Sovereign & States Disputes and Enforcement Summit 2025

Andrea Menaker is Head of the Firm's Public International Law Group and specializes in investment arbitration, where she has represented respondent States and claimant investors in equal measure in some of the most ground-breaking investment arbitration cases. Andrea also has an active practice in relation to enforcement of arbitral awards and has coordinated such actions worldwide for clients, in addition to serving as arbitrator and expert witness on investor-State issues. After more than a decade in the Firm's Washington, DC office, Andrea transferred to London in 2019 to grow and co-lead the Firm's investment arbitration practice there.

James Castello has advised and represented clients (and has arbitrated disputes) in a wide range of commercial and investor-state proceedings under multiple arbitral rules. Based in Europe for 23 of his 36 years in practice, James now serves as both counsel and arbitrator. He represents European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian clients, especially in energy disputes (e.g., contested control of a refinery, privatization of a power plant, gas price readjustments, conflicts on upstream development) and large infrastructure cases (road, tunnel, rail, industrial facilities).

For six years during the Clinton Administration, Mr. Castello held such senior legal positions as Deputy Counsel to the President at the White House and Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Justice Department, where his portfolio included immigration, hate crimes, and human rights.

Martins Paparinskis is Professor of Public International Law at University College London. He is a member of the United Nations International Law Commission, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and ICSID Panels of Arbitrators and of Conciliators. Professor Paparinskis has also appeared before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the International Court of Justice.

Catriona Paterson is a Partner at Omnia Strategy.  Catriona advises and represents States and companies on a wide variety of contentious and non-contentious international dispute resolution and public international law matters, including investment treaty arbitration, the protection of investments under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties, recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitration awards, international humanitarian law and human rights law.  Catriona has acted as counsel in disputes conducted under all of the principal arbitration rules, including ICSID, ICSID Additional Facility, UNCITRAL, ICC, and LCIA, and across a variety of industries and business sectors.

Arif Hyder Ali is the founder of AHALI Dispute Resolution LLC, a boutique law firm based in Washington, D.C. and London, specializing in international dispute and conflict resolution.

Having spent over 30 years serving as lead counsel and arbitrator in international investment, commercial and construction arbitrations under major arbitral regimes, the governing laws of over 50 civil and common law jurisdictions and international law, and covering a broad range of industries and economic activity-including oil and gas, power, mining, hospitality, information technology and banking and finance-Arif established AHALI. Previously, he chaired the International Arbitration Groups of 3 AmLaw 100 firms and served in two international organizations.

Sylvia assists companies, states and state-owned entities in the resolution of complex, high-stakes and politically sensitive disputes arising under contracts, bilateral investment treaties (BITs) or multilateral treaties such as the Energy Charter Treaty. Sylvia has acted as both counsel and arbitrator and has extensive experience in the energy, mining, infrastructure and telecommunications industries.

Héctor is a partner in the litigation and arbitration, restructuring and insolvency and compliance areas of ECIJA’s Barcelona office. He has more than 20 years of experience advising national and international clients from all sectors in the areas of litigation, arbitration and insolvency law. He has been recognized by prestigious rankings such as “Best Lawyers” and “Who’s Who Legal” among the best lawyers in Spain in his areas of practice. He is also a specialist in litigation linked to cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity and cyber fraud, as well as fraud related to unconventional assets, such as wine products and art and collectibles.

He is the representative for Spain of FraudNet, a worldwide network of lawyers that, under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), brings together the leading international specialists in asset tracing & recovery. He is also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of London (MCIArb.) and a Registered Mediator with the Ministry of Justice.

Héctor holds a PhD in Law from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, an Executive MBA from IESE, and a law degree from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. In addition, he has been a member of the Governing Board of the ICAB (Barcelona Bar Association) and has chaired the Bar Association’s Ethics Committee.

Héctor speaks Spanish, Catalan, English, French, German, Italian and French.

Anya George is a partner in Schellenberg Wittmer's dispute resolution group. As a trilingual and dual qualified lawyer (Switzerland and England & Wales), she represents states, state-owned entities and private companies in complex multi-jurisdictional disputes across a wide range of sectors, with particular emphasis on energy infrastructure, commodities and natural resources, insurance and reinsurance contracts, and manufacturing and sales agreements.

