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Joshua Picker litigates international disputes with a particular emphasis on cross-border commercial disputes and investment arbitration. He also defends clients in DOJ and SEC anticorruption investigations and related civil litigation.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Picker served as a research associate to former National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling on economic, trade, and globalization policy matters and as an aide to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY).
Civil Litigation
- Successfully obtained emergency orders compelling discovery in aid of foreign litigation pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782.
- Secured a favorable settlement for South American petrochemical company in securities class action concerning allegations of corruption.
- On behalf of Fortune 500 multinational, successfully obtained dismissal on grounds of forum non conveniens of federal court action by multinational’s foreign distributor alleging wrongful termination of its distribution contract.
International Arbitration
- Counsel for Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company, Naftogaz, in an investment arbitration against the Russian Federation arising from Russia’s occupation of Crimea.
- Represented minority investors in the Yukos Oil Company in an SCC arbitration against the Russian Federation arising from Russia’s expropriation of the company.
White Collar Defense and Investigations
- Represent individuals and companies in DOJ and SEC anticorruption investigations.
- Defended FX traders in the global investigations of possible manipulation of foreign currency exchange markets.
Pro Bono
- Along with the ACLU, representing plaintiffs in a constitutional and administrative challenge to the unlawful detention and identification search of passengers following a domestic air flight.
- Blocked the improper administrative separation of two active duty transgender Army Soldiers; coordinated with a team from the ACLU to persuade the military services and the Department of Defense to revise policies governing open service by transgender service members.
- Named a Covington Charles F.C. Ruff Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year for 2019.
Memberships and Affiliations
- American Bar Association, International Section
Previous Experience
- Economic Policy Research Associate to Gene B. Sperling, Center for American Progress
- Aide to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)
October 1, 2019, Law360
Law360 covered William Phillips, David Pinsky, Joshua Picker, Marney Cheek, and William Lowery’s representation of Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company, in its pursuit of documents from Gazprom's Dallas-based oil and gas reserves auditor as the company pursues litigation in the Netherlands to enforce a $2.56 billion arbitral award against the ...
CBP Issues New Protocols Restricting Domestic Flight Passenger Identification Checks Following ACLU Lawsuit
July 11, 2019, ACLU
The ACLU covered Josh Picker's representation of domestic flight passengers subject to suspicionless searches by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Picker says, "We are pleased to have reached a settlement that recognizes that our clients were wronged by government officials when they exited the plane on February 22, 2017 and that such conduct is not to ...
June 14, 2019
LONDON—The American Lawyer and Legal Week have named Covington its Transatlantic Arbitration Team of the Year. The award focuses on a single case that involved significant lawyering on both sides of the Atlantic and that demonstrated excellence in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, and teamwork. The publications recognized Covington for ...
April 23, 2019, Commercial Dispute Resolution
Commercial Dispute Resolution mentioned Covington as legal counsel to Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company, advising the company in its victory over the Russian government that illegally expropriated the oil company’s assets in Crimea. David Pinsky described it as “an important day” for the oil company, explaining: “Russia targeted Naftogaz’s ...
March 1, 2019
WASHINGTON—Covington secured a major victory on behalf of Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company, NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, in an international arbitration against the Russian Federation. A tribunal sitting at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, in The Hague, concluded that Russia unlawfully expropriated Naftogaz’s assets in Crimea, in violation of Russia’s ...
Feds Can't Ditch Fliers' Suit Over CBP Identity Checks
December 18, 2018, Law360
Covington successfully won dismissal of a summary judgment motion by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York in a case involving the Fourth Amendment and the Administrative Procedures Act. The Covington team is representing airline passengers who were required to show identification by U.S. Customs and Broder Protection and are now ...
January 25, 2018, Covington Advisory
Our message this year is simple: FCPA enforcement is here to stay. Despite pre-election statements to the contrary, various senior officials in the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) have, over the past year, consistently reaffirmed DOJ’s and the SEC’s commitment to FCPA enforcement.
Practices
Education
Columbia Law School, J.D.
- Honors:
- James Kent Scholar
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
- Paul Hays Prize for the outstanding first-year student in civil procedure
- Simon Rifkind Prize for the best overall performance in the first year moot court program
- National Champion, American Constitution Society Moot Court
- Columbia Law Review, Senior Editor
Yale University, B.A.
- Honors:
- cum laude
- Departmental Honors in International Studies and Ethics, Politics & Economics
- Henry Hart Rice Prize for the outstanding senior essay in International Studies
Judicial Clerkship
- Hon. Katherine B. Forrest, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 2012 - 2013