Submitted by ArbitralWomen Member Rachel Chiu, together with Laura Canet, Derin Coker, and Ayelet Hochman Young Mute-Off Thursdays (the younger sister group to Mute-Off Thursdays) will celebrate its First Year Anniversary on 26 August 2021, to mark one year of weekly Thursday meetings and to celebrate our international community of bright and capable young women practitioners in arbitration. Young Mute-Off Thursdays is another story of creating opportunity for women in the legal profession amidst the challenges of practice in the Covid-19 pandemic. In May 2020, when many of us were subject to strict pandemic-related social restrictions, ArbitralWomen member Rachel Chiu reached out to Ayelet Hochman (a colleague whom she had met at a conference before the pandemic) for a telephone catch-up. This phone call was a small part of our new reality, in which professional connections are harder to maintain and create. Just a few months earlier, ArbitralWomen members Ema Vidak Gojković, Gaëlle Filhol, Catherine Anne Kunz and Claire Morel de Westgaver launched the successful online forum Mute-Off Thursdays. The forum is designed to help senior women in arbitration share knowledge and stay connected with the arbitration community and combat the challenges of underrepresentation and invisibility that women practitioners faced, which risked being amplified under the new normal of socially distanced working and living. The phone call between Ayelet and Rachel marked the start of a new online forum where young women practitioners in arbitration from all corners of the world could meet, network, and find support. They reached out to two other colleagues with different backgrounds and from different jurisdictions, Derin Coker and Laura Canet, to help build this community. Together, with the support of the Mute-Off Thursdays’ team, Derin, Laura, Ayelet and Rachel launched Young Mute-Off Thursdays in August 2020! Ever since, Young Mute-Off Thursdays has met every Thursday, at the same time (9am ET / 2pm GMT), over Zoom for 30 minutes. Every Thursday, a woman practitioner (either a senior practitioner in the field or a member from the group) is invited to lead a discussion on a select topic. A wide range of topics have been discussed at these Thursday sessions, from developments in the law, drafting and advocacy tips, to maintaining sustainable success and work-life balance. Occasionally, senior practitioners share details about their person journey in legal practice, which is always an inspiration to members in the group. Young Mute-Off Thursdays also hosts regular networking sessions for members to interact with each other in smaller groups, and features workshops by external speakers on law-related topics such as accounting, expert work, and mental health. A year on, Young Mute-Off Thursdays’ community has grown from a small list of each co-chair’s personal contacts to a strong following of more than 200 young women practitioners from all over the world, from West Africa, to Europe, the Americas, India and Singapore! At Young Mute-Off Thursdays, many women are in the early stages of their stages and in the process of establishing their professional network. As such, Young Mute-Off Thursdays serves as a platform for members to build and maintain their network amongst their peers, and a bridge between young and senior practitioners, to benefit from their experience, mentorship, support and collaboration. It also aims to provide women practitioners with a safe space for knowledge sharing and discussion, assist young female practitioners with raising their profile, and strives to promote a culture of collegiality and kindness. As part of its anniversary celebrations, Young Mute-Off Thursdays will host a special one-hour session on 26 August at 9am ET / 2pm GMT / 9pm SG. It will feature a practical workshop by professional coach Amanda Pelham Green that will aim to equip participants with career skills to help them be the best versions of themselves in practice, and bring out the best of others in their teams. Participants will also be invited to interact in smaller break-out rooms. Details of the session may be found on the ArbitralWomen events page here. The event is open to ArbitralWomen members up to 7-PQE. If you would like to attend the Special Anniversary session or are interested to join the group, please send your request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Young Mute-Off Thursdays’ full syllabus for its first year (August 2020–August 2021)

