England - London • Dispute resolution
A&O Shearman
In addition to its expertise in bilateral and multilateral investment treaty-related disputes, A&O Shearman is consistently sought out by states and international organisations to advise on WTO work, sanctions, sovereign immunities, and state succession. The team also assists with boundary disputes, international humanitarian law, and international anti-terrorism conventions. London PIL leader Mark Levy KC acts in investment treaty arbitration claims, as well as WTO cases; disputes expert David Herlihy is a 2022 partner recruit from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP; James Freeman acts in high-profile investment treaty cases; and Guled Yusuf is a recently-elevated partner. Other key advisers include public law group chair Andrew Denny, and international trade and regulatory law head, Matthew Townsend. Counsel Sarah Garvey is 'incredibly dedicated to her clients', while Katrina Limond and Jack Busby are active senior associates. Investment treaty arbitration partner Matthew Hodgson recently returned to the London office from Hong Kong.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Counsel Sarah Garvey isn't a partner, but she clearly should be.'
'Sarah Garvey is incredibly dedicated to her clients and cases, and looks at issues from every angle to try and make sure they are covered.'
'Sarah Garvey has both litigation and transactional experience, which is really useful. A very safe pair of hands, and her work product is first rate.’
‘A&O provides very appropriate teams for cases.'
'The lawyers at A&O are well-experienced and have strong knowledge of PIL issues.’
‘Mattthew Hodgson performs his job perfectly and is always very responsive to clients' requests.’
Key clients
- Kingdom of Bahrain
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
- Kingdom of Morocco
- Republic of Korea
- Kingdom of Cambodia
- Vodafone
- NextEra
- Federal Republic of Somalia
Work highlights
- Acting for the Kingdom of Bahrain in an investment treaty claim brought at ICSID by Naftiran Intertrade Co, a trading subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company.
- Acting for the Kingdom of Morocco in defending investment treaty claims at ICSID brought by Corral Morocco Holdings (in relation to Morocco’s only oil refinery); and Comercializadora Mediterránea de Viviendas (an investor in a project to build two satellite cities on the outskirts of Rabat and a hotel, residential and business areas near Tangier).
- Representing Vodafone Group in its arbitration proceedings against India under the UK-India bilateral investment treaty.
Lawyers
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Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Mark Levy KC