News and insights

Cherie Blair CBE QC presents the 2020 Roebuck Lecture for CIArb – Getting ahead of the curve: How arbitration can better meet the needs of parties, people and planet

12th June 2020

Thursday 11 June 2020 saw Cherie Blair CBE QC, Omnia Strategy’s Chair, deliver the annual Roebuck Lecture to CIArb. There was a particular poignancy to this year’s lecture due to the passing of Professor Derek Roebuck MCIArb in April, and the event was a tribute to his life and the enduring legacy he has left behind, both to CIArb and to the wider world of arbitration.

In that spirit, this was a truly pioneering year for the lecture as it was conducted entirely online and was open to the entire ADR community worldwide, free of charge. Over 1600 delegates, from around the world registered to attend with many thoughts and questions submitted for the Q&A that followed the lecture.

Not only did this encapsulate the resourcefulness and ingenuity with which our profession has adapted to the current pandemic; it was also a tangible manifestation of the themes of adaptability, innovation and change addressed by Cherie in the lecture.

The subject, Getting ahead of the curve: How arbitration can better meet the needs of parties, people and planet was selected prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A full transcript of the lecture text can be found in downloadable pdf form below and via the link here:

The CIArb website and news feed surrounding the event, topics discussed and pictures can be found via the following link here: