Public international law

Gary Born

Chair of WilmerHale's International Arbitration Practice Group

Michelle Bradfield

Partner

Markus Burgstaller

Since 1998, Markus has concentrated on public international law. Markus combines experience in public international law at the highest level of government with many years of experience in advising and representing states, international organisations and businesses in private practice. He focuses on international investment law and acts in arbitrations under ICSID, ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL rules and in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union. He also advises investors on structuring investments worldwide.

Andrew Cannon

Andrew is the Global Co-Head of our International Arbitration practice, and of our Public International Law practice. He is head of our India Disputes group and co-head of our Nordic group. He is also Deputy Chair of the firm's Global Pro Bono and Responsible Business Council.

Stephen Fietta

Stephen Fietta KC founded Fietta LLP in 2015. He has practised at the forefront of public international law, whether within government or private practice, for more than 20 years and is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading public international law practitioners. He regularly advises sovereign clients with respect to high-profile and sensitive public international law issues, including as regards sovereignty disputes, the law of the sea (including maritime boundary delimitation), international environmental law, human rights, treaty interpretation and international investment law. Stephen has advised on cases before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), European Court of Justice, European Court of Human Rights and multiple domestic courts. He has appeared in more than 40 pending and decided arbitration cases under the World Bank (ICSID), UNCITRAL and other rules, a number of which have featured ground-breaking awards on jurisdiction, merits and/or damages. Before establishing Fietta in 2015, Stephen co-founded the world’s first specialist public international law firm (Volterra Fietta) in 2011. Prior to that, he was a partner specialising in public international law at a leading US and global law firm. Both of those practices were top-ranked at the time. Stephen regularly manages large teams of lawyers (including specialist or domestic co-counsel), experts and witnesses in multiple jurisdictions. Stephen is a Visiting Senior Lecturer at King’s College, London. In January 2015, Stephen was awarded the Smit-Lowenfield Prize by the International Arbitration Club of New York for the best article published globally in the field of international arbitration, entitled Public International Law, Investment Treaties and Commercial Arbitration: an emerging system of complementarity? Stephen has co-authored (with Dr Robin Cleverly) A Practioners guide to Maritime Delimitation, published in March 2016, which has subsequently been cited before both the ICJ and ITLOS. DIRECTORY RECOGNITION Chambers Global Directory ranks Stephen as one of the world’s top public international law practitioners.  Chambers Global Directory 2023 describes him as “hugely knowledgeable and tactically very astute”.  Chambers UK Directory 2022 ranks him as one of only two “star individuals” in the United Kingdom.  It comments that he “is regularly instructed on complex mandates” describes him as “a first-class international lawyer” with “a remarkably detailed as well as broad knowledge and insight into a wide variety of fields of law”.  A previous edition quoted sources as identifying Stephen as “a world-leading PIL practitioner and an unflappable advocate” who is “meticulous, thorough and thoughtful”. The Legal 500 has consistently ranked Stephen as a “leading individual” in public international law.  He is one of only four lawyers included in its “Hall of Fame” which “highlights individuals who have received consistent praise by their clients for continued excellence”.��Legal 500 Directory 2021 identifies Stephen as “a master of his field”, who can “translate the complexity of issues in a simple and direct manner”.  Previous editions have commented that he is "calm, measured and unflappable”, a “simply fantastic practitioner” and that "his professionalism and work ethic are remarkable”. In June 2020, Best Lawyers named Stephen “Lawyer of the Year 2021” in its public international law practice category.  The award is given to a single lawyer in each practice category based upon extensive peer reviews. Who’s Who Legal again recognised Stephen as among the world’s leading arbitration experts in its 2020 edition, classifying him as both a “Global Leader” and a “Thought Leader”. The recognition follows independent research with clients and peers. Stephen was featured in the global Who's Who in Public International Law (published in 2007).  In March 2013, Stephen was named among the top 100 lawyers in London by the inaugural UK edition of Super Lawyers. The Global Arbitration Review 2011 named Stephen as one of the world's leading international arbitration practitioners under the age of 45 (the “45 under 45”).

