| International Arbitration |
WilmerHale offers one of the world’s premier international arbitration and dispute resolution practices.
Our international arbitration group has been involved in more than 600 proceedings in recent years. We have successfully represented clients in four of the largest institutional arbitrations and several of the most significant ad hoc arbitrations to arise in the past decade. We also pride ourselves on consistently achieving our client's objectives in less sizable cases, through efficient staffing and the use of in-house know-how and precedents.
The firm's international arbitration practice is headed by Gary Born, one of the world's preeminent authorities in the field. Mr. Born was awarded the inaugural "Advocate of the Year" prize by Global Arbitration Review (based on views of peers and leading arbitrators) and was also recently voted the "World's Best International Litigator" in a survey of in-house counsel and practitioners. Mr. Born has been ranked for most of the past decade by Chambers as the only international arbitration practitioner in London with "starred" status and one of three practitioners in the world with global starred status; he is ranked similarly by Global Counsel, Euromoney and other publications. Mr. Born is the author of International Commercial Arbitration (2009 Kluwer), International Arbitration and Forum Selection Agreements (3d ed. 2010 Kluwer)—read the first chapter here— International Arbitration: Cases and Materials (2011 Aspen) and International Civil Litigation in United States Courts (4th ed. 2006 Aspen).
Steven Finizio, Wendy Miles and Franz Schwarz—all in our London office—are also consistently ranked among leading international arbitration practitioners, as is John Pierce, in New York, and John Trenor, Rachael Kent and David Bowker in our Washington DC office. Our multinational team consists of nearly 70 US, English, Continental and other lawyers, all of whom practice principally in the international arbitration field.
Centered in the London office, the practice has additional team members in New York, Washington, Beijing, Palo Alto, Brussels and Berlin. Many members of our team are dedicated entirely to international arbitration, with a number of lawyers offering specialization in particular fields (such as oil and gas, insurance, joint venture and M&A). Our counsel and associates include highly talented younger lawyers with specialized training. Lawyers in our various offices routinely work closely together on disputes, as well as with local counsel when appropriate. Our international arbitration group includes both common and civil law practitioners, and prides itself on working together as an integrated team.
Our practice covers virtually all forms of international arbitration. Our lawyers are presently handling disputes under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), American Arbitration Association (AAA), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), Vienna International Arbitral Center (VIAC) and UNCITRAL rules; we also have extensive experience with other forms of institutional arbitration and ad hoc arbitrations, including arbitration of public international law issues. Our lawyers are or were recently involved in arbitrations seated in the United States (various situses), London, Geneva, Zurich, Stockholm, Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, The Hague, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico, Canada, Frankfurt and Berlin. In recent years, our arbitration group has handled disputes governed by the laws of more than 45 different legal systems.
Our international arbitration practice has been uniformly lauded for its exceptionally high quality. One source reports that our practice is "renowned the world over as a centre of excellence." Another recently described our practice as boasting "highly intelligent lawyers at every level," and "highly sophisticated and powerful advocates." Other publications report that the team is "astute" and "truly innovative in its submissions," with a "genuinely international team." US News/Best Lawyers 2011-2012 cites a client as saying “WilmerHale has a world-class practice in international arbitration. Gary Born and his team are superb lawyers and are absolutely committed to obtaining the best possible result for the client. We value our relationship with them very highly.” Additionally, Gary Born has recently been recognized as an "awesome," "outstanding," "stellar" and "inimitable" advocate (Chambers Global), a "prolific and extremely experienced counsel" with a "huge reputation" (Chambers UK), and "one of the world's foremost experts in arbitration" (Legal 500).
The firm’s arbitration group maintains a comprehensive database of know-how and documentation under all leading institutional rules and national laws. This includes model submissions, precedents and research materials on both procedural and substantive issues. Our lawyers also have extensive experience in all aspects of the arbitral process, including trial advocacy and presentation.
In appropriate cases, our lawyers also serve as arbitrators, mediators and expert witnesses on issues of international dispute resolution.
Please see the Experience page for a listing of representative international arbitration experience, and please see the Recognition page for additional accolades received by the team and individual lawyers. Please see the Scholar-in-Residence page for details of this program.
The International Arbitration Group's London Intern Program provides a unique opportunity for young lawyers from across the globe to experience the realities of a busy international arbitration practice and to learn from colleagues who are leaders in their field. Please click here to learn more about the International Arbitration Group's London Intern Program.