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International arbitration

Whether you are a multinational corporation, international investor, private equity business or Government, our arbitration practice can help you to resolve your international disputes.

We know that for many of our clients, private resolution is the best option. Arbitration is central to what we do and we have a current portfolio of arbitration matters worth in the region of $5 billion.

Experience that is second to none

Our dedicated arbitration team works with clients around the world to resolve major commercial and investor-state disputes across a wide range of sectors including oil and gas, natural resources, infrastructure, manufacturing, technology, construction and finance. We have pioneered the use of arbitration and mediation for different types of commercial disputes and many of our team speak, publish and lecture in this field.

We are also one of the leading firms handling arbitration in the sports, luxury brands and arts sectors and act for some of the most high-profile and dynamic clients in these markets. The geographic range of our cases crosses Europe, Anglophone and Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, the CIS, Asia Pacific and the Americas. Our multilingual team works in numerous languages on our arbitrations.

Committed to meeting your global needs

With arbitration lawyers based in the US, Europe and Asia we are well placed to handle complex and cross border issues. We act as strategic advisors, counsel and advocates, and our work covers the entirety of arbitration cases, from initial case analysis through to successful enforcement of arbitral awards. We also serve as arbitrators and are prominent as thought leaders in the field. Our team contains more than 20 arbitration lawyers around the world, including London, Milan, Singapore, New York and the British Virgin Islands, working on both arbitrations under all the major arbitration rules (including ICC, LCIA, ICSID, UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC, CAM and SCC) and pure ad hoc arbitrations.

Legal 500 described us as ‘extremely tactically aware’ and The Legal Business Disputes Yearbook has hailed partner Hussein Haeri as ‘a name that is destined to join the pantheon of stars in the international arbitration arena’. Our clients praise as ‘exceptionally valuable’ our ‘know-how on how to navigate international arbitrations’ and our ‘excellent customer focus’. They acknowledge our ‘deep technical knowledge’ and ‘sound judgment’, describing our communication skills as ‘simply amazing’.

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Legal 500 2019: Leading firm for international arbitration

Leading firm for international arbitration

Leading firm for international arbitration

‘‘

Hussein Haeri combines deep technical knowledge of investment treaty arbitration with clarity of strategic direction and impressive project management skills. He demonstrates excellent customer focus and sound judgement

Thomas Le Feuvre, Head of International Agreements - Government of Jersey
‘‘

Withers has delivered positive results for us in three significant disputes resolved through arbitration. In each instance, the Withers team has delivered a great service along with a well-defined strategy for pursuing each matter.

Makstil
‘‘

A reliable and erudite expert’ and ‘always considers the real benefit for our company.

A11Y LTD.
‘‘

When we found ourselves drawn into an international dispute, we wanted a law firm which would pay close attention throughout the case and be able to effectively manage the proceedings taking place in a number of jurisdictions. Withers’ arbitration team were constantly in touch to keep us in the picture, and expertly managed a complex situation to deliver a welcome result for us.

Vebeca Holdings Limited
‘‘

Withers LLP’s ‘client-care is amongst the best around’. The practice regularly acts in sectors such as infrastructure, oil and gas, and mining; it also has a robust investment treaty practice. The co-international arbitration heads are Hussein Haeri, who is ‘a standout operator’, and special counsel Eleni Polycarpou, who ‘never leaves any stone unturned’. Tatiana Menshenina ‘has a near-unrivaled understanding of Russian and CIS-related commercial disputes’; global head of litigation Peter Wood is ‘very impressive’; and special counsel Georgina Bayley ‘gives clear-headed advice’.

Legal 500, 2017
‘‘

Withers LLP has demonstrated a mastery of the law and practice in this field’. The international arbitration group is jointly led by Hussein Haeri and Eleni Polycarpou. The investor-state arbitration practice acts in Middle East and Africa matters, particularly in the infrastructure and energy sectors; the firm also has a robust commercial arbitration practice involving parties from CIS countries, as well as related jurisdictions such as Cyprus and the BVI.

Legal 500, 2019
‘‘

I would definitely recommend Withers Law Firm for international arbitration. Mr Hussein Haeri and his team acted as legal counsel for Gemmo in a high value international arbitration which we won, and I can say they were all highly experienced, extremely helpful and always available to discuss strategies, with an eye to meeting the client’s needs and requests.

Mr Alessandro Chiappin, General Counsel - Gemmo SpA
‘‘

Hussein Haeri’s strategic advice and know-how on how to navigate international arbitrations has proved to be exceptionally valuable over the two years we have been working together.

Senior Oil and Gas Executive
‘‘

Hussein Haeri’s ability to connect to our people here and to simply explain different scenarios is amazing.

Marsha Lazareva, Vice Chairman and Managing Director - KGL Investment Company
‘‘

The team at Withers is very experienced in a wide variety of international arbitration matters’

Legal 500 UK, 2020

Focus areas

Middle East

Asia Pacific

Africa

North America

Government

Energy

Construction

Art and cultural assets

Private companies

Public companies

Meet the team

How the international arbitration team can help

Investment treaty arbitration

Public international law

Track record

Multi-million dollar LCIA arbitration

We successfully represented a Cypriot company in a multi-million dollar LCIA arbitration involving allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and an alleged breach of contract in the forestry sector in Russia. As well as securing a very favourable result for our client, we obtained an award of all legal and arbitration costs and a significant amount in security.

Representing a German investor in an ICSID investment treaty arbitration

We represent Scholz (of Germany), one of the largest metals recycling companies in the world, in an ICSID investment treaty arbitration against the Kingdom of Morocco under the Germany-Morocco bilateral investment treaty.

