Our international arbitration practice covers the globe and focuses on complex disputes presenting issues of both private and public international law. We have handled disputes arising under the auspices of all of the major arbitral institutions and compacts operating in the world today, including most notably the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, Permanent Court of Arbitration, UNCITRAL, WIPO, and WTO. Our clients include companies in sectors such as aerospace, energy, mining, financial services, information technology, and life sciences, as well as select sovereign states. We have represented a multitude of investors in a broad array of investment disputes under bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and other instruments, and we have acted in the international arena for a wide range of holders of intellectual-property rights, other contract rights, and corporate policyholders seeking recourse from insurers. In all of these matters, we team up with our colleagues within the firm who are often leading practitioners in the substantive areas at issue, and where appropriate, we work with the best available local lawyers, whether or not our firm's name is on their office door.
Representative Matters
- ExxonMobil, in pending ICC and ICSID proceedings against the Republic of Venezuela and its state-owned oil company, relating to expropriatory and other acts of the Venezuelan government.
- Merck, in an ad hoc London arbitration against its insurers, resulting in a recent award and publicly disclosed recovery of over $450 million, plus unspecified further settlements, in connection with the company’s Vioxx-related liabilities.
- Spanish investors in Yukos Oil Company, in a Stockholm Chamber of Commerce arbitration against the Russian Federation, relating to the Russian government’s liquidation of Yukos.
- A joint venture of Newmont Mining and Sumitomo, in an arbitration under UNCITRAL Rules against the Indonesian government, relating to the government’s efforts to terminate an agreement governing exploitation of copper and gold resources on the island of Sumbawa.
- A Malaysian construction and development firm, in an ICSID arbitration that resulted in a substantial damages award against the Republic of Chile.
- A US railroad in an ad hoc London arbitration against a Bermuda insurer, seeking coverage for liabilities arising from a major train derailment in the United States.
- Newmont Mining, in a Stockholm Chamber of Commerce arbitration against the Republic of Uzbekistan that resulted in a highly favorable settlement.
- The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in an ICSID arbitration against a Turkish contractor relating to the collapse of a dike in the Dead Sea.
Accolades
- Consistently ranked as a leading practice in Chambers, The Legal 500, and Global Arbitration Review.
- Described by The Legal 500 as having “an excellent reputation in international arbitration;” “first-rate in terms of work product;” considered by clients to operate according to “a general rule of exceptional quality.”
- Described in Chambers USA (2008) as “riding high,” with particular strength in Latin America; “it is the addition of common sense and practical knowledge that distinguishes Covington’s lawyers.”
- Two partners currently serve, by Presidential appointment, on the standing panels of ICSID conciliators and arbitrators; others serve on the CPR or AAA Panels of Neutrals.
|
|