IBA Litigation Forum Madrid 2026 | Litigators in a Fragmented World

The world has lost its compass: we need to talk about litigators!

International Bar Association | Madrid this week hosts one of the most relevant global gatherings for dispute resolution practitioners: the IBA Annual Litigation Forum, bringing together litigators from multiple jurisdictions to examine the role of litigation in an increasingly fragmented legal and geopolitical environment.

The event was preceded by an opening reception at the Prado Museum, which provided an institutional setting for participants and marked the beginning of three days of strategic discussion in the Spanish capital.

Held from 15 to 17 April at the Four Seasons Madrid, the forum—organised by the Litigation Committee of the International Bar Association—is framed around a deliberately provocative theme: "The world has lost its compass: we need to talk about litigators."

The opening remarks were delivered by Almudena Arpón de Mendívil and Jaime Pérez-Renovales, setting a distinctly institutional and strategic tone.

Arpón de Mendívil underscored the role of the legal profession in preserving trust in dispute resolution mechanisms at a time of increasing pressure on global institutions, framing litigation not only as a technical discipline but as a cornerstone of legal certainty.

Jaime Pérez-Renovales, senior executive vice president of Banco Santander and one of Europe’s most prominent in-house lawyers, brought a perspective shaped by both public and private sector experience. Having served as Secretary-General of the bank and previously held senior positions within the Spanish government, he emphasised the growing interaction between litigation, regulation and geopolitical risk, highlighting that legal practice is increasingly shaped by forces beyond the courtroom.

The first substantive session, "Cross-border disputes in a fragmented world", addressed one of the central challenges facing modern litigators: the tension between globalised economic activity and fragmented legal frameworks.

Chaired by Sandrine Giroud and Rafael Murillo, the panel brought together practitioners from key jurisdictions, including Daniel Birk, Lydia Danon, Lawrence Teh and Johanna Wirth, who examined how litigation strategy is evolving in response to jurisdictional competition, extraterritorial regulation and the growing influence of national security considerations in commercial disputes.

The discussion highlighted the practical consequences of fragmentation, including parallel proceedings, potentially conflicting judgments and increased enforcement risk. In this environment, cross-border litigation requires a more sophisticated and multidimensional approach, combining legal analysis with geopolitical awareness and regulatory coordination, effectively placing litigators within a landscape of competing legal systems.

The subsequent session, "From battlefield to courtroom", explored the long-term legal implications of armed conflict for corporates and financial institutions.

Chaired by Julia Ferraz-Cardoso and Keith Oliver, and featuring Elizabeth Gloster, Dmytro Marchukov, Eliseo Martínez and Marcin Radwan-Röhrenschef, the panel examined how business decisions taken in conflict contexts may generate legal exposure years or even decades later.

The discussion addressed issues such as claims against financial institutions, asset tracing and corporate involvement in conflict-affected regions, emphasising the growing role of litigation as a mechanism of accountability over time.

Panelists also highlighted the increasing interplay between sanctions regimes, asset recovery and civil litigation, as well as the evidentiary challenges inherent in conflict-related disputes, where documentation, digital evidence and cross-border cooperation are critical.

More broadly, the forum underscored that litigation is undergoing a structural transformation, driven both by external fragmentation and internal change, including the adoption of technology, artificial intelligence and data-driven strategies. At the same time, client expectations are evolving, demanding efficiency alongside strategic insight, which is expanding the role of litigators beyond advocacy into forward-looking advisory and risk management functions.

The choice of Madrid as host city reflects its growing position as a hub for international disputes, particularly within the Ibero-American legal space, supported by its legal infrastructure, connectivity and developing arbitration ecosystem.

In this context, the forum serves not only as a platform for technical exchange, but as a space for reflection on the redefinition of the profession, where litigation is increasingly situated at the intersection of law, business and global policy.