Insight
International arbitration in 2023
Top trends in a changing world
International arbitration
The world’s leading international arbitration practice.
Freshfields is widely recognized as the world’s leading international arbitration practice across all key jurisdictions and industry sectors.
We offer innovative advice and strategies so our clients can succeed in the most challenging disputes, our team members are renowned for their advocacy skills and five members of the team are King’s Counsel.
The truly global nature of our practice sets us apart. We conduct arbitrations all over the world, whatever the governing law of the dispute, the language of the arbitration, the applicable arbitration rules or the subject matter of the dispute.
Client successes
Successfully representing Occidental Petroleum in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela
We successfully represented Occidental Petroleum in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela following Venezuela’s improper interference with Occidental’s hydrocarbons investments, obtaining an award for Occidental in excess of US$100 million (and costs).
Representing the group of concessionaires in a high-profile investment arbitration against Argentina concerning the world’s largest water concession.
Securing one of the largest awards in ICSID history on behalf of Crystallex against Venezuela.
The Tribunal unanimously awarded Crystallex $1.2bn in damages in connection with Venezuela’s expropriation of the Las Cristinas gold mine.
Securing historic victories for East Mediterranean Gas and its foreign shareholders.
A series of parallel arbitrations concerning the termination of a government-backed project to export gas from Egypt to Israel.
Two commercial arbitration tribunals have found that Egyptian state-owned entities wrongfully repudiated the long-term contracts implementing the project. An investment tribunal has found that Egypt’s conduct in connection with the project breached its investment treaty with the United States. Further awards are pending.
Defending claims for CT-Mobile and Econet Wireless in Stockholm, Lagos and elsewhere when they faced shareholder disputes over the ownership of shares worth billions of dollars in telecommunications businesses that are among the largest in Russia and Nigeria.
Representing BG Group in an arbitration against Argentina arising from tariff measures Argentina implemented following its economic crisis.
We won the arbitration and successfully represented BG Group in subsequent US court challenge proceedings. In a landmark case, the US Supreme Court upheld the award in favour of our client (the first time the Supreme Court has reviewed an investment arbitration award).
Representing RWE Transgas in a groundbreaking $4bn gas price review and a $700m take-or-pay dispute resolved by ICC arbitrations under a long-term gas supply agreement with Gazprom.
Recognitions
The Freshfields team is distinctive in the outstanding legal precision and clarity of its work, the depth of its strategic analysis and advice, and its high success rate.
We are consistently impressed by their strategic and sophisticated yet practical and accessible approach, as well as their clear communication and responsiveness.
The team handled international issues in the proceedings excellently, partly because the team is very international and is able to use experts from different countries.
Freshfields is an “exceptional firm” for international arbitration, whose lawyers are "completely on top of anything, go the extra mile and work extremely hard," as well as "making the integration of offices and practices around the world seem seamless."
They are the top-notch arbitration firm for state-investor cases in the world. They have extensive knowledge of all past and current cases, and have an incredible team with extraordinary skills.
Blogs
Our team
Noiana Marigo Global Co-Head of International Arbitration & Co-Head of Latin America Practice
New York
Erin Miller Rankin Partner
Dubai, Singapore
Nigel Blackaby KC Partner, Co-Head of Latin America Practice
Washington, DC
Noah Rubins KC Partner
Paris
Sylvia Noury KC Partner
London
Nicholas Lingard Partner
Singapore, Tokyo
Lee Rovinescu Partner
New York
Thomas W. Walsh Partner
New York
Caroline Richard Partner
Washington, DC
Dr. Carsten Wendler Partner
Frankfurt am Main
Sami Tannous Partner
Dubai
John Choong Partner
Hong Kong
Joaquin Terceño Partner
Tokyo, Singapore
David Livshiz Partner
New York
Oliver Marsden Partner
London
Peter Turner KC Partner
Paris
Jeroen van Hezewijk Partner
Amsterdam
Nathalie Colin Partner
Brussels
Rafael Murillo Partner
Madrid
Natalia Gómez Partner
Madrid
Giuseppe Curtò Partner
Milan
Dr. Daniel Schnabl Partner
Frankfurt am Main
Martin C. Mekat Partner
Frankfurt am Main, Munich
Dr. Roman Mallmann Partner
Düsseldorf
Dr. Michael Rohls Partner
Munich
Eric Leikin Partner
Vienna
Kim Rosenberg Partner
Dubai, London
Xin Liu Partner
Hong Kong, Beijing