Session	Topic	Speaker / Affiliation
1	Building your career in international arbitration	Jacomijn van Haersolte-van Hof, LCIA
2	Navigating cross-border sensitivities	Rose Rameau, Rameau International Law
3	Are instant messages (social media messages) discoverable forms of evidence?	Claire Morel de Westgaver, BCLP
4	How to hone your advocacy and public speaking skills	Kirtan Prasad, RPC
5	Finding your niche in arbitration	Wendy Miles, Twenty Essex
6	Tips on Pitching Your Case to Third Party Funders	Rachel Chiu, BCLP
7	Security for claims applications in arbitration proceedings	Karolina Latasz, Allen & Overy
8	Career paths in arbitration: Working as an arbitrator / how to build your experience and portfolio as an arbitrator	Maxi Scherer, Wilmerhale
9	Cross-examination of expert witnesses	Srishti Jain, Keidan Harrison Disputes
10	Mental resilience and sustainable success	Claire Williamson, Leading Minds
11	Working with experts in international arbitration	Daniela Bambaci, BRG; and Jessica Pineda, PGMBM
12	Discussion on the differing approaches between jurisdictions on law applicable to arbitration agreement	Saadia Bhatty, Gide Loyrette Nouel
13	Cyber Security and International Arbitration: Understanding the ICCA Protocol	Wendy Gonzales and Sophie Nappert, CyberArb
14	Networking Session: Thanksgiving Special
15	Acting as a Tribunal's Secretary	Catherine Schroeder, Schroeder Arbitration
16	How to recover internal in-house legal costs at the end of an arbitration	Elizabeth Chan, Three Crowns
17	ICCA Report on Gender Diversity - Presentation on work and findings	Jennifer Ivers, White & Case; Nicola Peart, Three Crowns
20	Building Your Brand	Yaara Diechter, Robus Consulting
21	Greener arbitrations	Lucy Greenwood, Greenwood Arbitration
22	Corruption in international arbitration	Patricia Snell, Covington & Burlington
23	Demistyfing quantum evidence workshop	Saana Babaa, EY Disputes
24	Creating and Maintaining Networks in a Multicultural Environment	Yael Ribco, Shearman & Sterling
25	How to survive your first appointment as an arbitrator?	Gaëlle Filhol, Betto Perben Pradel Filhol
26	Key updates to LCIA Rules 2020 and ICC Rules 2021	Eleanor Scoggings and Ange la Casey, LALIVE
27	The Future of Investor-State Relations	Melida Hodgson, Jenner and Block
28	Making transitions in a cross-border career	Chiann Bao, Arbitration Chambers
29	Experience-sharing session - Virtual Hearings
30	Using Harvard Negotiation Workshop Principles to Improve your Advocacy	Ema Vidak, Vidak Arbitration
31	The Environmental and Social Impact of Investment Law and Disputes	Angela Ha, Volterra Fietta
32	Networking session: Easter Special
33	How to use intersectionality as your superpower	Ariel White - Tsimikalis, BCLP
34	JOINT SESSION MUTE-OFF ANNIVERSARY: Imposter Syndrome and how to overcome it
35	Preliminary assessments in international arbitration	Viktoria Schneider, Hane feld
36	Arbitration in India	Ishita Mishtra, Chambers of Mr. Gourab Banerji
37	Experience-sharing session: Document Production
38	Mediating complex cross-border commercial disputes	Jane Player, Independent Mediators
39	Making sense of financial statements	Vikki Wall, Haberman Ilett
40	Do’s and don’ts in persuading arbitrators	Elena Gutierrez, Independent Arbitrator
41	Tribunal’s questions to parties outside the hearing: dos and don’ts	Maria Hauser-Morel, Hanefeld
42	Advocacy and drafting tips: Keep it simple, keep it interesting	Sapna Jhangiani QC, Clyde & Co
43	Draft Guidelines on Standards of Practice in International Arbitration	Lucy Reed, Arbitration Chambers
44	Gender statistics in arbitration	Umika Sharma, NUS PHD Researcher
45	How to Find and Maintain Work Life Balance	Kristen Young, White & Case
46	Networking session: Celebrating our Accomplishments
47	The role of amicus curiae in international arbitration	Dr Crina Baltag, Stockholm University
48	Role of ICSID and other institutions in administering investment disputes	Professor Emilia Onyema, SOAS University of London
49	Building your career through changes between law firms and different roles in arbitration	Marie-Isabelle Delleur, Clifford Chance
50	The Margin of Appreciation in Investment Arbitration	Danielle Morris, Wilmerhale

Young Mute-Off Thursdays founding co-chairs

• Laura Canet, Associate, Betto Perben Pradel Filhol
• Derin Coker, Associate, Peter Dovey and Co Solicitors
• Ayelet Hochman, Associate, White & Case
• Rachel Chiu, Associate, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner