Young ICCA Cross-Examination Workshop

Young ICCA is pleased to announce the upcoming Cross-Examination Workshop, taking place on Thursday, 4 December 2025, from 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm, as part of London Arbitration Week.

The workshop will consist of two parts:

Interactive Training Session

In the first segment, participants will work in teams of two to analyse mock damages expert reports, prepare cross-examination outlines, and conduct a short cross-examination of an expert witness in a realistic hearing setting, with guidance and feedback from experienced practitioners.

The interactive session will feature the following arbitrators:

• Myfanwy Wood (Ashurst)
• Sarah Morreau (A&O Shearman)
• Zeslene Mao (WilmerHale)
• Shreya Aren (Debevoise & Plimpton)
• Matthew Chan (Twenty Essex)
• Zsofia Young (Arbitration Chambers)
• Camilla Gambarini (Withers)
• Michael Arada Greenop (WilmerHale)
• Tomas Vail (Vail Dispute Resolution)

• James Hayton (LK Law)

   

And the following experts, from The Brattle Group and HKA:

The Brattle Group:

• Bennet Berger
• Serena Hesmondhalgh
• Benjamin Lawrence
• Ilinca Popescu
• Jack Stirzaker

• Tania Tholot

   

HKA:

• Jennifer Carnegie
• Anthony Charlton
• David Oni
• Olesya Prantyuk
• Tony Mauritz

• Eloi Bourgin

   

Participants interested in joining the interactive session are invited to register via the link provided, as spaces are limited. Registered participants will receive the materials approximately one week before the event.

Cross-Examination Showcase

The second segment will feature a live cross-examination showcase, during which more experienced practitioners will examine experts before a tribunal of distinguished arbitrators.

The Showcase will feature:

Tribunal

• Maanas Jain (Outer Temple)
• Sophie Nappert (3VB)
• Arne Fuchs (Ashurst)

Cross-Examiners

• Kieran McCarthy (Gateley Legal)
• Shanelle Irani (WilmerHale)

Testifying Experts

• Serena Hesmondhalgh (Brattle)
• Anthony Charlton (HKA)

Networking

A drinks reception will follow the workshop, offering an opportunity for informal discussion and networking.

We extend our sincere thanks to Katrine Tvede (Ashurst / Young ICCA Co-Chair), Jadranka Jakovcic (Young ICCA Co-Director of Events), Maanas Jain (Young ICCA Advisory Board), Godwin Tan (A&O Shearman), Zil Shah (GE Renewable Energy), Rumen Cholakov (3VB) and Michaela Apostol (Independent practitioner) of the Organizing Committee for their invaluable support in making this event possible.

Post-event report

Reported by James Hughes (Ashurst)

The Young ICCA Workshop on Cross-Examination of Experts was held on December 4th, 2025, at Ashurst LLP, in London, United Kingdom. 

This workshop offered practical advice and tips on cross-examination of expert witnesses. Observers were afforded the opportunity for a fly-on-the-wall experience of experts being cross-examined. Meanwhile, counsel and experts in attendance were afforded the opportunity to flex their arbitral muscles. 

The workshop was welcomed with remarks from a veteran expert witness, Geoffrey Senogles, forensic accountant and Partner at Senogles & Co. 

Mr Senogles addressed the question of 'Effective Cross Examination', drawing upon his extensive experience of arbitration and litigation testimony having appeared before the ICJ; ICSID; ICC; PCA; UNCITRAL; LCIA; Swiss Rules; Stockholm Chamber of Commerce; Supreme Court of Gibraltar; London High Court; TAS/CAS Tribunal d'Arbitrage du Sport; Iran-US Claims Tribunal and the United Nations Compensation Commission. 

Mr Senogles emphasised that no cross-examination could be considered effective without being tailored to the presiding tribunal, and that failure to engage with said tribunal, categorically, could not be considered effective cross-examination. Mr Senogles explained that counsel ought to focus their attention on methodologies, evidence, and the credibility of experts in their cross-examination in order to expose weaknesses. Mr Senogles rounded off his remarks by urging attendees to think of cross-examination as a collaborative process - rather than a combative one - which lends itself to aggressive examination styles.

Following Mr Senogles remarks, attendees broke out into mock cross-examination sessions. Each session involved an arbitral tribunal (comprised of seasoned practitioners), young practitioners acting as counsel, and expert witnesses acting as party-appointed experts. The counsel teams conducted both a cross and redirect examination of the expert witnesses. The mock case study for the evening was set in the context of the Entertainment Industry and Cinemas. Once the sessions were complete, the participants received invaluable feedback from their respective tribunals.

The workshop then culminated in a grand finale - the Cross Examination Showcase. The showcase began with an introduction from Katrine Tvede, Young ICCA Co-Chair and Senior Associate at Ashurst LLP, who gave her 'sales-pitch' for the Young ICCA organization and its role in opening doors for young practitioners to access its global knowledge network. Ms Tvede particularly praised the Young ICCA's global events program, including the 2025 Paris retreat and other mentoring initiatives. Ms Tvede remarked that these were incredibly rewarding opportunities for young practitioners to hear war stories, gain contacts, and develop their skills.

The Showcase was based on the same mock case study set within the Entertainment Industry, with each expert and counsel being allocated a role for the night. 

The showcase featured the following:

The Tribunal

Arne Fuchs, (Ashurst LLP's Global Head of International Arbitration), Maanas Jain (Outer Temple Chambers) and Sophie Nappert (3 Verulam Buildings).

Counsel

Michael Greenop (Wilmerhale) and Kieran McCarthy (Gateley).

Experts

Serena Hesmondhalgh (Brattle) and Anthony Charlton (HKA).

Mr Greenop cross-examined Ms Hesmondhalgh. He began by seeking to draw out inconsistencies and weaknesses in her fictional academic record and professional experience. Mr Greenop wanted to cast doubt on her suitability to perform expert analysis in company valuation. Ms Hesmondhalgh was calmness personified in defending these faux-credentials on the night. Mr Greenop sought to encourage Ms Hesmondhalgh to make concessions wherever she had made certain assumptions, such as in her calculation of damages. Furthermore, Mr Greenop questioned the credibility of the data Ms Hesmondhalgh's character had been afforded. Mr Greenop identified that Ms Hesmondhalgh was reliant on data provided by her client, such as that relating to the cost of goods sold. Ms Hesmondhalgh rose to the occasion in playing her role and consistently offered clear explanations as to the methodologies her character had employed. 

Mr McCarthy then cross-examined Mr Charlton. This offered observers an opportunity to experience a different style of cross-examination, with Mr Charlton adopting a more brusque approach in his expert role. Mr McCarthy similarly sought to undermine Mr Charlton's credentials, noting errors in his CV and interrogating whether Mr Charlton's character was opining on an industry beyond his expertise. Mr Charlton defended these accusations robustly. Mr McCarthy also sought to probe Mr Charlton's supposed grasp of the facts within his report. This raised an interesting question for the room regarding challenging credibility when a report is the product of an expert's wider team. Mr McCarthy identified certain figures as therefore being worthy of greater interrogation. Nonetheless Mr Charlton defended his fictional team colleagues vigorously, and demonstrated that the testifying expert's grasp of the detail remains critical in defeating such an accusation.

The Tribunal thanked Counsel and Experts for the high-level cross-examination. Ms Nappert commented that they had shown "how it’s done".

To close the event, all participants were invited to a drinks reception hosted by Ashurst LLP for attendees to network and hear additional feedback on the cross-examinations which had taken place throughout the evening.