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October 15, 2026

Join us at Norton Rose Fulbright's Houston office for a discussion of the broader energy value chain, connecting the technical, commercial, and legal aspects of the industry, including the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. Luis Rey of Baker & O’Brien will provide an overview of the technical and operational aspects of the oil and gas industry, while Lindsey Raspino of ConocoPhillips, Will Russell of Reed Smith and Denton Nichols of Norton Rose Fulbright will provide commentary on the legal and commercial considerations that arise across the value chain. Drawing on their experience, they will discuss how legal issues intersect with technical operations and explore the opportunities, risks, and evolving business challenges companies face at each stage. Networking reception to follow.

This program has been approved for 1.0 General CLE credit in Texas and 1.0 Professional Practice credit in New York.

This program is free for CPR Institute members and CPR neutrals. All others $75. Please make sure to register in advance for the appropriate ticket if you wish to attend.

Two Programs in Brazil

This program, hosted by Banco do Brasil (BB) and co-presented by the Petrobras, Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU), the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), and other leading public and private sector institutions, brings together senior leaders from government, state-owned enterprises, the judiciary, the legal community, and industry to explore how Brazil can strengthen dispute prevention and modernize dispute resolution.
Thank you supporting organizations, Studio Mater, NELD, and SanFran Law Innovation Lab.

Speakers and Co-Facilitators will include:

Alexandre Gonçalves Corrêa Frizoni, Banco do Brasil

Dr. Ana Paula Severo, AGU

Carol Hannud, Studio Mater

Clara Rachel Barros Nitão, Attorney General’s Office

David Cohen, Petrobras

Denis Campos Braz, Banco do Brasil

Eduardo Perazza, Machado Meyer

Knar Nahikian, CPR Institute

Marina Tanner de Abreu Gomes, Banco do Brasil

Sílvio Caracas, TCU

Learn More

Join us for the program, "Building Better Arbitrations: A Collaborative Forum for In-House Counsel and Arbitration Stakeholders," as part of a special presentation by CPR's Brazilian Advisory Board for São Paulo Arbitration Week on October 22. Thank you to our sponsors, White & Case and Alvarez & Marsal.

Immediately following the program presentation, join us in White & Case's garden for a full networking reception to exchange perspectives with fellow attendees, meet the CPR Brazilian Advisory Board, and learn more about the CPR Institute and its important initiatives in Brazil!

Speakers:

Knar Nahikian of CPR Institute, Michelle Grando of White & Case, André Cavalcanti of Shell Brasil, Alexandra Frigotto of ArcelorMittal Brasil, Marcelo Cunha of Suzano, Marcela Süssekind Veríssimo of TotalEnergies EP Brasil, Arthur Gonzalez Cronemberger Parente of Mattos Filho, Gisela Ferreira Mation of Machado Mayer, Leonardo Florencio of Alvarez & Marsal, Simon Braithwaite of Vertex, José Emilio Nunes Pinto, Independent Arbitrator, Flavia Foz Mange, Independent Arbitrator

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 member peers. The Thursday, November 5 call will feature a discussion on third-party subpoenas, managing them, and related issues such as data collection.

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).

This program is free for CPR Institute members!

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.

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

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, 2026, 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.

We are thrilled to welcome two new Board members to the CPR Institute Board of Directors as we continue shaping the future of dispute prevention and resolution:

Heather French, Chief Legal and Risk Officer and Secretary at Principal Mineral Co. Inc.

Laura Harris, Partner, Business Litigation, King & Spalding

French is a business-focused legal executive and board advisor with extensive experience guiding global public and private companies to accelerate growth. She previously served as Chief Legal Officer at Global Healthcare Exchange and as Deputy General Counsel at The Western Union Company.

Harris’s practice focuses on the intersection between complex litigation and white-collar investigations. She has litigated on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants in the financial services, technology, and energy industries, with a focus on commercial, antitrust, market manipulation, and securities fraud litigation.

Meet our distinguished Board of Directors:

Board of Directors

The Brazilian Advisory Board Meeting will take place on October 23, in São Paulo, hosted by Souto Correa. Attendance is limited to Brazilian Advisory Board members, Y-ADR Steering Committee (Brazil) members, and invited guests only.

The Houston Advisory Board will meet on Tuesday, October 27, hosted by Norton Rose Fulbright. Attendance is limited to Houston Advisory Board members only.

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

Committee & Leadership Form

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, Anonymous Donor, Debevoise & Plimpton, DLA Piper, Econic Partners, White & Case, and Barbi.

Speakers at the 4th annual AAD-NY will include:

Professor Makane Moïse Mbengue

Mark W. Friedman, Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton

Marco de Sousa, Partner at HSF Kramer (South Africa)

Zawadi Lemayian, Partner at Econic Partners

Jacqueline (Jackie) Oyuyo Githinji, Managing Partner at Umsizi LLP (Kenya)

The conference will run from 1:15 to 6 p.m. and include two substantive panels (CLE pending) and a cocktail reception with hors d'oeuvres.

Learn More

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 October Alternatives to the High Cost of Litigation—our second expanded double issue in a row—features hot topics like the latest on the arbitration and dispute resolution issues in energy deals, two Supreme Court arbitration articles, the second of two parts by Christopher Honeyman and Adrian Borbély on how conflict resolution practitioners can use their skills to address the dangers of Hybrid Warfare.

And much more in the new issue on the fine points of artificial intelligence in ADR, as well as three regular columns on mediation practice, dispute prevention, and international mediation practice.

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