The team at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is praised for the ‘quality of its investor-treaty arbitration offering’—it also frequently handles commercial cases. Leveraging its experience under all major arbitration rules, including AAA, ICDR, ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL, the group is engaged by both corporations and sovereign states to handle high-stakes, cross-border disputes. In Washington DC, John Townsend has an impressive track record in complex and politically sensitive matters; he continues to act alongside Washington DC-based department chair James H. Boykin to represent Ukrainian entities in five Crimea-related investment treaty arbitrations against the Russian Federation under the Russia-Ukraine BIT. The DC practice also includes Rémy Gerbay, who stands out for his ability to ’bridge civil law and common law sensibilities’, and Diego Durán de la Vega, who co-heads the Latin American disputes practice. In New York, Daniel Weiner stands out for his niche expertise in art-related and pharmaceutical disputes. In February 2023, former department co-head Hagit Muriel Elul left the firm. In April 2024, new global co-head of arbitration Gaela Gehring Flores joined in Washington DC from A&O Shearman.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Hughes Hubbard & Reed has an excellent international arbitration practice, which is well-suited to compete among the best.’
‘We engaged James H. Boykin and his team to represent us in an international enforcement matter. It is impressive how internationally experienced James is in leading the mandate, and how he coordinates the various law firms from different countries.’
‘I regard Hughes Hubbard & Reed as a top player in global arbitration, particularly because of the quality of its investor-treaty arbitration offering.’
‘My go-to is Rémy Gerbay, who is a no-nonsense lawyer with detailed knowledge and deep understanding of legal and factual issues. His ability to bridge the civil law and common law sensibilities is key to investment-treaty disputes.’
‘It is a very experienced team with a keen understanding of the law.’
‘The team is capable of putting together comprehensive and effective strategies.’
‘James H. Boykin is exceptional. He gives carefully considered advice and sticks to agreed budgets. He is also very approachable and humble: he does not oversell the chances of success. Malik Havalic and counsel Tamara Kraljic are also extremely good.’
Key clients
- Five Crimea-related arbitrations: Aeroport Belbek LLC and Igor Valerievich Kolomoisky v. The Russian Federation; PJSC CB PrivatBank and Finance Company Finilon LLC v. The Russian Federation; PJSC Ukrnafta v. The Russian Federation; Stabil LLC et al. v. The Russian Federation; Everest Estate LLC et al. v. The Russian Federation
- BeiGene and BeiGene Switzerland
- Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration Company
- American Arbitration Association
- The Republic of Equatorial Guinea
- Deutsche Telekom
- Chateau Vallee des Roses et al.
- Imperial Pacific International LLC (IPI)
- Westwater Resources
- FaZe Clan
- Arin Capital & Investment Corp
- The Pellas Group/SER Corp (BVI)
Work highlights
- Acted for BeiGene in a $1.2bn breach-of-contract claim against Bristol-Myers Squibb and its subsidiary, Celgene.
- Represented Deutsche Telekom in a petition to enforce an arbitral award against the Republic of India under the Germany-India BIT.
- Successfully represented a US investor in annulment proceedings seeking to overturn a 2021 award connected to a dispute with the Republic of Armenia.
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James H. Boykin