Anya has acted in over 60 arbitrations under the ICC, LCIA, CAS, UNCITRAL and Swiss Rules, as well as in ad hoc proceedings. She has special expertise in arbitration-related litigation, including enforcement and setting-aside proceedings before the Swiss Supreme Court, in both French and German. She also advises clients on ESG-related issues.

Anya is a lecturer in International Commercial Arbitration at the University of Zurich. She is also a member of the ICC Swiss Commission of Arbitration and ADR and of the Board of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA).

Yves Klein’s main activity is litigating and coordinating transnational asset recovery proceedings on behalf of victims of economic crimes or parties seeking to enforce their claims against assets concealed in Switzerland or abroad. He develops strategies for the international search and recovery of assets, coordinates cross-border proceedings and represents his clients, including individuals, companies, foreign governments, and liquidators of foreign insolvencies, before civil, criminal and bankruptcy courts, in order to recover crime proceeds and obtain damages, notably from facilitators (banks, financial companies, fiduciaries, etc.).

Fabio Trevisan is a partner and head of BSP’s Dispute Resolution practice. His practice focuses on a wide spectrum of complex commercial, corporate and financial litigation and arbitration.

He has played a role in a number of high-profile cases, with over two decades of experience in managing and conducting litigation for his clients in almost all sectors.

Fabio has experience of over 30 years in all forms of dispute resolution including litigation, mediation and arbitration as well as general banking, corporate and commercial dispute resolution. He has extensive experience of applications for enforcing and obtaining freezing injunctions in international arbitration, enforcements of ICSID awards, and more generally in the recovery of assets.

Fabio has further developed a reputation in real estate matters and commercial contracts.

Trevor Withane is one of Australia’s leading disputes and insolvency lawyers, who has been consistently recognised as such in Legal 500 and Doyle’s Guide.

A former UK lawyer, Trevor started his legal career at global elite firm, Allen & Overy, followed by a stint at Mishcon de Reya in fraud defence before being called to the English Bar, where he was involved in several commercial and fraud related cases.

Having relocated to Australia, Trevor founded Ironbridge Legal where his practice focuses on acting for corporates, directors, high-net-worth individuals and liquidators in complex, often bet-the-farm, disputes – in court and in arbitral proceedings. Trevor also advises clients in relation to recognition and enforcement of overseas judgments, arbitral awards and insolvency proceedings in Australia.

Ironbridge Legal is a truly specialist, conflict free and intellectually rigorous disputes and insolvency law firm, with offices in Sydney and Melbourne. The firm represents clients in all courts in Australia, regardless of state.

Steve Perles is the founder of the Perles Law Firm, PC, a law firm specializing in private litigation against state sponsors of terrorism which have included Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Libya. Additionally, the firm bring suits against large financial institutions that launder money for terrorist organizations.

Steve’s 40-plus year career has resulted in reparations for thousands of American victims of terrorism and their family members. In 1986, Steve took on the first successful case of its kind, pursuing a foreign sovereign for injury to a U.S. citizen. He represented Hugo Princz, a US passport holder enslaved in the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau, in a lawsuit against Germany. He successfully worked with members of Congress to ensure that Mr. Princz and all other people held in Nazi concentration camps while U.S. citizens received compensation from the German government.  In 1996 the goal of Princz, to hold sovereign states accountable for gross violations of international norms, was codified as law when Congress passed the state-sponsored terrorism exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act. Steve brought the first case under this exception, Flatow v. The Islamic Republic of Iran, on behalf of the estate and family of a young woman murdered by an Iranian-sponsored terrorist attack in Gaza.   

Piers Plumptre is an English qualified partner working in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Piers is a member of the Dispute Resolution and International Arbitration Groups.

Piers’s practice includes international arbitration and enforcement, complex commercial litigation, financial services disputes, and international fraud and white collar crime. He has extensive experience of international litigation and arbitration matters, spanning multiple jurisdictions, and in a wide variety of sectors.

Cathalijne conducts an international practice that consists for the main part of international judgement enforcement and civil asset tracing & recovery, with an accent to financial crime matters.

