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Specialised Workshop on Advanced Arbitration and Mediation for IP and Technology Disputes

03
September 2025
Time
08:45 AM - 17:30 PM
Category
Event
Location
Boulevard Ballroom, M Floor, Wyndham Grand Doha West Bay Beach
Event Organiser
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre (WIPO AMC)
Qatar International Court (QICDRC)
International Law Association – Gulf Cooperation Council Branch (ILA GCC Branch)
Co-Organisers

This workshop, co-organized by WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre (WIPO AMC) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Qatar International Court (QICDRC) and International Law Association – Gulf Cooperation Council Branch (ILA GCC Branch), focusing on the procedures and services of the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. Designed for legal professionals, judges, corporate counsels, and policymakers, it blends expert presentations, real case studies, and hands-on guidance to build a clear understanding of how to resolve disputes effectively through alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

Alongside global best practices, the program will highlight the growing role of ADR in Qatar and the MENA region, where courts and institutions increasingly use mediation and arbitration to deliver faster, cost-effective, and innovation-friendly outcomes. A central theme will be court-referred mediation, examining how courts encourage parties to mediate, the responsibilities of all stakeholders, and how WIPO’s framework can complement national court systems.

Key topics include WIPO’s mediation and arbitration rules, the roles of parties and mediators, best practices in court-referred mediation, case examples, drafting effective ADR clauses, and regional perspectives on integrating WIPO procedures into domestic and cross-border strategies. Participants will also explore the full journey from negotiation to mediation, core skills for effective resolution, the benefits of mediation, the roles of different actors, the stages of a mediation, deal mediation for commercial agreements, and mechanisms for court-referred mediation.

Led by senior experts from WIPO, international law firms, and regional courts, the workshop provides both procedural insight and practical tools applicable in domestic, regional, and international contexts.

Event Schedule

08:45 - 09:30
Breakfast and Morning Networking (Foyer area)

09:30 – 10:00
Registration

10:00 – 10:30
Opening Remarks by:

  • Faisal Rashid Al Sahouti (CEO of Qatar International Court)
  • Ignacio De Castro Llamas, Director, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

10:30 – 11:00
Session 1: Overview: WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

Session Leader

  • Ignacio De Castro Llamas, Director, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

11:00 – 12:30
Session 2: Intellectual Property and Technology Mediation: The Conduct of Mediations, the Role of the Different Actors, and Court-referred Mediation

Session Leaders

  • Dr. Zain Al Abdin Sharar, Senior Legal Counsel, The Office of the CEO at the Qatar International Court
  • Amer Abu-Sham, Legal Case Manager, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
  • Honorable Judge Dr. Nehad Alhusban, Judge, the Supreme Court of Jordan / Member of the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges
  • Diana Abul Adel, Senior Associate, Al Tamimi & Company, Intellectual Property / Dispute Resolution

12:30 – 13:30
Lunch (Bāzār Restaurant, Ground Floor)

13:30 – 15:15
Session 3: The Conduct of WIPO Arbitration and Expedited Arbitration Proceedings

Session Leaders

  • Amer Abu-Sham, Legal Case Manager, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
  • Jalal El Ahdab, Partner, Dispute Resolution Group, Bird & Bird, Paris, France
  • Hani Al Naddaf, Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution in Qatar, Al Tamimi & Company

15:15 – 16:15
Session 4: Mediation and Arbitration in Practice: Case Examples

Session Leaders

  • Amer Abu-Sham, Legal Case Manager, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
  • Diana Abul Adel, Senior Associate, Al Tamimi & Company, Intellectual Property / Dispute Resolution
  • Hani Al Naddaf, Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution in Qatar, Al Tamimi & Company

16:15 – 17:00
Session 5: Drafting Effective Mediation and Arbitration Clauses for IP and Technology Disputes

Session Leaders

  • Ignacio De Castro Llamas, Director, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
  • Jalal El Ahdab, Partner, Dispute Resolution Group, Bird & Bird, Paris, France
  • Myriam Eid, Head of Arbitration and ADR Practice, Rashed Raja Al-Marri Law Office, Doha, Qatar

17:00 – 17:30
Closing Remarks by:

  • Ignacio De Castro Llamas, Director, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

Speakers

Faisal Rashid Al-Sahouti

Chief Executive Officer

Faisal Rashid Al-Sahouti leads the strategic development and administration of the Qatar International Court, the QFC Regulatory Tribunal and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre. 

Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer, he worked closely with the Court’s senior international judges on case management and projects related to the growth and development of the Court. He is also a member of the Judicial Advisory Board, where he contributes to drafting the laws and regulations of the Court and leads the delivery of the Qatar Law Forum.

