London International Disputes Week (LIDW) returned from 1–5 June 2026, bringing together the global disputes community to discuss the issues shaping international dispute resolution.
As part of this year’s programme, Mishcon de Reya hosted three sessions at our offices. These covered:
- A fraud mini contempt trial exploring the English Court's draconian powers and the consequences of breaching worldwide freezing injunctions and search orders
- Sanctions at the breaking point, addressing two critical challenges in contemporary sanctions law: freezing measures and seizure in an increasingly fragmented global landscape
- The global war for talent: balancing opportunity and risk in international employee competition disputes
Alongside these hosted events, our lawyers also contributed to several external LIDW panels across the week. Together, the programme illustrated the broad range of disputes issues that our lawyers help businesses and individuals to navigate.
Key takeaways
Would I lie to you?: Wednesday 3 June
Panellists: Naomi Simpson (Mishcon de Reya LLP) Robert Weekes KC (Blackstone Chambers) Madelaine Clifford (Blackstone Chambers) Rhymal Persad (Mishcon de Reya) and Oli Gepfert (Mishcon de Reya)
Our interactive session used a mock contempt trial to explore the practical and evidential issues that arise in fraud-related litigation. It gave attendees a useful insight into how these cases play out in court and the seriousness with which the court approaches alleged breaches and non-disclosure.
The discussion highlighted the importance of credibility, contemporaneous evidence and the inferences the court may draw from a party’s conduct. It also showed how quickly factual issues can become central in contempt proceedings, particularly where asset tracing, document preservation and compliance with court orders are in issue.
A key takeaway was that contempt applications are highly technical, high-stakes proceedings. Success often depends not just on the underlying facts, but on careful preparation, procedural rigour and persuasive advocacy. The session brought to life the strategic challenges involved in these cases and gave the audience a practical sense of how judges assess conduct and evidence in real time.
The global war for talent: Thursday 4 June
Chair: Sir Patrick Elias. Panellists: Susannah Kintish (Mishcon de Reya LLP) Natalie Jones (Mishcon de Reya LLP) Laura Penny (Mishcon de Reya LLP) David Craig KC (Essex Court Chambers) Michael Lee (11KBW)
This session highlighted the fast-moving and often high-risk disputes that arise when businesses seek to recruit teams across borders.
One of the main themes was that these disputes often go beyond the enforceability of restrictive covenants alone. In practice, the real pressure points are frequently urgent injunctive relief, allegations of unlawful means conspiracy, misuse of confidential information and claims aimed at preventing an unfair competitive advantage.
The panel also considered the importance of timing. By the time resignations are formally submitted, many of the critical events may already have taken place. That makes early intervention, document preservation and a clear understanding of litigation risk particularly important for both hiring and departing businesses.
Along with this, another key takeaway was the need to assess risk in a commercially realistic way. Businesses pursuing strategic hires must weigh opportunity against the likelihood of interim applications, multi-party claims and cross-border enforcement issues. The discussion highlighted the need for careful planning, consistent internal communications and a clear strategy from the outset.
The cross-border dimension became another focus of the session, spotlighting on the increasing willingness and necessity to litigate in multiple jurisdictions and the tactical decisions involved in parallel proceedings. The session reinforced the need for employers to think early and manage employee competition disputes as both legal and business-critical issues – bearing in mind that in cross-border disputes, well considered jurisdictional analysis can often be as important as the merits of a potential claim.
Overall, it was a fantastic week, with a great turnout across our hosted events and strong engagement throughout.
Thank you to everyone who joined us during the week. We look forward next year's LIDW and to continuing the conversation in the months ahead.