Zachary Simon

About Zachary Simon

Zachary represents clients from a range of sectors in U.S. litigation matters and commercial and investment arbitrations under various arbitration rules. He maintains an active pro bono practice in the U.S. and abroad, and in 2023 he was recognized as a Pro Bono Publico Award honoree by The Legal Aid Society.

He has previously worked in the firm’s New York and Frankfurt offices. Prior to joining Freshfields, he worked for the European Court of Justice, the United States Senate, and the United States House of Representatives.

Zachary speaks English, French, Spanish, and German. He is admitted to practice in New York and Washington, D.C.

Recent work

• Representing the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in several actions in the Supreme Court of New York relating to an alleged Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Philadelphia stock exchange member Brenda Smith.
• Representing Glencore in proceedings before the District Court for the District of Columbia to enforce a $250 million arbitral award against Bolivia stemming from Bolivia's nationalization of Glencore's mining assets.
• Representing Western Union in the Delaware Court of Chancery in a breach of contract dispute concerning the sale of Western Union's business-to-business global payments services. 
• Representing multiple European banks in bankruptcy proceedings in the Southern District of New York arising out of the Bernie Madoff fraud.
• Representing participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in a class action against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Southern District of New York on a pro bono basis.
• Representing major European auto manufacturers in a U.S. litigation matter involving contractual claims and whistleblower allegations.
• Representing a major European industrial group in several related arbitrations against suppliers in multiple jurisdictions. The disputes involve complex technical issues of material science and failure analysis, and the question of whether the properties of the material supplied render it unsuitable for its intended use.
• Representing a Japanese manufacturer in a DIS arbitration arising out of a commitment to divest agreed with the European Commission. The arbitration involves multiple contractual claims and counterclaims intertwined with European antitrust issues.
• Representing a financial investor in an LCIA arbitration arising out of several non-performing loans relating to a distressed energy group in eastern Europe.