Rae Lindsay

Partner

Constantine Partasides

Constantine, one of the founding partners of Three Crowns, has appeared as lead counsel in some of the largest international arbitrations of the last two decades. He has secured a series of multi-billion dollar awards for his clients, and defended others in ‘bet-the-company’ claims arising in a number of different business sectors. He is also listed in the “Hall of Fame” for international arbitration in The Legal 500.

Robert Volterra

Lawyer

Farouk El-Hosseny

Farouk, a senior associate in our London office, advises clients on arbitrations governed by the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, and UNCITRAL rules, with a focus on complex commercial and investor-State disputes in the oil and gas and telecommunications sectors. He is often called upon by clients to provide strategic advice in respect to disputes raising matters of force majeure, taxation, international sanctions, and claims by competing governments.

Camilla Gambarini

Dual qualified as an Avvocato (Italy) and as a Solicitor (England & Wales), Camilla specialises in international arbitration (commercial and investment treaty) and public international law matters. Before moving to London, she practised in Milan, Houston and New York. She has represented individuals, companies, States and State-owned entities in international arbitrations across a range of sectors, including the apparel, aviation, energy, gambling, infrastructure, insurance, metal, media and railway industries in different regions of the world, including Europe, Africa, CIS countries and Latin America.She has experience of international commercial and investment arbitrations under the auspices of ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, CIAC and CAM rules. Her public international law experience includes advising companies and individuals on the protection of investments under international investment treaties, and sovereign States on boundary disputes, natural resources and sovereign immunity.Camilla also has assisted clients in pro bono cases on human rights violations before domestic constitutional courts and the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies, securing recommendations to overturn a country’s total criminalisation of abortion.She is recognised in Who’s Who Legal (Arbitration 2021: Future Leaders – Non Partners). She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration and served as Co-Chair of Young ICCA (2018-2020) and is on the board of the American Review of International Arbitration at Columbia Law School (2019-2024), on the Lexis PSL Arbitration Consulting Editorial Board and is an Editor of Jus Mundi.

Angela Ha

Counsel at Volterra Fietta

Monika Hlavkova

Monika Hlavkova is an associate in the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Group. Her practice focuses on international arbitration and public international law. She is based in London, having also practised in Paris and Singapore. Ms. Hlavkova joined Debevoise in 2019 from a magic circle law firm. She has experience in investment and commercial arbitrations in a wide variety of sectors and regions and has represented investors and states in disputes under the UNCITRAL, ICSID, ICC, LCIA and SIAC Rules. Ms. Hlavkova also advises on issues of public international law, including on the firm’s pro bono mandates.

Devika Khopkar

European Counsel

Laura Rees-Evans

Laura is an English-qualified solicitor and Solicitor-Advocate (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings). Laura’s practice focuses on contentious and non-contentious aspects of public international law (PIL) and international arbitration.  Laura is widely recognised in the leading legal directories for her expertise in these fields.  She has been recognised as a “Rising Star” in PIL in the Legal 500 UK Solicitors annually since 2022.  She has been ranked in Chambers UK since 2023, most recently (2024) as an “up and coming” lawyer in PIL.  She has been included in the (biennial) Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators guide since 2021 for her expertise in PIL.  She is also recommended by Legal 500 UK Solicitors 2024 for international arbitration.  She was included in Who’s Who Legal 2024 as a “Future Leader” in Arbitration (based on recommendations from peers and clients), and selected by peers for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the United KingdomTM in International Arbitration.  Chambers reports that clients describe Laura as “very impressive”, an “outstanding lawyer”, who “has deep expertise in international arbitration and public international law” and provides “high-quality advice”. Laura advises on a wide range of PIL issues, including international investment law; international human rights law; the law of the sea; statehood and sovereignty issues; treaty interpretation; and UN procedure.  She has acted in a number of inter-State proceedings, both before the International Court of Justice and under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights.  She also acts for claimant investors and respondent States in complex and high-value international investment arbitrations across a range of different industry sectors, and has experience of all the major arbitral rules (ICSID, SCC, UNCITRAL).  Laura also regularly advises on PIL issues before domestic courts (including, in particular, State immunity issues, recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards, and set-aside proceedings), and recently advised a client defending set-aside proceedings in which a reference was made to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Laura has delivered numerous training courses to officials of State clients and lectures at academic and other institutions on topics of PIL and international arbitration. Laura is frequently invited to speak at conferences and has authored and co-authored numerous articles on topics of PIL and international arbitration.

