Hard Talk London - Hosted by WilmerHale

Join WilmerHale and Arbitration Channel for the London edition of the “Hard Talk Alliance” two-panel program.

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM         Breakfast is served

9:30 AM – 9:45 AM         Opening Remarks

• Lauro Parente, Founder, Arbitration Channel
• Danielle Morris, Partner, WilmerHale

9:45 AM – 11:15 AM       First Panel: Arbitration Reality Check: What Foreign Investors Must Consider When Doing Business in Latin America

• Moderator:               Sarah Ganz, Special Counsel, WilmerHale 
• Speakers:                 Marcela Levy, Partner, Lefosse (Brazil)   
                                    José Daniel Amado, Partner, Miranda & Amado (Peru)
                                    Karem Munive, Contract Manager - Legal Counsel, Metro de Lima Línea 2 S.A. (Peru)
                                    Daniel Correa, Managing Director, DAC Consulting

Foreign investment into Latin America continues to expand across energy, infrastructure, mining, telecoms, and complex commercial projects—bringing with it a predictable rise in high‑stakes disputes where arbitration is often treated as the default “safe option.”  This session is designed as a practical reality check for foreign investors (including Asian and Middle Eastern capital): what arbitration in Latin America actually delivers in the real world, and what investors routinely underestimate until a project is already in trouble.

The panel will examine arbitration as a commercial strategy rather than a purely legal proceeding, covering: (i) the decision to threaten vs file arbitration and how timing affects leverage; (ii) contract terms that become decisive once disputes begin (including multi-contract structures, partner dynamics, and state-linked counterparties); (iii) how arbitration choices can impact project continuity, financing, and market access; and (iv) the “long tail” of disputes—settlement drivers, enforcement realities, and when “winning” is not the same as recovering value.  The session will prioritize practical lessons and investor‑relevant takeaways that can be applied at the deal, project management, and risk‑assessment stages of Latin American investments.

11:15 AM – 11:45 AM: Coffee break

11:45 AM – 12:45 PM: Second Panel: Fireside Chat: Running Global Disputes from London – Strategy, Risk, and Reality From An In-House Perspective

• Moderator:               Maria Camila Hoyos, Senior Associate, WilmerHale
• Speaker:                   David Owen, Director – Litigation EME, Barclays Bank PLC

This fireside chat brings together a senior in-house litigation leader for a candid conversation on what it takes to manage complex, high-stakes disputes across jurisdictions from London.  Drawing on extensive experience overseeing disputes across EMEA, the discussion will explore how major disputes arise in a highly regulated sector, how strategic decisions are made between litigation, arbitration and settlement, and how legal strategy is shaped by regulatory, enforcement and reputational considerations.

The session will offer practical insights into dispute management at scale — including decision-making under pressure, coordinating multi-jurisdictional proceedings, and navigating interactions with regulators and counterparties.  It will also highlight what external counsel, tribunals and other stakeholders often underestimate when acting in disputes involving large financial institutions.

Designed for in-house counsel, arbitration and litigation practitioners, funders and dispute resolution professionals, the session offers a realistic and commercially grounded perspective on managing complex disputes from within a global organization from a London base.

12:45 PM – 1:00 PM: Closing Remarks 

• Danielle Morris, Partner, WilmerHale