Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton’s international arbitration practice draws on ‘an outstanding mixture of seasoned professionals and hard-working staff’, according to sources. Split between New York and Washington DC, the US group additionally plugs into the firm’s extensive global network to represent clients worldwide on commercial and investor-state cases, with a notable emphasis on Latin America. The department is co-led from New York by Ari MacKinnon, who focuses on Latin America-related disputes; he is representing Pluspetrol Resources Corporation in a Spanish-language ICC arbitration initiated by Peruvian state-owned oil company, Perupetro. Department co-chair Jeffrey Rosenthal, also in New York, maintains a broad dispute resolution practice that spans a range of judicial and arbitral matters, with recent activity in post-merger disputes, treaty cases, joint venture disputes and securities issues, among others.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team is an outstanding mixture of seasoned professionals and hard-working staff, who put forward a deep analysis of the matters. There is coordination around all aspects of the service.’

  • ‘The individuals are highly involved in the matters and have -each of them- developed their own specific knowledge, which makes the overall mixture a very balanced one, between technical knowledge, analysis, and knowledge of the area of practice.’

  • ‘Lawyers are smart, detailed and business-friendly, particularly Ari MacKinnon and Boaz Morag.’

Key clients

  • Sysco Corporation
  • Pluspetrol Perú Corp
  • Pluspetrol Resources Corp
  • Tecpetrol Bloque 56
  • Sonatrach Peru Corporation
  • The Republic of Argentina
  • The Resource Group
  • The Republic of Iraq
  • Telecom Italia

Work highlights

  • Representing Sysco in an LCIA arbitration and multiple related federal court litigations against affiliates of Burford Capital.
  • Acting for Pluspetrol Resources Corporation in a Spanish-language ICC arbitration concerning the allegedly wrongful termination of a license contract for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in Peru.
  • Representing the Republic of Argentina in multiple lawsuits and defending its interests across various US jurisdictions.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Ari MacKinnon, Jeffrey Rosenthal

Other key lawyers

Mark McDonald, Jonathan Blackman, Katie Gonzalez, Boaz Morag