On Thursday, 12 November 2026, from 2:30–4:30 pm, the Intesa Sanpaolo Center for Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Commercial Law and Arbitration Sciences Limited host a stimulating discussion focusing on “Mock Arbitration: The Illusion of Preparation.”
Preparing for international arbitration requires experience, strategic judgment, and a thorough understanding of how arguments and evidence are presented to arbitral tribunals. Counsel have developed sophisticated preparation techniques, including mock arbitrations, to test their arguments, anticipate difficult questions, assess weaknesses, and refine their advocacy strategies. But could we do even better?
In recent decades, behavioral science has transformed the ways in which professionals in fields as diverse as medicine, advertising, and politics understand human decision-making. Empirical research has complemented traditional experience and intuition, offering new insights into how individuals process information, evaluate competing arguments, and reach conclusions.
International arbitration presents a particularly interesting setting in which to explore these developments. Arbitrators must assess complex legal and factual issues, weigh conflicting evidence, and evaluate competing narratives, frequently across different legal traditions and cultural backgrounds. Could behavioral science provide additional tools to help counsel prepare more effectively? What can empirical research tell us about persuasive communication? How reliable are conventional mock arbitrations as predictors of a tribunal’s reactions? Can scientifically informed methods complement established preparation techniques, and what are their practical advantages and limitations?
These questions are particularly relevant as new behavioral research methodologies are increasingly being applied to arbitration preparation. The discussion will also consider their potential strategic value, their cost-effectiveness, and their implications for arbitration practitioners and in-house counsel.
The Center is fortunate to welcome two distinguished speakers:
Dr. Donald Vinson, Director at Arbitration Sciences Limited, who has taught at UCLA and USC, served as Visiting Professor of Law at Tulane University School of Law, and authored many books and papers on behavioral psychology in litigation and arbitration.
Karl Hennessee, FRAeS, Senior Vice President, Global Disputes & Investigations at Airbus, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and former board member of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA).
Professor Franco Ferrari, the Intesa Sanpaolo Center’s Director, will moderate the event together with Klaus Reichert, Director at Arbitration Sciences Limited, who has served as chair, party-appointed arbitrator, or sole arbitrator in more than 250 international disputes.
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