Oonagh Sands

Oonagh Sands is a dually-qualified English and US lawyer. She is an English-qualified Solicitor and Solicitor-Advocate (Higher Courts Civil Proceedings), as well as an Attorney in New York State and the District of Columbia. The Legal 500 has recognised Oonagh as a “Rising Star” in public international law. She has significant experience representing sovereign States and their State-owned entities, as well as individuals and private entities, before leading world dispute resolution fora. Oonagh has represented clients before the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, as well as investor-State arbitral tribunals constituted under ICSID, ICSID Additional Facility, UNCITRAL, SCC and ICC Rules. Oonagh has also advised sovereign States, State-owned entities, and private entities on the law of sovereign immunity and the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards under English law. She has counselled States on territorial and maritime boundary disputes, the law of State responsibility, treaty interpretation, international environmental law, and the law of the sea. Oonagh has also delivered several training courses to officials of State clients on international law of the sea and public international law more broadly. In addition, Oonagh has represented clients in international commercial arbitration proceedings conducted under ICC, LCIA, SCC and UNCITRAL Rules, as well as multiple domestic proceedings before English and U.S. federal courts. Oonagh has taught aspects of international law of the sea on a Master’s programme at King’s College London and at the International Foundation for the Law of the Sea Summer Academy in Hamburg; she has also guest lectured on investment treaty arbitration at Pepperdine University. In addition, Oonagh sits on the faculty of the London Institute of Space Policy & Law. In May 2020, the American Society of International Law appointed Oonagh to serve on its Program Committee, alongside prominent US academics and international law practitioners. Oonagh has served on ASIL’s Steering Committee for its signature topic, “Beyond National Jurisdiction: Human Activities in the Oceans, Polar Regions, Cyberspace and Outer Space”, following her tenure as elected Co-Chair of the Society’s ‘Space Law Interest Group’. In 2016, Oonagh was recognised by the Irish Times for women’s influence in global public affairs and is a member of Arbitral Women. Prior to joining Fietta, Oonagh worked at major law firms in Washington DC and London. Oonagh has worked for the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs in New York, the European Commission in Brussels, and the Institute of International Economic Law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington DC.

Manish Aggarwal

Manish is a dual-qualified English solicitor and Indian advocate, and partner in the London office. He has extensive experience of representing clients in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations across a broad range of sectors (including energy, infrastructure, life sciences, telecommunications, and technology) and in arbitration-related court litigation. He has also been recognised in the India Business Law Journal’s list of top international lawyers for India-related matters, in which peers describe him as a “highly skilled advocate with a staggering depth of investment law insight”.

Hannah Ambrose

Hannah is a Partner and solicitor advocate in the international arbitration and public international law group.

Conway Blake

Conway Blake is a partner and member of the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Group, based in London. Dr. Blake represents corporate clients, sovereigns and international organisations on a range of contentious matters, particularly in investor-state arbitration, public international law disputes and commercial arbitrations governed by various substantive laws and conducted under the major arbitral rules. He is actively involved in the public international law and arbitration communities (including the YIAG, YPILG and YICCA). His court work focuses on disputes raising complex issues of private international law, applications related to arbitral proceedings, and cases addressing issues of corporate social responsibility. He has acted on cases at all levels of the court system, including before the UK Supreme Court, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and the courts in Commonwealth jurisdictions. He appears as advocate in both court and arbitral proceedings. Dr. Blake has an active pro bono practice, and has represented clients on matters before the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. He currently serves as a trustee, and an advisor on strategic litigation, for the Human Dignity Trust. He was awarded the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Pro Bono Award for his work in this area.