In addition, because of her special expertise on private international law, Cathalijne van der Plas is frequently called in as ‘lawyer’s lawyer’ by fellow professionals in order to render opinions or give advice on complex issues concerning the international jurisdiction of courts, the applicable law and the recognition and enforcement of foreign decisions or arbitral awards. She has a unique knowledge of the intersections of private international law, public international law and international sanctions law, with regard to among other things supermandatory rules and immunity from jurisdiction and from execution.

Partner, admitted to the Paris Bar in 2010, Jean-Sébastien Bazille assists clients in all fields of civil and commercial disputes (contractual disputes, M&A litigation, tort, debt recovery and enforcement proceedings, etc.). He also specialized in international law and advises companies as well as States and para-statal entities on solving their disputes, both during the pre-litigation and litigation stages, before domestic and international courts.

Jean-Sébastien is a graduate of Rennes I and Montpellier Universities.

He is a member of the International Law Association (ILA) and the French Society for International Law (Société Française de Droit International, SFDI).

Jean-Sébastien speaks French and English

Lútsen de Vries specialises in the resolution of complex, cross-border disputes through litigation, arbitration and mediation. Lútsen is a seasoned, strategic litigator with a broad practice and experience in disputes in relation to investments and BITs, construction, M&A transactions, gas prices and ESG. His practice also encompasses setting aside and revocation proceedings, the worldwide recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards and judgments, attachments issues, mass claims litigation and discovery claims. Lútsen holds an MSc in International Business & Management and studied at the universities of Edinburgh (LLM), Barcelona and Groningen. Lútsen acts as chairman of the board of classical music collective Pynarello.

Jagdish Menezes is a senior associate at the London office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, one of the world’s largest law firms dedicated to litigation. He joined the firm in 2014. His practice focuses on international arbitration (investor-state and commercial), as well as multi-jurisdictional disputes involving issues of fraud and corruption. He has specific experience in disputes involving sovereigns as parties or counterparties, or raising government relations concerns.  He is admitted to practice in India and as a Solicitor of England & Wales with Higher Rights of Audience. 

Jagdish was recognised by the 2020 UK edition of Legal 500 as a key lawyer for commercial disputes and described in a testimonial as a “tremendous professional” with an “extremely impressive…degree of commitment and mastery of the case and applicable laws of multiple jurisdictions”. He is also listed among the Arbitration Future Leaders (Non-Partners) in the Who’s Who Legal Guide 2023.

Anne K. Hoffmann is an internationally recognised arbitrator with over two decades of extensive experience in both commercial and investor – State arbitration. Ms. Hoffmann is dual-qualified in Germany and England & Wales and has practiced across the globe in both civil law and common law jurisdictions. During that time, she worked at leading law firms in London, Geneva and Dubai before focusing on her practice as an independent arbitrator.

Elena Fedorova specializes in civil fraud/asset recovery, recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign judgments, complex cross-border civil matters, and criminal proceedings. Elena often intervenes in cases involving former Soviet Union countries. At Bonifassi Avocats, which she joined in 2014, Elena represents BTA Bank of Kazakhstan as a civil party in the criminal investigation against Mukhtar Ablyazov, who is accused of defrauding the bank of $7.5 billion in one of the largest known frauds ever perpetrated. Elena also counsels the English trustees of Boris Berezovsky’s estate to recover assets he beneficially owned in France. She handled the recognition in France of a $200 million US judgment involving a bad bank, and civil fraud litigation for asset recovery involving complex corporate structures in offshore jurisdictions. Elena successfully defended a $50 million arbitral award in setting-aside proceedings with fraud allegations. She often obtains evidence in France for domestic and foreign civil proceedings. She contributed to several complex actions to recognize and enforce foreign judgments, including many against sovereign entities, along with related asset recovery.

Partner in Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes, will be in charge of its New York office.  Formerly Founder and Managing Director of Slaney Advisors, a boutique consultancy specialized in the enforcement, collection and monetisation of sovereign arbitration awards.  In that role, Peter oversaw the recovery of over US$300 million from award debtors in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.  With respect to monetisation, he has advised clients in connection with some of the largest and most complex monetisations in the past decade.  Previously a partner in Shearman & Sterling and Baker Botts.  Has practiced in London, Paris and New York.

Emma has extensive expertise in civil fraud litigation, in particular obtaining and defending worldwide freezing injunctions. As a result of her work on behalf of the Department of Health, Emma has experience in litigating private damages actions in competition cases alleging abuse of dominant position and entry into anti-competitive arrangements. In the competition litigation practice area, Legal 500 described Emma as “very sharp”.

