Three Crowns LLP > London, England > Firm Profile
Three Crowns LLP Offices
New Fetter Place
8-10 New Fetter Lane
EC4A 1AZ
England
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Three Crowns LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Dispute resolution > International arbitration Tier 1
'The leading international arbitration boutique by far, Three Crowns LLP only accepts instructions for international disputes. The firm's current commercial and investor-state caseload covers some of the highest-profile disputes in the world; and its industry expertise incorporates aerospace, energy, construction, telecoms, financial services, and Pharma. Experienced in obtaining multi-billion-dollar awards, Constantine Partasides KC has a growing arbitration-related litigation practice; and Gaëtan Verhoosel KC acts in commercial and treaty arbitrations across the power, banking, infrastructure, renewables, and oil and gas sectors. Also integral to the group, Reza Mohtashami KC is a Middle East disputes expert; Carmen Martinez Lopez is triple-qualified in England, New York and Spain; and Manish Aggarwal and Leilah Bruton act in investor-state and commercial cases. At counsel level, Hamid Abdulkareem is 'an excellent lawyer' and Jonathan Fernandes acts under all major arbitration rules. Maanas Jain, Richard Trinick, Farouk El-Hosseny and Vee Vian Thien are experienced senior associates.Practice head(s):
Constantine Partasides KC; GaëtanVerhoosel KC
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The 3C practice is dynamic, knowledgeable and well organised.’
‘All the 3C lawyers are competent and sharp, and work very effectively.’
‘Constantine Partasides KC is a very effective oral advocate and cross-examiner.’
‘The top advocate in London is founder Constantine Partasides – the best of the best.’
‘Carmen Martinez Lopez is the most engaged partner around. She is on top of everything and does most of the drafting. Her team is also exceptional at all levels.’
‘3C is the leading international arbitration boutique by far. International arbitration is all they do, and they do it extremely well.’
‘Maanas Jain is a star of the future.’
‘Hamid Abdulkareem is an excellent lawyer. Great attention to detail and an impressive understanding of the law.’
Key clients
American Express
Boeing
BP
Chevron
ConocoPhillips
ContourGlobal
Crescent Petroleum
Elliot Associates
Eni
ExxonMobil
Kingdom of Bahrain
Olayan Financing Company
PETRONAS
Petroquímica Comodoro Rivadavia
Republic of Chile
Sacyr
Sultanate of Oman
TotalEnergies
Trafigura
Work highlights
- Representing Chile in an ICSID claim filed by Interconexión Eléctrica (ISA) under the Chile-Colombia free-trade agreement, the claim stemming from delays incurred by ISA in the construction of the Cardones-Polpaico Electricity Transmission Line.
- Acting for ExxonMobil in its re-submitted arbitration proceedings against Venezuela.
- Acting for Crescent Petroleum in its defence of a multibillion-dollar award in the English courts.
Dispute resolution > Public international law Tier 2
Three Crowns LLP‘s esteemed track record includes representing both states and corporations in business-critical investor-state disputes, including a sizeable number of treaty cases. The London group is also increasingly active in state-to-state cases and related disputes that feature challenging international law points. Constantine Partasides KC‘s recent experience comprises the attainment of mega-value awards, and has a growing arbitration-related litigation practice; and Gaëtan Verhoosel acts in high-value treaty arbitrations across all continents, in relation to the power, oil and gas, renewables, banking and infrastructure sectors. Other key practitioners are Middle Eastern and African disputes expert Reza Mohtashami KC; Carmen Martinez Lopez, who routinely acts in heavyweight Latin American investor-state cases; investor-state arbitration specialist Manish Aggarwal; and Leilah Bruton, who acts in treaty disputes. Counsel Hamid Abdulkareem leads the firm's African practice, while senior associate Farouk El-Hosseny's practice incorporates telecoms and oil and gas sector-related investor-state claims.Practice head(s):
Constantine Partasides KC; Gaëtan Verhoosel KC
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Simply excellent.’
Key clients
ConocoPhillips
ContourGlobal
Elliot Associates
Eni
ExxonMobil
Kingdom of Bahrain
Sultanate of Oman
Petroquímica Comodoro Rivadavia
Republic of Chile
Sacyr
TotalEnergies
Trafigura
Olayan Financing Company
Work highlights
- Representing the Republic of Chile in a $200m-plus ICSID claim, which was filed under the Chile-Colombia FTA and concerned a large electricity transmission project.
- Acted for Eni in a high-stakes ICSID arbitration against the Federal Government of Nigeria, which concerned an oil prospecting licence that was the subject of criminal proceedings and significant publicity.
- Acting for Sacyr in a $1bn-plus dispute, relating to claims brought under the Spain-Panama BIT by a contractor for the Panama Canal Third Set of Locks Project.
