Enayat Qasimi and Mohamed F. Sweify to Speak at New York Arbitration Week 2026 on Arbitrating Investment Fund Cross-Border Disputes
Enayat Qasimi and Mohamed F. Sweify will be featured speakers at a Whiteford-hosted panel during New York Arbitration Week (NYAW) 2026 on November 20 at 10:30 a.m. at Kroll, One World Trade Center, 285 Fulton Street, 31st Floor, in New York. The panel, “Investment Funds Full Lifecycle in the Arbitral Arena: Formation, Structuring, Governance, Cross-Border Disputes, and Award Enforcement,” will follow investment funds from the arbitration clause negotiated at formation through governance disputes, valuation and distribution conflicts at exit, and the enforcement of awards against assets across multiple jurisdictions. Aligned with this year’s NYAW theme, “Arbitration in a Changing World: The Road Ahead,” the in-person session will offer practical guidance on drafting stronger dispute resolution provisions and planning for enforcement before a claim is filed.
Mr. Qasimi and Dr. Sweify will be joined by Dr. Engy Serag, Executive Director, Contracts & Operations at Orascom Construction, and Ms. Lexi Menish, FCIArb, Principal of Menish Dispute Resolution.
Dr. Sweify will also speak at two additional NYAW programs: an International Bar Association Arbitration Committee and NYSBA International Section panel on the future of privilege in international arbitration on November 18, where he will lead a discussion on applying privilege rules in disputes spanning multiple jurisdictions, and a NYSBA Dispute Resolution Section panel on African traditional approaches to dispute resolution on November 19, where he will discuss ethical approaches to resolving disputes involving Arab and Middle Eastern parties.
Whiteford is a proud sponsor of NYAW 2026, which runs November 16–20 and brings together practitioners, arbitrators, institutions and in-house counsel from around the world to showcase New York as a leading seat for international arbitration.
Mr. Qasimi is Co-Chair of Whiteford’s International Practice. He advises foreign and domestic corporations on general business and corporate matters, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, emerging market private equity, venture capital and international contracts.
Dr. Sweify co-leads the International Arbitration practice in Whiteford’s New York office. He is an international arbitration practitioner and New York litigator with more than 15 years of experience in complex litigation and international arbitration involving domestic, cross-border and international disputes, with a particular focus on Africa and the Middle East. He also serves as an arbitrator in complex disputes under major arbitral rules and a diverse range of governing laws, including those of Delaware, New York, California, England and Wales, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, as well as U.S. federal law. He is Secretary General of the NYSBA International Section and handles matters in both Arabic and English.
About Whiteford: Whiteford provides comprehensive business law and litigation services to clients ranging from innovative start-ups to middle market companies to Fortune 100 enterprises. With a growing footprint of East Coast offices from New York to Florida, and a new office in Denver, Colorado, we serve clients regionally, nationally and internationally.