Emma’s work often involves cross-border or international elements: amongst other things Emma was part of the team that defended the former CEO of what was Nigeria’s fourth largest bank, conducting 2 weeks of the trial of the claim in Lagos. Emma has also assisted in the taking of evidence from witnesses in Nigeria, made representations on behalf of clients at the United Nations In New York and drafted evidence in support of an anti-suit injunction seeking to prevent the continuation of a claim filed in Israel.

Michael-James Currie is a Director of Primerio and co-founder of the Primerio South African practice. His regulatory and commercial law practice is pan-African and he has practiced across several countries and regional blocs including Botswana, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, COMESA and CEMAC. Key areas of practice include commercial and corporate law, competition law and complex commercial litigation. Mike has consistently been recognised as a “Best Lawyer in South Africa” and also serves as the “Global Law Expert for Competition Law in Nigeria.” In addition to his practice areas, Mike is a regular speaker and author who has published several articles, papers and opinion pieces. Mike currently serves as the African Regional Representative for the International Bar Association’s Anti-Corruption Committee.

Naomi Briercliffe is a partner in the International Dispute Resolution Practice Group based in London. She acts for clients as counsel and advocate in disputes involving all types of contracts, investment treaties and public international law issues. She has represented clients in arbitrations under the rules of all major arbitral institutions, as well as in ad hoc proceedings. She has also acted in state-to-state disputes, including before the International Court of Justice and the Iran-US Claims Tribunal, and has significant experience of enforcement and other arbitration-related matters before domestic courts.

Nikos Asimakopoulos joined Alaco in 2008. He focuses on dispute-related assignments on behalf of law firms and their clients, working internationally. He has developed specific expertise in the extractive industries, particularly in Russia, Central Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Nikos holds a BSc and an MSc in Economics from the universities of York and Bath, respectively.  He speaks Greek and Russian.

Emmanuel Kaspereit is a partner of Archipel specialising in international litigation, including cross-border proceedings, enforcement, interim measures, and international asset tracing. He has considerable experience in enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards against sovereign states and in fraud matters. He advises French and international clients on defining and carrying out strategies for recovery of assets.

Recognised by The Legal 500 as a “rising star” “headed for the very top”, and by Who’s Who Legal as a Global Elite Thought Leader for both Asset Recovery and Commercial Litigation, Jon specialises in high-value, complex international commercial disputes with particular expertise in civil fraud, enforcement and asset recovery (including both commercial and sovereign debt), and he has obtained a number of ground-breaking orders in this regard. Chambers & Partners describes Jon as “incredibly impressive” and “an incredible tactician”, recognising him for his civil fraud work. The Legal 500 has called Jon a “bright young gun with a shrewd mind and a calm approach” and states there is “complete trust and faith in Jon’s advice and his expertise”, recognising him as a leading individual for civil fraud, a next generation partner for banking litigation, and recommending him for premium commercial litigation, international arbitration and commodities disputes. Jon has an international practice with clients including states, financial institutions, corporate clients, high-net-worth individuals and insolvency practitioners, and has acted on a number of complex and high value Russian/CIS cases.

My practice as part of the firm’s Dispute Resolution Group focuses on international dispute settlement. In particular, I advise and represent States and private entities in matters pertaining to public international law, treaty-based dispute settlement and international human rights.

I have expertise on a wide range of public international law topics, including inter alia the law of treaties, the law on State responsibility, the law on State and diplomatic immunity, international investment law, the law of the sea and Business & Human Rights. I have experience of protecting foreign investments through international arbitration, advising individuals and companies on claims against governments and on the enforcement of awards against sovereign entities. I have equally assisted States defending against claims before international courts and tribunals and safeguarding sovereign and diplomatic immunities before national courts. I have represented corporate as well as sovereign clients in international arbitration and litigation and have appeared as an advocate before the International Court of Justice in The Hague and the Swedish Supreme Court. I also practice in human rights, advising in particular on Business and Human Rights regulatory and guidance frameworks, corporate ESG responsibilities and human rights due diligence.

