XXIV Old Buildings co-hosted a number of events throughout London International Disputes Week (LIDW) with fellow LIDW members, providing perspectives on key issues and trends in relation to international commercial dispute resolution.

Many thanks to our co-hosts and fellow organisers – a summary of the week can be found below.

Hot Topics in Aviation Disputes

Bajul Shah and Erin Hitchens recently spoke at a London International Disputes Week (LIDW) 2025 panel, ‘Hot Topics in Aviation Disputes’, hosted by Norton Rose Fulbright, Hausfeld and XXIV Old Buildings.

The panel explained the features of JOLCOs and possible issues that arise during disputes, referencing the latest judgments handed down in FWA v VietJet. Discussions also covered the recent Russian aircraft insurance litigation and interesting issues that arise when considering what types of loss are covered by the relevant insurance policies.

Looking ahead, the panel discussed future litigation trends, identifying possible increasing disputes relating to tariffs, sanctions and supply-chain issues. The panel also touched on the utility of arbitration in aviation disputes as a viable alternative to contentious court proceedings.”

Contentious Insolvency and Restructuring Disputes – a breakfast panel discussion exploring notable developments over the past 12 months

On 5 June 2025, Bajul Shah and Niamh Davis spoke with Simon de Broise and Eleanor Mill from Marriott Harrison on a panel entitled “Contentious Insolvency & Restructuring Disputes: Notable developments in the last 12 months” as part of London International Disputes Week.

The panel discussed some of the latest developments in the Insolvency and Restructuring sphere, including:

  • Contentious restructuring, with a particular focus on the insights to be gained from the Thames Water restructuring (Re Thames Water Utilities Holdings Ltd [2025] EWHC 338 (Ch) and Kington S.A.R.L., Thames Water and another v Thames Water Utilities Holdings and others [2025] EWCA Civ 475) in which Niamh Davis, Simon de Broise and Eleanor Mill acted pro bono for Charlie Maynard MP;
  • The Privy Council decision in Sian Participation Corp (in liquidation) v Halimeda International Ltd [2024] UKPC 16 and the availability of arbitration when a winding up petition is based on a dispute debt which is subject to an arbitration agreement;
  • Liability for fraudulent trading, wrongful trading, and trading misfeasance following the decisions in Re BHS Ltd (in liquidation) [2024] EWHC 1417 and 2166 and Bilta (UK) Ltd (in liquidation v Tradition Financial Services Ltd [2025] UKSC 18;
  • The operation of section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 following the Supreme Court decision in El-Husseiny v Invest Bank PSC [2025] UKSC 4, in which Niamh Davis acted as junior counsel for the appellant; and
  • The effect of foreign orders, in particular discussing whether a foreign bankruptcy order can effect English land, following the decision in Kireeva v Bedzhamov [2024] UKSC 39, and whether a foreign judgment can found a bankruptcy petition, following the decision in Servis-Terminal LLC v Drelle [2025] EWCA Civ 62.

Trusts Hurt: The Fraud Lawyer, the Trust, and the Avenues of Attack (and Defence)

Timothy Sherwin was joined by Tamasin Perkins, Andrew Collins and Tom Denham-Smith of Charles Russell Speechlys to discuss “Trusts Hurt: The Fraud Lawyer, the Trust, and the Avenues of Attack (and Defence)”. The panel discussed what commercial litigators need to know about trusts and estates; issues that arise at the interface between trust and commercial litigation and how to handle those issues.