Faisal holds a Bachelor of Law from Qatar University and an LL.M. in International Trade Law with Public International Law from Nottingham Trent University in the UK. He is also an accredited mediator by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) in London.  

Ignacio de Castro

Director, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, Geneva, Switzerland

Ignacio de Castro is a Spanish lawyer and an English solicitor. Ignacio holds an LL.M. degree from King's College London. Before joining WIPO in 2002, he practiced with the law firms Baker & McKenzie, London and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, London in the areas of international arbitration and litigation.

Ignacio is responsible for the administration of mediation, arbitration and domain name cases filed with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center and the development and promotion of WIPO alternative dispute resolution (ADR). This includes implementing ADR collaborations concluded with IP, Copyright Offices and Courts, as well as establishing ADR procedures adapted to specific areas of intellectual property.

Amer Abu-Sham

Legal Case Manager WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center

Amer is a member of the New York State Bar and is registered as a trainee advocate with the Jordanian Bar Association. Amer holds an LL.M. from the University of Pittsburgh.  Prior to joining WIPO in 2024, Amer practiced law with major law firms in England and Jordan focusing on international arbitration and commercial disputes.  Additionally, Amer served as a judicial law clerk for a complex commercial litigation judge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and worked as a Lecturer of commercial law at a university in Bahrain, specializing in international dispute resolution and business law.

Amer is responsible for managing cross-border intellectual property and technology disputes, assisting intellectual property stakeholders in establishing ADR procedures adapted to their areas of activities, and raising awareness of WIPO's ADR services globally.
 

Dr. Zain Al Abdin Sharar

Senior Legal Counsel, CEO's Office, QICDRC

DR. ZAIN AL ABDIN SHARAR is Senior Legal Counsel IN the CEO’s Office at the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QICDRC). He has over 23 years’ experience in the legal field.

Prior to joining the QICDRC, Dr. Sharar was the Director of Legal Affairs & Enforcement at the Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA). Dr. Sharar also served for three years on the QFMA’s disciplinary committee.

Dr. Sharar has taught corporate law and corporate governance at a number of Australian universities and has provided advice to board members of several Australian publicly listed companies. He worked at Qatar University for three years as an Assistant Professor of Commercial Law, where her taught companies law and arbitration law. He has also taught commercial law and maritime and aviation law at the Ahmad Bin Mohammed Military College in Qatar and has lectured on many topics at the Legal and Judicial Studies Centre at the Qatar Ministry of Justice.

Dr. Sharar is a certified mediator at the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in London and a qualified practitioner arbitrator at the GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre. He has provided mediation and arbitration services in many commercial and construction cases. He also participates in ADR training programmes. He also has published numerous articles in scholarly journals.

Honorable Judge Dr. Nehad Alhusban

Judge, Supreme Court of Jordan

Judge Nehad Alhusban has been a judge since 2000 and is currently Judge at the Supreme Court of Jordan after serving as the President of the Amman Court of First Instance, as well as a member of the Jordanian Judicial Council.

As an expert and lecturer in intellectual property, she holds a PhD in criminal law from the University of Jordan, as well as a Master's in Comparative Law (LLM), from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. She earned a Master's of Laws (LLM) in Intellectual Property and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University Of Jordan, a Diploma in Law from the Judicial Institute of Jordan, and a Diploma in Small and Medium Enterprises from the Turin Institute in Italy. Judge Alhusban is also a trainer and a member of the Arab Society for Intellectual Property, member of the Moot Court Competition, and a member of numerous committees for law in Jordan.

She is also Members of the WIPO Advisory Board of Judges.

Diana Abu Al Adel

Senior Associate, Al Tamimi & Company, Intellectual Property / Dispute Resolution

Diana Abu Al Adel is a Senior Associate in the Intellectual Property and Dispute Resolution practices in Qatar.

Diana is a qualified lawyer in Jordan since 2007. Before joining AlTamimi & Company, she acted as a Legal Counsel for several years, advising on various IP related matters including drafting and redrafting legal bilingual documents, meeting with clients and providing consultations on IP litigations.

Diana joined AlTamimi & Company in 2016 in Bahrain before moving to Qatar in 2017, bringing valuable regional legal experience to the team which she has gained from working in Jordan, Bahrain and now Qatar.

Diana is specialized mainly in Intellectual Property/Dispute Resolution, including extensive experience in IP litigations, commercial agency and distribution disputes, commercial disputes, and drafting and redrafting bilingual documents including commercial agreements.

