A key fixture in the international arbitration calendar, this year’s Alexander Lecture will be delivered by Ciarb’s President, Professor Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab C.Arb FCIArb, who will explore the topic of Arbitrating in an Age of Legal Fracture: Guarding the Realm and System Recalibration. 

Having served in over 280 arbitration cases across continents and contributed to shaping arbitration through roles with the International Court of Arbitration and the International Bar Association, Mohamed is a leading authority within the profession. In 2025, the Alexander Lecture will be a highlight of London Arbitration Week, giving attendees an exclusive opportunity to speak with Mohamed and to network with leading arbitration professionals from around the world who have gathered in London. Ciarb will live-stream the Alexander Lecture, making it a truly global event.  

Limited in-person tickets are available for the Alexander Lecture. Tickets must be purchased to attend in person - £15 for Ciarb members and £50 for non-members.  

If you purchase a ticket to attend in person you will also have access to the live-streamed event at no additional cost. 

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Virtual registration is FREE and discounted rates available for Ciarb Members!

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The topic of this year’s Alexander Lecture will be Arbitrating in an Age of Legal Fracture: Guarding the Realm and System Recalibration.   

The lecture will highlight the challenges posed by fractures and tensions between global, regional, and domestic legal norms and systems, and explore how to remedy the fracture and what it means to ‘guard the realm’ in a fragmented landscape.  

It will also address how international arbitration can recalibrate to preserve the rule of law, foster constructive dialogue, induce trust across borders, and ensure dispute resolution continues to serve all stakeholders, including people and societies. 

President Professor Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab C.Arb FCIArb said: “I see that there is a degree of legal fracture; a tension between global, regional and domestic norms and systems. ‘Guarding the realm’ invites everyone to consider our global landscape as the realm to protect, taking into consideration regional and national interests and aligning them with the international legal order. The present fracture and the existing tension between the global, the regional, and the national do not serve the interests of humanity in the short, medium or long term.  

Guarding the realm also invites the global community of states, non-state actors and all players within the international legal order to rethink approaches to dispute management and resolution. However, the question remains: how can we observe the rule of law and ensure that dialogue continues in a constructive, tolerant manner to the benefit of humanity even when people have different perspectives on the law? How can we adhere to the principles we champion and live by?” 

Ciarb’s Director of External Affairs, Cristen Bauer, said: “Ciarb’s Alexander Lecture is one of the most important moments in the international arbitration calendar, and this year’s address from our President could not be more timely. As legal systems globally are under pressure, his lecture will provide vital insight into how international arbitration can both safeguard the rule of law and adapt to a fractured legal landscape. We look forward to welcoming colleagues from around the world to engage in this critical conversation during London Arbitration Week.” 

Find out more about Ciarb’s President, Professor Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab C.Arb FCIArb.  

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab is Founding Partner & Head of International Arbitration, Construction and Energy at Zulficar & Partners, and Professor of International Arbitration, Private International Law and English Contract Law. He serves on the ICCA Governing Board, is Chair of the ICC Governing Body for Dispute Resolution Services, Dean of the Africa Arbitration Academy, and a Member of the Curatorium of the Hague Academy of International Law. He is also affiliated with numerous leading organisations and institutions, and is a designated by the President of the World Bank Group to serve on the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators.

Prof. Abdel Wahab has served in over 280 arbitration cases across continents, recognized globally as a thought leader, leading arbitrator, expert, and counsel in international investment and commercial arbitration. He has contributed to shaping modern arbitration through his roles with the IBA, ICC, ITA, and many legal innovation bodies worldwide.

His accolades include the 2024 Law Magazine Legal Excellence Award, the 2023 Regional Lawyer of the Year, and Client Choice International Awards (2020–2021). He received the 2018 Swiss Arbitration Association International Arbitration Advocacy Prize and the 2019 AYA Hall of Fame Award in London for the African Arbitrator of 2019. 

He has co-edited seminal works like International Arbitration and the COVID-19 Revolution and Online Dispute Resolution: Theory and Practice. He is also the author of the ‘Abdel Wahab Pandemic Pathway to Virtual Hearings’ nominated for the 2020 Global Arbitration Review Special Award for the COVID-19 Pandemic Response. In 2024, he became the first Arab and African to deliver the UNIDROIT Annual Lecture in Rome and the first African to deliver the Freshfields-QMUL Annual Lecture in London.

He is regularly ranked by Who's Who Legal, Chambers, and Legal 500 as a top-tier arbitrator and thought leader. Peers describe him as “razor sharp,” “exceptionally insightful,” and “one of a kind,” praised for his integrity, deep legal knowledge, and ability to navigate common, civil, and Shari’a law systems with distinction. Chambers & Partners Global (2025) - Dispute Resolution: Arbitration say: “He is one of the finest arbitrators globally. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of international arbitration practice and a tremendous amount of experience in civil and common law cases. He is extremely impressive; very well-prepared. He knows arbitration inside-out and is extremely smart and experienced”. Client Choice International – WWL: Thought Leaders Global Elite (2024) says: "He is globally recognized as one of the leading arbitrators in practice”. 

View previous Alexander Lectures here, including Toby Landau KC C.Arb FCIArb's lecture, which won a GAR Award; International Investment Arbitration and the Search for Depoliticisation, and Claudia Salomon FCIArb's GAR nominated lecture, 'Guardian, Gatekeeper or Guide?'

Our prestigious Alexander Lecture was founded in recognition of the contribution of former Ciarb President John Russell Willis Alexander (1897-1985) to alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Ciarb's lecture is considered one of the most prestigious and highly anticipated events in the ADR calendar.