Sir Robin Knowles CBE is delivering the Roebuck Lecture on 18 June 2025, and the title is ‘Damages and Remedies – Responsibilities and Reputation’. We catch up with him about his upcoming and highly anticipated lecture.

What made you choose damages as your topic for the Roebuck Lecture?

Three things. First, reflecting on what happened with damages in P&ID v Nigeria. Second, my discussion in the last few years with those who contribute expert evidence in arbitrations internationally. And third, the vast size of some awards, and the consequences (for all parties).

Ethics and integrity are often held up as integral to the role of arbitration - is this still the case?

Yes - without them any form of dispute resolution cannot succeed in the end.

What can arbitrators do to uphold reputations - theirs, and that of institutions?

Explore together and with others (including judges) that very question.

As you say, some awards have become vast and the consequences for that are far-reaching. Do you think this is going to continue to be the case? 

Yes - and that is why we need more understanding of what is involved.  

What do you think the future of arbitration holds? Is it a positive one?

Arbitration is an essential form of dispute resolution. From that foundational point, beyond question, its future can be very positive. But only if we recognise the complexity and commit the hard work to achieve a positive future.

Your lecture will also touch on responsibility - is there consensus on who is responsible for what within an arbitration, or is that open for healthy discussion?

We still have work to do to answer the hard parts of the question of who is responsible for what in an arbitration. Users might be surprised to know that.

Users will expect us to sort this out. Healthy discussion and challenge, including that convened or led by institutions, is imperative. With frankness and effort we can get there.

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

I feel gratitude not pride. The greatest pleasure is when I see the legal community come together to do something good – from pro bono legal work, to sharing best practice, to supporting the next generation, to furthering the rule of law.

In your opinion, what is the role of institutions like Ciarb in ADR? 

To convene, to encourage, to confront, to lead. And to explain. To keep asking how we can do better.

And finally, what are you most looking forward to about delivering your upcoming Roebuck Lecture?

The privilege of sharing some thoughts with a profession I believe in.

The Roebuck Lecture will be delivered in-person at Ciarb Headquarters in London and streamed live for our global audience.

For members, it’s £15 for an in-person ticket, and non-members, it’s £50 a ticket. It’s free to stream the event.

To register for the event, please click this link.

Sir Robin Knowles CBE is a Judge of the High Court of England & Wales. He sits principally in the Commercial Court, where he decided Nigeria v P&ID.

Accountable to an international Steering Group, Sir Robin is the judge with day-to-day responsibility for the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts (SIFoCC). He is a member of the Financial Markets Law Committee and its governing board.

Sir Robin has a career-long involvement in the encouragement and coordination of legal pro bono work, nationally and internationally, and chairs the board of the National Pro Bono Centre.