Advising an Italian company in a construction arbitration

We represented an Italian company in a successful ad hoc commercial arbitration seated in Libya regarding the construction of a hospital.

Russian real estate project in LCIA arbitration

In an LCIA arbitration concerning a high profile real estate project in Moscow, worth $160m, and involving complex issues of fraud, illegality and a combination of Russian, Kazakh and BVI law, we have taken an innovative approach to calculating the damages at stake.

Construction dispute and ad hoc arbitration in North Africa

A major construction project in Libya has resulted in an ad hoc commercial arbitration for our client, an Italian company.

UK-Czech Republic UNCITRAL arbitration

Our client is a leading assistive technology company in an expropriation dispute with the Czech Republic under the UK-Czech Republic bilateral investment treaty. We are representing the Claimant as counsel and advocates in an UNCITRAL arbitration, which is administered by the ICSID Secretariat.

Energy company UNCITRAL arbitration against Pakistan

Represented a Mauritian energy company as counsel and advocates in an investment treaty arbitration against Pakistan under the UNCITRAL arbitration rules.

Italy-CIS dispute over contract and arbitration venue

A complex international case has seen us acting in a dispute between parties in Italy and a former CIS region state. The case involves a possible arbitration in Paris over a contract under English law, as well as questions of the English court's ability to grant relief in the case.

Italian energy company ICSID arbitration

A dispute over an investment in the energy sector and ICSID investment treaty arbitration claim against a European state. Our client is seeking damages for breach of fair and equitable treatment, expropriation and other treaty standards.

Multi-billion dollar energy arbitration

Acting on a multi-billion dollar energy arbitration arising out of an M&A transaction.

ICC motorway arbitrations

Representing one of the largest companies in Macedonia in two ICC arbitrations relating to the collapse of a public procurement project to build a motorway in Poland, including claims for unpaid joint venture costs and breach of contract. <br />

LCIA arbitration in art sector

Advised a company specialising in buying and selling art in an LCIA arbitration dispute over the ownership of a Monet painting under Swiss law.

Luxury yacht builder construction arbitration

Acted for a luxury yacht builder in a contractual arbitration dispute with a company in Malta about the construction of the vessel under a shipbuilding agreement. <br />

A regional education provider in Singapore in a cross border arbitration

We advised our client (the Claimant) in a cross border arbitration under the SIAC Rules involving claims of USD $70 million. Our client entered into a funding arrangement with a private equity firm, allowing the funder to acquire shares and/or control in a company which acquires, runs and manages schools, and the arbitration concerned the corporate structure and approach to governance and controls.

Singapore arbitration on behalf of a Malaysian bank

We are representing a Malaysian bank on an arbitration in Singapore under the ICC Rules regarding claims arising out of a software contract with a Swiss multinational corporation. The contract involved the replacement of the bank’s central banking system, with far reaching cross border implications, given the bank's status as a public institution. The claim relates to the Islamic status of the core banking system with a contract value in the region of USD $17 million.

Multi-million dollar digital entertainment arbitration

Our cross border dispute resolution team acted for a Korean digital entertainment business in a multi-million dollar ICC arbitration on a construction and commercial disagreement involving two Korean businesses and a Chinese company

Caspian Sea $20 million arbitration

Acting for a British Virgin Islands company in relation to a claim for the return of US$20 million due to it from a Turkish company following the non supply of shares in a Swiss company which owned an oil terminal on the Caspian Sea.

Cypriot company in a USD$72 million arbitration

Acting for a Cypriot company with Russian connections in an arbitration claim challenging a USD$72 million London Court of International Arbitration Award

Greek TV merger leads to arbitration

A proposed merger in the Pay TV market in Greece led to a dispute in which we represented Greek clients in a substantial LCIA arbitration.

Croatian gaming concession arbitration

Acting as Counsel for the respondent in Adria Beteiligungs v The Republic of Croatia, we worked on an UNCITRAL arbitration under the aegis of the Permanent Court of Arbitration related to a gaming concession agreement in Croatia.

India Ukraine arbitration

The awarding of an infrastructure contract in Ukraine to an Indian infrastructure company led us to work on an arbitration to deal with a dispute regarding the contract.

USD$12 million SIAC construction arbitration

Acting for project managers/engineers on instructions of their Insurers in a USD$12 million SIAC arbitration involving a development project in Vietnam.

Representing an Estonian company in an investment treaty arbitration

Representing an Estonian company in an investment treaty arbitration claim against a European State in relation to an alleged expropriation.

Acting on the challenge to an investment treaty arbitration award in the High Court

Acting on the challenge to an investment treaty arbitration award in the High Court relating to a dispute over an energy sector investment.

Acting for a UK company in an LCIA arbitration

Acting for a UK company in an LCIA arbitration relating to a steel foundry in Eastern Europe.

Representing the Claimant in an LCIA arbitration

Representing the Claimant in an LCIA arbitration relating to gold mining licences and permits in South America.

Asian investor in an UNCITRAL investment treaty arbitration

We represent an Asian investor in an UNCITRAL investment treaty arbitration against a State in Sub-Saharan Africa concerning a free trade zone.

Representing the Respondent in an LCIA arbitration concerning the forestry sector in a CIS country.

Representing the Respondent in an LCIA arbitration concerning the forestry sector in a CIS country.

Enforcement of arbitration award in the District of Colombia made in investor-State proceedings against a CIS state

Recognition and enforcement of an SCC award before District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of successful claimants in an investor-State arbitration against a CIS State.

Asian company in an investment treaty arbitration

Acting for an Asian company in an ad hoc investment treaty arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules against an African State regarding the alleged expropriation of its investment.

Advising a multi-national company on its arbitration strategy in Africa

Advising a multi-national technology company in relation to its arbitration strategy in Africa.

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