Volterra Fietta

Partner at Volterra Fietta

Ahmed is a Solicitor-Advocate (Civil and Criminal Higher Rights of Audience) before the Higher Courts of England & Wales and a French Avocat (Avocat au Barreau de Paris).  He currently sits on the Dispute Resolution Committee of the Law Society of England & Wales and is Co-Chair of the Dispute Resolution Section of the African Society of International Law.  Since joining the firm, he has been advising and representing clients in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Ahmed holds Egyptian, French and British citizenships.  He practices the full range of public international law, both in contentious and advisory work.  Ahmed is one of the few lawyers in the world who genuinely practices in the field of State-to-State disputes.  Since joining the firm, he has been involved in a number of cases before the International Court of Justice, including the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change Advisory Opinion case.  He has long been acting for both States and investors in investment treaty arbitrations, including BIT cases before ICSID and the PCA.  His experience in commercial arbitration proceedings includes all the major arbitral institutions, such as the ICC and the LCIA.

Ahmed’s investment treaty and commercial arbitration experience covers a broad range of sectors, including energy and natural resources.  Ahmed is sought out by clients for his experience in successfully resolving cases which raise complex questions of international law, such as exploitation of natural resources in disputed territories, the status of private and public property following state secession, and the impact of civil unrest/war over the operation of energy and construction projects.

Ahmed also has an extensive practice in non-contentious and advisory work for clients around the world. He regularly advises on structuring and restructuring of investments and complex issues such as: the consequences of civil war on a State’s rights and obligations towards foreign investors; legal issues arising from the existence of competing governments; transboundary pipeline transit and transportation regimes; and related international law issues arising from State dislocation.

In 2021, Ahmed published his first book entitled “International Arbitration and Resolving Disputes Arising from Investments in Times of Crisis”.  Ahmed’s book and other chapter contributions are available in the world’s most prestigious law faculties and libraries.  In 2019, Ahmed was selected as a Young Leader by the Franco-British Council which, each year, nominates a select group of young French and British individuals under 40, with distinguished careers across a variety of sectors from sciences to arts, politics, law, the military and finance.  He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Arab Law Quarterly, which is the leading English language scholarly publication (by Brill) on all matters relating to the law and legal systems of the 22 states in the Arab League.

Ahmed is regularly listed in the leading legal directories.  The Legal 500 has described him as “a fantastic lawyer – a real brain when it comes to public international law. He has a lot of experience as counsel in large arbitrations, and his ability is second to none” and as having “a thorough grounding in international law. His ability to operate in French and Arabic, as well as English, also sets him apart as a truly international practitioner.”

English, French, Arabic