Diana regularly advises national and global clients on a variety of complex intellectual property matters including trademark registrations, IP fillings, protection of IP rights, IP disputes, IP due diligence, trademark licenses and company name registrations, and other IP related matters. Diana also regularly advises clients on commercial agency and distribution matters, compliance and tender law matters, cybercrimes and online safety including minors’ cases.

Diana has been included as a Global Leader in the WTR Global Leaders 2024 – Private Practice and ranked as a Recommended Individual in the WTR 1000 rankings for the year 2024.
 

Jalal El Ahdab

Partner, Dispute Resolution Group, Bird & Bird, Paris, France

Jalal El Ahdab is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution Group at Bird & Bird in Paris, heading the firm’s Arbitration Department in France and active in its UAE and soon KSA practices. He has acted as counsel, arbitrator, mediator, or expert in more than 250 cases involving shareholders’ disputes, state-related matters, class actions, joint ventures, and complex commercial issues across Europe, Africa, and the MENA region. His sector experience spans aerospace, energy, telecoms, construction, life sciences, and sports.

He has held leadership and advisory roles in major arbitration institutions, including the ICC International Court and Commission, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, WIPO, VIAC, CIMAC, MARC, and the French Arbitration Association. Jalal is admitted to practice in Beirut, Paris, and New York, and is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.

Myriam Eid

Head of Arbitration and ADR Department, Rashed Raja Al-Marri Law Office, Doha, Qata

Myriam leads the Arbitration and ADR department at Rashid Rajaa Al-Marri Law Office in Doha and has extensive experience in complex construction and technology arbitration disputes across the Middle East and the Gulf, notably Lebanon, Qatar and Saudi Arabia and under various rules, including ICC, LCIA, DIAC and QICCA. She represents construction and technology companies in international arbitration and litigation proceedings and regularly advises on related matters, including contract drafting, claims and claims’ procedures, delays and disruptions, liquidated damages, liquidation of bank guarantees, etc. She has also wide experience in commercial and financial disputes and related criminal proceedings. She further advises on setting aside and enforcement of arbitral awards in Qatar and the Region.

Myriam is a member of the Beirut Bar Association and the ERA Pledge Middle East Sub-committee. She gives lectures since 2012 on international arbitration at university level and is currently a visiting lecturer on international arbitration at the American University of Beirut. She served as a representative for the ICC Young Arbitrators’ Forum - Middle East from 2017 to 2019.
Myriam was featured in the 2024 and 2025 editions of Who’s Who Legal (Lexology Index) - Arbitration Future Leaders and the Legal 500 Arbitration Private Practice Powerlist for the Middle East Region. She was also selected as one of 40 prominent female arbitration practitioners in the Arab World by Lexis Nexis - Middle East (2022). 

Myriam graduated from Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut and holds a Master’s degree in business law from Université Paris 2 – Panthéon Assas.

Myriam is fluent in English, French and Arabic and has contributed to several publications and scholarly articles on arbitration in the MENA region.

Hani Al Naddaf

Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution in Qatar, Al Tamimi & Company

Hani Al Naddaf is a senior litigation and dispute resolution lawyer with over 25 years of experience and heads Al Tamimi’s highly ranked Dispute Resolution team in Qatar. Over the past 11 years, he has built one of the country’s strongest litigation practices, with 13 lawyers consistently recognized in Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.

He is involved in many of Qatar’s most high-profile disputes across construction, commercial agencies, trademarks, debt recovery, employment, and real estate. Renowned for his deep expertise in the Qatari Civil Code and its application to construction and commercial contracts, Hani is regularly retained by leading international firms as local counsel in large-scale international arbitrations under ICC, LCIA, and other rules. He also has full rights of audience before the Qatari courts.

Hani advises major banks (Standard Chartered, HSBC, BNP Paribas, Mashreq, Al Khaliji), global construction companies (Bechtel, Hyundai, Keppel, Qatari Diar, SNC Lavalin), and international corporates (Swatch, Otis, Richemont, Jaguar-Land Rover) on disputes involving finance, performance bonds, agency agreements, and infrastructure projects. He has also provided strategic counsel on significant matters, including an EPIC project with Qatar Petroleum, representing a global solar entity, in an ongoing ICC arbitration matter pertaining to the Ras Laffan solar power PPP project and advising on several contracts relating to a PPP Project Tender for a diversified company in Qatar involved in real estate development, education, property and facility management, restaurants, trading, and manufacturing.

Languages: Arabic, English, French
Education: LL.M. Business Law, University of Montreal (2006); LL.B., Damascus University (1992)
Admission: Bar Admission (1994)
 

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