Latin America: International firms > International arbitration Tier 1
Three Crowns LLP is the largest specialist international arbitration firm in the world and has an outstanding record in Latin America. In April it announced the launch of a Madrid office (in autumn 2023) to further expand its handling of Spanish (and more generally European) clients. Leading Latin America international arbitration expert, the tri-qualified (England & Wales; New York and Spain) Carmen Martinez Lopez, is relocating from London, as is prominent Argentine-qualified special legal consultant, Agustin Sanz, from Washington DC. The firm has deep civil law credentials, language capabilities and cultural links to the region, which provide the basis for a thriving practice in both investor-state and commercial cases. Clients note that the team ‘understands the reality of the market’ and has a ‘pedigree that is second to none’. Indeed, Martínez is currently representing Chile in a $200m+ ICSID case filed by ISA under the Chile-Colombia FTA (related to the construction of the Cardones-Polpaico electricity transmission line in Chile); and co-leading advice to Sacyr on its $1bn+ investment treaty claim against Panama relating to the expansion of the Panama Canal, alongside the London-based Gaëtan Verhoosel KC (and Singapore's Simon Elliot). Verhoosel is a leading arbitral practitioner with a first class track record in the region, a standing reflected by his selection as chair in a $500m ICSID case brought by B-Mex (and others) against the United Mexican States. Tri-qualified (California, New York & Washington DC) Luke Sobota, a founding partner of the firm, is currently handling Chevron's long-running $9.5bn Permanent Court of Arbitration case against Ecuador, which as of late 2022 had reached the quantification of damages stage; and is also co-lead on the defence of ConocoPhillips' $8bn ICSID award against Venezuela in the face of the latter's attempts to annul or otherwise stay the decision. As the foregoing suggests, the firm has represented various oil and gas majors in headline cases against Latin American states, and has also been engaged by sovereign entities themselves. It is now experiencing further growth in intra-regional cases and disputes conducted solely in Spanish, and is also gaining prominence in environmental disputes and cases related to sovereign states’ efforts to capture windfall profits from the mining sector. Multilingual and dual-qualified (Brazil/New York) special legal consultant Laura França Pereira (Washington DC) is also noted.Practice head(s):
Gaëtan Verhoosel KC; Carmen Martinez Lopez
Testimonials
‘There is no better quality in the market. Three Crowns has a pedigree that is second to none.’
‘The team that covers the Latin American practice is diverse and understands the reality of the market. The origin of the people that make up the team allows them to perfectly combine the knowledge and practice of common law with the needs of civil law jurisdictions where investor-state disputes arise.’
‘It is a fantastic team with acute knowledge in LatAm; Gaetan Verhoosel, Luke Sobota, Carmen Martinez Lopez and Agustin Sanz All of them are great.’
‘This is probably the best international litigation firm, especially in the field of both commercial and investment arbitration. What characterizes their lawyers is their dedication to the case, their imagination and their good organisation. The memorials that they prepare in this firm are very thoughtful and timely. I have the best impression of the Three Crowns way of working.’
‘The lawyers are very understanding of the needs of the clients, they propose alternative solutions and, above all, they are very hard-working. I have observed that there is a good atmosphere of cordiality among the lawyers of this firm and good distribution of the workload.’
‘The firm is very proactive, it not only responds to the requests that are made to it, but also offers creative alternatives. The team has a great strength in international arbitration knowledge and their communication skills are excellent. In relation to other offices, it is undoubtedly very good, the response to concerns is fast and precise. A novelty that stands out is the diversity and collaboration of its members.’
‘In the personalised attention and adjusted to the needs of the client, this makes them stand out above other offices. We have received excellent advice from Agustín Sanz and the support given by Macarena Bahamonde is worth highlighting.’
Key clients
The Republic of Chile
ExxonMobil
ConocoPhillips
Boeing
TotalEnergies
Chevron
Sacyr
British Petroleum
Trafigura
Webuild
Jan de Nul
Petroquímica Comodoro Rivadavia
Work highlights
- Represented the Republic of Chile in a $200m+ ICSID claim filed under the Chile-Colombia FTA and concerning the largest electricity transmission project in Chile’s history.
- Represented Sacyr in a $1bn+ treaty claim against Panama under the Spain-Panama BIT in connection with the expansion of the Panama Canal.
- Acted for Chevron in its investment treaty arbitration against Ecuador before an arbitral tribunal under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Hamid Abdulkareem | Hamid, counsel in the London office, is an experienced arbitration practitioner and… | View Profile | |
Manish Aggarwal | Manish is a dual-qualified English solicitor and Indian advocate, and partner in… | View Profile | |
Leilah Bruton | Leilah is a partner in our London office. She has extensive experience… | View Profile | |
Farouk El-Hosseny | Farouk, a senior associate in our London office, advises clients on arbitrations… | View Profile | |
Jonathan Fernandes | Jonathan, an English-qualified solicitor advocate and Counsel based in the London office,… | View Profile | |
Reza Mohtashami | Reza is a partner in the London office. He has represented clients… | View Profile | |
Constantine Partasides | Constantine, one of the founding partners of Three Crowns, has appeared as… | View Profile | |
Gaëtan Verhoosel | Gaëtan is a founding partner of Three Crowns. He has over 20… | View Profile |
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > Public international law
Firm Rankings
- Latin America: International firms > International arbitration