Leilah Bruton

Leilah is a partner in our London office. She has extensive experience representing corporations on the resolution of complex disputes involving investment treaties and contractual relationships, with a particular focus on disputes in the oil & gas, mining, and telecoms sectors. Leilah has also been recognised as a Next Generation Partner for both international arbitration and public international law in The Legal 500 UK 2023, and a Rising Star in The Legal 500’s International Arbitration Powerlist 2019 for the UK.

Philip Devenish

Associate

Nicholas A. Lawn

Partner

Aimee-Jane Lee

Aimee-Jane Lee is an international counsel in the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Group and is based in the London office. Her practice focuses on international commercial arbitration and litigation, and public international law. Ms. Lee has advised private clients and states across multiple jurisdictions (notably in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe) and a number of industries, including mining, construction, hospitality, advertising and, especially, energy. She has represented clients in arbitrations conducted under the auspices of the main institutions and governed by a variety of substantive and procedural legal systems. Ms. Lee advises on the international protection of investments (notably under bilateral investment treaties, the Energy Charter Treaty and investor-state contracts) and represents her clients in associated disputes. She has also advised extensively on maritime boundary issues, treaty drafting and interpretation, the interaction between public international law and domestic law, international sanctions and human rights. Following a six-month secondment to the legal department of Liberty, the human rights organisation, she has continued to work, pro bono, on human rights issues, notably in relation to proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights and submissions to the United Nations.

Jonathan Lim

Partner

Samantha Rowe

Samantha J. Rowe is a partner in the International Dispute Resolution and Business Integrity Groups whose practice focuses on international arbitration and public international law. Ms. Rowe has represented private clients and States across multiple jurisdictions (most notably, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe) in arbitrations governed by various substantive laws and conducted under the rules of the ICSID, UNCITRAL, SIAC, the ICC and the LCIA. She has experience across a broad range of industries and sectors, including energy, mining, construction, financial services and pharmaceuticals. She advises clients on a broad range of international law issues, including the international protection of investments, and represents her clients in associated disputes.

Gunjan Sharma

Associate

Jessica Gladstone

Partner

Hussein Haeri

Hussein is a partner in the international arbitration and public international law teams and co-head of the Middle East group. Hussein jointly leads the firm's international arbitration team and leads the firm's public international law team. He is a solicitor-advocate of the senior courts of England and Wales, and has experience of working on international legal and dispute resolution matters in London, Paris, New York and South Africa for over 15 years. He is also a Solicitor-Advocate of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (BVI). Hussein co-heads the firm's Middle East group and leads many cases involving the Middle East and North Africa region. Hussein is recognised as a 'leading individual' by Legal 500 for International Arbitration and Public International Law, which states that ‘the practical and solutions driven Haeri is outstanding' and that ‘He combines huge intellectual powers with great client handling and gives straight-to-the-point advice'. He is recognised by Chambers Global which refers to him as  ‘an outstanding lawyer, combining a great attention to detail with a view of the big picture' with ‘excellent case management and strategic skills'. Chambers and Partners notes that 'Hussein has an outstanding analytical ability and he's a dream to work with'. He has worked as counsel and advocate on arbitrations under all the major rules, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, LCIA, ICC, SCC and SIAC Rules, as well as in ad hoc arbitrations. His clients include governments, multinational corporations and international organisations.He has served as counsel in state-state proceedings before the International Court of Justice and in national courts, including the courts of England and Wales, on public international law issues. Hussein's public international law practice includes advising governments and international organisations on international investment law, constitutional and human rights matters, sovereign immunity, energy and natural resources, international humanitarian law, sanctions, the law of the sea and treaty and legislation drafting. Hussein is a Senior Fellow on International Investment Law at SOAS, University of London. He is a Member of the Faculty at the University of Rome, Roma Tre University, Certificate Course in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration. He has also taught international arbitration and public international law to graduate students at the London School of Economics, Kings College London and University College London in the UK and at Sciences Po and the University of Versailles in France. He has published extensively in the fields of international law and international arbitration. In addition to his work as counsel, he sits as an arbitrator.

