and/or

b. judge the live mediation sessions (attend in-person in São Paulo).

To indicate your interest and availability, please complete the IMC Judges Form.

2. Creative writers are invited to join the IMC Problem Writing Team, led by Roberto Baumgarten Kuster, of Faleck & Associados.

3. Sponsorships are available now! View our sponsorship options here.

Learn More

The CPR Institute is thrilled to welcome Francisco Franco as our newest individual practitioner member.

Francisco Franco’s practice focuses on international arbitration and international disputes. He has experience in investor-state and commercial arbitrations relating to various sectors, such as mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and construction.

Welcome to the CPR Institute community, Francisco!

Explore the advantages of membership at the CPR Institute:

Learn More

The expanded November issue of Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation features

Worldly Perspectives columnist Giuseppe De Palo on how the choice for a new U.N. Secretary-General—to be announced at any moment—will need strong mediation and conflict resolution skills.

Columnist Kate Vitasek’s Back to School on Dispute Management begins a new multi-issue focus on assessing organizational venture partners with a dispute-prevention orientation.

CPR News reports on a CPR Dispute Resolution Services event, “AI in Arbitration Conference Explores Governance, Ethics, and the Tools.” On the cover, Reflective Practice champion/mediator/author Michael Lang and his co-authors discuss how the field has developed and serves commercial conflict resolution practitioners. And there is much more in the November 2026 issue.

Alternatives is accessible to CPR Institute members directly through the website at cpradr.org/alternatives-newsletter. Members must be logged in to their CPR Institute user account to access each issue.

Read Alternatives