Bird & Bird Arbitration Week Seminar: Does Your Contract Really Reflect What You Bargained For?

Date Posted:Tue, 3rd Nov 2026

Bird & Bird Arbitration Week Seminar: Does Your Contract Really Reflect What You Bargained For?

You may have heard of the phrase ‘reading the fine print’, but what about understanding the unwritten aspects of a contract? Next Tuesday 10 November, international law firm Bird & Bird will bring together a panel of dispute resolution and in-house legal experts as part of Dubai Arbitration Week.

 

The panel session entitled, “Does your contract really reflect what you bargained for? Beware of the unwritten,” will explore how implied terms, mandatory law, local custom and established practice can influence the interpretation and construction of contracts across different jurisdictions. The panel will also provide insights on key factors that can influence the conduct of the dispute resolution process and the outcome of contract disputes, such as governing law, rules and procedure, and the composition of courts and tribunals.

The panel will feature Bird & Bird lawyers Bill Smith, Head of Dispute Resolution for the Middle East, Sophie Eyre, Co-head of the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Group, and Kimia Kalantarian, Senior Associate; along with Michael Fodor, Deputy Director of Contract and Legal at CSCEC Middle East and Dr. Ahmad Alshorbagy, Partner & Head of International at YFLG.

Designed for business navigating contractual relationships across the Middle East, the session aims to provide practical insights and highlight how the factors surrounding a contract can be just as important as understanding what is written on the page.

Event details: Tuesday 10 November 2026, 08:30–11:00 GST, Bird & Bird Dubai, Level 14, Burj Daman, DIFC. The panel will run from 9-10am, followed by networking.

To secure your place, RSVP here: Dubai Arbitration Week Bird & Bird Event 2026 | RSVP (Prefill).