Guy Martin

Guy Martin is head of the International and European Law Group at Carter-Ruck, specialising in complex litigation in the courts of England, the Court of Justice of the European Union, before the United Nations Ombudsperson and other international tribunals. He has spearheaded the department from a standing start to what Chambers Directory (2015) describes as “Renowned for its distinct expertise in sanctions against states and targeted asset freezing against individuals, and for its involvement in highly sensitive cases. Strong track record in the Middle East and Africa, notably in matters relating to the Arab Spring”.  As a solicitor - advocate Guy practises in the field of public international law, administrative law, European law, international litigation, dispute resolution and regulatory cases often involving human rights with an international or diplomatic context. Guy’s clients include commercial entities and individuals who have challenged asset freezing measures, or “targeted sanctions”, by means of judicial review applications in England, direct actions for annulment to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and before the United Nations Ombudsperson, OFAC and other agencies. Described by Legal 500 as “excellent” for his “intelligence and skills”, Guy has acted for clients before the European courts including clients from Syria , Tunisia , Burma (Myanmar) , Zimbabwe  and Egypt. Guy acted for Burmese national Pye Phyo Tay Za both in his action before the Luxembourg General Court and subsequent successful appeal in 2012 to the Grand Chamber of the ECJ, in which Guy instructed the legendary Sir Sydney Kentridge QC. Guy led the team for Saudi Arabian businessman Sheikh Yassin Abdullah Kadi, in his efforts to overturn asset freezing orders. In its 2008 judgment the ECJ delivered a landmark decision in favour of Mr. Kadi and struck down EU asset freezing regulations on the ground they breached Mr. Kadi’s fundamental rights. It was as a result of this judgment that the UN Security Council in December 2009 created the Office of the Ombudsperson, an independent and impartial Ombudsperson, who reviews requests from individuals, groups, undertakings or entities seeking to be removed from the UN Sanctions Committee’s list. The ECJ’s judgment in this case, which has become known as Kadi I, has been described by leading academic commentators as “the most important judgment ever delivered by the ECJ on the relationship between EC and international law and one of its most important judgments on fundamental rights”. Guy was successful in securing the delisting of Yassin Kadi in October 2012 by the UN Sanctions Committee and in November 2014 (after 13 years) by OFAC.

James Maton

James Maton is a partner in Cooley’s London office and heads Cooley’s versatile UK disputes practice. He acts for companies and states on a wide range of commercial, contractual, product liability, and public international law disputes, whether resolved in Court proceedings or arbitration. His cases are often multi-jurisdictional and his work for companies is particularly focused on the technology and manufacturing sectors. He conducts and co-ordinates internal investigations, and is experienced at helping companies to manage and resolve the numerous legal and reputational challenges that unexpected crises can present. James has advised states worldwide on sensitive public international law issues, and on the remedies for the corrupt activities of public officials, including representing states in civil proceedings seeking to trace, freeze and recover the proceeds of corruption or seeking compensation for corruption, advising on termination of corrupt contracts, assisting with civil recovery under Proceeds of Crime legislation, and advising on requests for mutual legal assistance in criminal proceedings. He often co-ordinates multi-jurisdictional teams. James is a co-author of the Third Edition of “Corruption and Misuse of Public Office,” published in October 2017 by the Oxford University Press.