Sebastian Neave joined J.S. Held in May of 2022 as part of J.S. Held's acquisition of GPW. Sebastian Neave is a Managing Director in the Global Investigations practice in J.S. Held’s London office. He advises clients on complex disputes involving fraud, asset recovery, and a range of cross-border litigation and arbitration claims. He has over 10 years of investigations experience, having started his career in the London office of Kroll before working in PwC’s Forensics practice and at a specialist dispute consultancy.

He has developed specific expertise in disputes related to Russia and the CIS and has worked on a number of the more high-profile matters emanating from the region. Elsewhere, he has assisted clients in disputes over assets in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Gulf. Working with GPW Sovereign Debt Advisors, the firm’s dedicated sovereign recovery practice, he also has extensive experience gathering evidence to support recovery strategies against a diverse collection of states and state-owned commercial parties.

Yasmin is Director at Fortress Investment Group, focusing globally on international arbitration related investments and heads the Paris office. She provides various financing options in the context of international arbitrations and litigations to claimants and defendants or their lawyers, in single case scenarios or portfolios. She also provides monetization solutions for arbitration awards. Yasmin joined the legal assets, legal finance or otherwise called third party funding industry nearly a decade ago and participated in its fast and multitiered evolution as it has branched out into various increasingly complex financial instruments.

Prior to joining the legal finance industry and becoming an investment professional, Yasmin was for almost a decade an international arbitration practitioner advising private, institutional or sovereign clients in the context of commercial and investment international arbitration proceedings within the international arbitration team of a leading international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Yasmin regularly teaches in various universities on the topics of international arbitration and legal finance and frequently speaks at industry conferences and contributes to leading publications and journals.

In 2018, with the support and invaluable help of friends and colleagues, Yasmin Mohammad co-founded Paris Arbitration Week and became its first elected President to its Board and Organizing Committee.

Thomas Eymond-Laritaz is the Founder & CEO of Highgate, a strategic advisory firm expert in dispute resolution and special situations. Thomas has advised more than a dozen Presidents and Prime Ministers, and numerous CEOs and ultra-high net worth individuals throughout the world.

Thomas started his career as a French civil servant and worked for the French Prime Minister’s office in Paris. He then served as senior political adviser to the Bulgarian Prime Minister in Sofia and to the Georgian President in Tbilisi. He worked for five years in Kyiv as Chief of Staff to Victor Pinchuk, one of Ukraine’s most prominent investors. Before setting up Highgate, Thomas served as Managing Director at Mercury and Executive Director at APCO Worldwide in London.

Thomas is a French and British citizen. He graduated from the Ecole des Mines de Paris and the Corps des Mines.

Charles Kotuby is a Professor of Practice and the Executive Director of the Center for International Legal Education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. 

Professor Kotuby is currently an Of Counsel with Three Crowns in Washington DC and was previously a partner in the Global Disputes practice of Jones Day in Washington DC. He has spent over 20 years of experience as an international law counsel representing multinational corporations and sovereign states in complex international disputes. He has acted in international arbitrations and litigations across a range of sectors and industries, has been counsel to represented clients with treaty-based claims in Central Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, and has appeared as counsel in international matters before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court of Justice of the European Union, ICSID, UNCITRAL and ad hoc arbitral tribunals. 

Barbara Maucher is a partner based in Noerr’s Düsseldorf office and a member of our Litigation, Arbitration & ADR practice group. Barbara has long-standing experience in major law firms in Germany and the US, where she provided US and German-speaking clients with cross-jurisdictional legal assistance on various matters. Her practice mainly focuses on representing clients from the energy sector in arbitration proceedings relating to commercial and investment disputes.

As Chief Investment Officer, Hannah van Roessel leads all aspects of Omni Bridgeway’s investment management, due diligence processes and operations across EMEA.

Hannah joined Omni Bridgeway in 2013, serving as Senior Investment Manager and Director Enforcement first for EMEA and then the US, where she relocated to New York to launch the company’s US judgment enforcement business in 2022, during which time she gained a notable record of success, managing complex multijurisdictional enforcement cases and securing recoveries in contested settings, in particular against sovereigns and semi sovereigns.

Before joining Omni Bridgeway, she practiced at leading law firms NautaDutilh and Loyens & Loeff, gaining significant experience with cross-border arbitration and litigation proceedings, as well as recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards.

