International Dispute Resolution

Disputes involving multiple countries and legal systems present complex challenges, which require a deep understanding and practical experience with the applicable rules and practices of multiple jurisdictions. Squire Sanders’ international dispute resolution (IDR) team is skilled at applying creative and efficient solutions to these challenges. With 37 offices reaching across 18 countries, Squire Sanders is one of a small number of legal practices able to serve the IDR needs of clients on a truly global basis.

We have long-established practice groups throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia immersed in the dispute resolution practices specific to each region. We are respected as formidable litigators and trial lawyers, as well as leaders in alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Our award-winning practice sets itself apart by finding innovative and practical solutions and employing strategic techniques including early case evaluation; screening for appropriate dispute resolution procedures; billing and status-reporting flexibility; and a range of technology tools, combined with professionalism and commercial awareness.

Our lawyers are highly experienced in all forms of dispute resolution including:

• Adjudication
• Advocacy
• Arbitration
• Dispute prevention 
• Expert determination
• Litigation
• Mediation

We anticipate our clients' risk exposure, provide consultation on structuring contract remedies and instinctively see the problems posed by particular disputes in the context of the client's broader business interests.

Trained in multiple jurisdictions, we work daily as members of diverse multinational teams. Our IDR practice includes practitioners experienced in complex and high-value claims, as well as routine cases. Additionally, we are leaders in bilateral investment treaty arbitration, the most important frontier of international law. We have participated in high-profile treaty cases including those involving banking and monetary regulation, the petroleum industry, electrical generation and gold mining. We are also preeminent in representing buyers in the negotiation and arbitration of natural gas price reviews (gas re-openers).

Common Provisions in International Arbitration Agreements – A Key Issues Checklist

Most, if not all, international conventions and national arbitration laws require an arbitration agreement be in writing to be valid. The following checklist, offered in several languages, reviews the key issues you should be aware of when preparing international arbitration agreements.

Chinese
Czech
Dutch
English
French
Hungarian
Portuguese
Russian
Slovak
Spanish
Ukrainian

Representative Experience

• Representing a BVI company in a US$29 million dispute (the subject of an ICC arbitration) with its joint venture partner in relation to the funding of the development of an oil field in Kazakhstan.
• Assisting an Italy-based bank in litigation against another bank before the Commercial Court of the London’s High Court in a negligence case arising out of the arrangement of a securitization.
• Dealing with regulatory, contentious, employment and commercial issues for an international sports federation including a €3 million dispute with a Spanish football club in relation to unpaid transfer fees.
• Representing an Ecuador-based airline in a US$40 million dispute concerning multiple commercial aircraft sublease agreements involving US-, Ecuador- and Ireland-based parties in an international judicial proceeding.
• Representing a money-center bank as assignee of a US$33 million loan that had been made to a Malaysia-based energy company by a Malaysia-based bank. Both the borrower and the bank had become insolvent, and the loan was assigned to our client in the liquidation proceedings ordered by the Malaysia banking authorities, which involved assets located in Nigeria, Hong Kong, Kenya, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic. At the time of the default a 155 MW power barge, part of the collateral for the loan, was anchored off the Dominican Republic. We represented the loan assignee in connection with litigation proceedings and negotiations in the Dominican Republic that ultimately led to the barge's sale to a third party for US$14.5 million, nearly half of the outstanding debt.
• Advising on a civil fraud matter in the United States arising out of claims by Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei emanating from his high profile litigation battle with his brother, the Sultan of Brunei. The estimated value could be as much as US$100 million.
• Handling a successful claim (worth tens of millions of UK pounds) against a pan-European media agency for reimbursement of sums retained from handling transactions on our client’s behalf.
• Advising one of the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial batteries in a dispute with Delta Energy Systems (Finland) QA.
• Winning a multibillion US dollar international arbitral award for a large supplier of natural gas to Spain's energy market. The arbitration was in connection with a price-reopener dispute centered on the value of natural gas to end users in Spain, taking into consideration all applicable transmission and regasification charges and operational issues. Atlantic LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago had initiated the arbitration, demanding a US$1 billion price increase under a contract between the parties. We defeated the claim and successfully counterclaimed for a substantial price decrease.
• Handling a dispute involving an agreement to sell a Swiss registered company, which is the largest business operating in Uzbekistan, with assets valued at approximately US$3 billion. We sought to obtain specific performance of the sale agreements in an LCIA Arbitration.