The Dispute Brief

Day one of the main conference. Lagos. Six sessions, six panels, six completely different conversations - and somehow, by the end of it, they all connected.

In this debrief I take you through the full day at the 10th ICC Africa Conference on International Arbitration. We start with the ICC Court President in conversation with two Nigerian energy executives - and the line about trees that framed everything that followed. We move to t...

I spent today at the ICC Institute of World Business Law Advanced Training on Drafting Enforceable Awards in Lagos - and I am bringing everything back to you.

In this debrief, I cover what the sessions taught about drafting style, the civil law versus common law divide, and the six building blocks every award must contain. I go deep on the sections practitioners get wrong most often - jurisdiction, damages, interest, and costs - inc...

In this Season 1 finale, Augusta Shahin breaks down interim measures in arbitration and explains why success is not just about getting the order, but about whether the order arrives in time, can be enforced, and actually changes the risk. With a practical Nigeria-based lens, this episode looks at tribunal relief, court support, emergency arbitration, enforcement, and the strategic gaps that can make urgent relief ineffective. Relev...

In this episode of The Dispute Brief, Augusta Shahin breaks down bilateral investment treaties, or BITs, in clear practical terms. She explains what BITs actually protect, what they do not protect, and why that matters for arbitrators, mediators, in-house counsel, government lawyers, policy actors, and commercial lawyers working around cross-border investment and regulated sectors.

The episode looks at the difference between contrac...

Most online dispute resolution efforts stumble because they neglect one critical factor: process design. In Nigeria, where the law is supportive but practice still lags, simply moving hearings online can turn efficiency into chaos and risk undermining justice.

Augusta Shahin breaks down precisely what makes online dispute resolution work in Nigeria and what sinks it. You'll discover how legal frameworks support remote arbitratio...

A compelling arbitral award isn't just about winning on the merits, it's about crafting a decision that can stand up to legal challenges long after the hearing ends. But what makes some awards resilient while others falter under scrutiny?
In this episode of The Dispute Brief, Augusta Shahin unveils the secrets behind drafting awards that are built to withstand setting aside motions and enforcement battles in Nigeria’s co...

Most infrastructure disputes don’t start in court they begin the moment a project veers off course. Whether it's a delayed payment, a vague contract clause, or a change in scope, these early signals quietly ignite the conflicts that can balloon into costly arbitration. If you work in energy, construction, or infrastructure, missing these signals means risking months of legal battles and billions in damages.

In this episode, Augu...

This special episode explores the evolving role of women in arbitration and mediation, emphasising how diversity impacts not just fairness but the legitimacy and credibility of dispute resolution systems.

Augusta Shahin guides us through the systemic barriers and opportunities, highlighting the importance of trust, recognition, and systemic change on International Women’s Day.

Key topics:

• The increasing visibility and influence o...

Understanding how to choose the right arbitrator can make or break an entire dispute resolution process, and yet, it’s a decision many overlook until it’s too late. In this episode of The Dispute Brief, Augusta Shahin reveals the critical, often underestimated factors that determine whether arbitration runs smoothly or descends into delay and chaos. If you’re involved in complex disputes; energy, infrastructure, finance, you’ll lea...

Most arbitrations are derailed not by the facts of the case, but by what’s hidden, especially when it comes to third-party funding. If you don’t fully understand what needs to be disclosed and when, you’re risking conflicts, enforcement battles, and costly delays.

In this episode of The Dispute Brief, Augusta Shahin reveals the overlooked complexities of third-party funding disclosure. While Nigeria’s 2023 arbitration law legitimise...

In this episode, Augusta Shahin breaks down a practical framework for assessing when mediation is the right approach for dispute resolution, emphasising the importance of structure, decision-making authority, and understanding the dispute's true nature. This insight helps legal and business professionals avoid time sinks and leverage mediation effectively.

• The fundamental purpose of mediation as a structured negotiation proc...

In Episode 4 of The Dispute Brief, Augusta Shahin explains document production in plain terms for disputes lawyers, in-house counsel, and contract teams.

This episode covers:

• what document production is (and what it is not)

• the IBA approach: targeted requests with reasons, not fishing trips

• what tribunals actually test for: relevance, materiality, possession or control, proportionality, and limits like privilege and confidentiality

• ...

Multi-Door Courthouse sounds like progress. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is a pause button dressed up as progress.

In this episode, Augusta Shahin breaks down what court-connected ADR is meant to do, where it goes wrong in real practice, and how to stop your matter from drifting into endless “we’ll continue settlement” sessions. You’ll hear a simple suitability test, a practical playbook for running referrals like case management, ...

Episode 2 is about urgent relief, when waiting is dangerous, not just inconvenient. Augusta Shahin breaks down the real choice between going to court and using an emergency arbitrator: what each option is good for, what’s mostly hype, and the three questions that decide the right route. If you’re dealing with a threatened guarantee call, asset dissipation, stock diversion, or document destruction, this episode gives you a practical...

A dispute clause can save you months, or hand the other side a delay tool before the real fight even starts. In this episode, Augusta Shahin breaks down five clause mistakes that keep showing up in Nigeria, why they cause side fights over seat, rules, appointments, and service, and the simple fixes that make a clause workable. You will leave with a minimum checklist you can use before you sign any contract. Have a clause you want r...