Hannah holds a master’s degree in Private, Trade and Business Law from University of Maastricht, The Netherlands, and a master’s degree in International Trade Law from University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She also received a diploma in international commercial arbitration from Queen Mary, University of London. Hannah is fluent in Dutch, English and proficient in French.

Emilie is a leading barrister specialising in commercial and international disputes including international commercial arbitration, commercial litigation, investment treaty arbitration and public international law.

She is ranked in the legal directories, which describe her as a “brilliant lawyer, thorough in her analysis, precise in her drafting and clear in her thoughts”, “a massive intellect”, “an excellent and committed junior who is a great team player and a joy to work with” and a barrister whose “enthusiasm is matched with a razor-sharp mind”.

Emilie represents parties in complex and high value disputes before arbitral tribunals and the English Court both as sole and junior counsel.  She has experience of disputes in a wide range of sectors including hospitality, mining, oil and gas, telecommunications, financial services, real estate, aviation, shipping taxation and commodity trading.

Sarah represents global corporations, financial institutions, States and State entities in complex litigation and international arbitration matters.

Her experience covers a broad range of business sectors with a focus on industrial, energy and financial services disputes across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Over the last decade, Sarah has built deep experience in disputes relating to the enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign judgments, conflict of laws and jurisdiction issues, asset-tracing and recovery. She also advises in economic sanctions.

Laurence Ponty is a partner at Archipel specialising in international arbitration and litigation. She has extensive experience representing private and state-owned entities of the CIS and the EMEA regions in complex arbitration proceedings in the fields of energy, construction, real estate, engineering, telecommunications and services, under all major arbitration rules. She also frequently sits as an arbitrator and has experience in high-profile cross-border litigation, enforcement proceedings and asset recovery. 

Rob is a partner and solicitor in our commercial dispute resolution practice. Rob has deep expertise in resolving complex, high-value, cross-border disputes; often involving thorny conflicts of law and jurisdictional issues and requiring the assembly and tight co-ordination
of teams of foreign counsel and specialists.

He oversees a number of the firm’s largest cases, including acting for the claimants in Stati & Ors v Republic of Kazakhstan, a multi-jurisdictional action to enforce a US$500 million arbitral award resulting from breaches of the Energy Charter Treaty.

Other recent instructions include a EUR900 million investment arbitration against the Republic of Moldova and a complex civil fraud and asset recovery action in which worldwide freezing orders were obtained against 29 defendants and Chabra respondents across five jurisdictions. Rob has a growing reputation in relation to crypto disputes and was named as one of Citywealth’s Top 50 Crypto Professionals 2023.

Paul Hughes focuses on advising international clients on high-profile disputes, in which he deploys creative strategies designed to monetize or dilute cross-border claims. He has extensive experience enforcing judgments and arbitral awards in matters involving global asset recovery, with particular focus on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the wider Middle East region and the United Kingdom.

Selim Can Bilgin is a partner at Kabine Law Office. Mr. Bilgin, qualified in Turkey and England & Wales, focuses his practice on international arbitrations spanning numerous jurisdictions (MENA countries, EU and the UK), procedural rules (ICC, SCAI, ICSID, UNCITRAL, LCIA, ISTAC), and industries (construction, telecommunications and infrastructure). Mr. Bilgin also represents clients before the local courts in civil cases and in enforcement and related proceedings across different jurisdictions. In addition to his contentious practice, he provides advice in non-contentious matters with respect to the questions of public international law, English law and Turkish law and collaborates with clients in the preparation of their applications for litigation funding.

Amy Lashinsky is CEO and co-founder of Alaco.  She trained on Wall Street as a securities analyst. She joined Kroll in New York in 1988, moving to London to help establish its first overseas office, where she became Managing Director of its business intelligence unit. In 1995 she set up her own business intelligence firm with Ambrose Carey, which they sold in 1998 to NYSE-listed Armor Holdings, remaining there until founding Alaco in 2002.

Amy is an Independent Non-Executive Director of FTSE 250 company Energean Oil & Gas plc. She is also a Trustee of the Rathbones Folio Prize. Amy graduated from the University of Michigan.

Shannon Rose Selden is the Chair of the firm’s Investment Management Litigation Practice and a Co-Coordinator of the Private Equity Group. Ms. Selden has a broad practice representing hedge fund and private equity clients, as plaintiffs and defendants, in complex, high-stakes litigation. Ms. Selden has significant experience as lead counsel in state and federal courts in the full range of matters affecting asset management firms, including merger, securities, contract, corporate governance, fiduciary, financing and debt restructuring disputes. She is ranked as a leading lawyer for Commercial Litigation by Chambers USA (2024), which has described her as “very commercial,” “an outstanding lawyer and strategic adviser” and “a very analytical and creative thinker.” She is also recommended by The Legal 500 US (2023), which has reported that her advice is “strategic, tailored, [and] insightful” and that she is a “brilliant lawyer at the very top.” She has been recognized as a Law360 “MVP” for Asset Management, a “Litigation Star” and as one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation” by Benchmark Litigation. Ms. Selden and her colleagues were also recognized by Law360 as “Asset Management Practice Group of the Year” and as “Private Equity Practice Group of the Year.” She has been named to the 2020 Crain’s New York Business list of “Notable Women in Law.” She was shortlisted for “Best in Private Equity” at Euromoney’s “2018 Women in Business Law Awards.”

Sudhanshu practices arbitration, commercial and public international law. He has acted in leading and landmark cases across his areas of practice.

Sudhanshu’s commercial practice encompasses shipping, international trade, energy, natural resources, banking and insurance and sanctions. He has particular experience of group and tort claims against multinational corporations, having acted in several of the important English cases. His work often involves challenges to jurisdiction, enforcement and applications for freezing orders and other urgent relief. He also has significant experience of cases with a connection to India and is co-chair of the India Committee of the Commercial Bar Association.

His public international practice has included some of the leading cases of recent times, both in the English courts and in international courts and tribunals. His practice includes investment arbitration and related court proceedings, immunities, foreign act of state, law of the sea, international environmental law and human rights. He has acted for various states (including as lead counsel for the United Kingdom), for state officials, for corporations and for NGOs.

Drawing on his background in public international and commercial law, Sudhanshu has developed expertise in climate change. He has been acting in two of the major international test cases (see “Recent work” below), which have attracted worldwide media coverage. He has also lectured extensively on climate change law, both in relation to states and corporations.

Sudhanshu has been recognised as one of The Lawyer magazine’s “Hot 100” lawyers and is described as “A superb strategist and technician, one to keep on speed-dial for important cases” (The Legal 500 UK Bar 2020).

Sudhanshu accepts appointments as an arbitrator.

Nicoleta Timofti is an experienced US-qualified international disputes and investigations attorney with a strong track record of providing strategic counsel to private clients, government officials, multinational corporations, international financial institutions and sovereign states. Her extensive international practice spans complex and high-value international disputes (both litigations and arbitrations), investigations, involving allegations of fraud and corruption, complex cross-border disputes, white collar criminal defense, anti-money laundering (AML), international corruption, and asset recovery and tracing, including international bankruptcies and asset protection.

Robert is special counsel in the litigation and arbitration team.

Dr Robert Kovacs specialises in public international law, international arbitration and business and human rights. He has represented individuals, companies, States, and State-owned entities in international disputes across a range of sectors, including energy, mining, construction, banking, mergers and acquisitions, sport, property and technology. He has a focus on Europe, Asia-Pacific and MENA.

Robert holds a PhD in international law, is the former Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific Forum for International Arbitration and is a senior fellow at the Melbourne University Law School.

Dr. Joel Dahlquist acts as an advisor in international arbitrations arising under investment treaties and contracts. In particular Joel has experience representing sovereign states in investor-state arbitrations.

Prior to joining the firm, Joel worked as tribunal secretary to arbitral tribunals in more than twenty large-scale international arbitrations, governed by the ICSID, SCC, UNCITRAL, and ICC rules, as well as ad hoc.

Alejandro has 20 years of dispute resolution experience. His practice focuses on international commercial arbitration and investment treaty arbitration. Alejandro is recognised as a “global leader” in international arbitration (Who’s Who Legal) and a leading directory describes him as a “brilliant mind [who] always finds a way around a problem”.

Charlie Caher is a partner in the Firm's Litigation/Controversy Department, and a member of the International Arbitration Practice Group. He joined the Firm in 2008. Mr. Caher is based in the London office, where he practices International Arbitration and English High Court Litigation.