Hansel Pham joined White & Case in 2003 and is a member of the Firm's International Arbitration and Litigation Groups. Mr. Pham has experience representing clients in state courts, federal district courts, federal courts of appeals, international commercial arbitrations, and investment treaty arbitrations. In particular, he has substantial experience representing clients in investor-state disputes before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) at the World Bank and the International Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
Recent representative matters include:
- Successfully representing the Republic of the Philippines in a related US$425 million ICSID arbitration and US$565 million ICC arbitration arising from a dispute over an international airport terminal concession.
- Securing the dismissal of an antitrust, class action lawsuit against the US subsidiaries of a national oil company in a multi-district litigation.
- Successfully representing US subsidiaries of a national oil company in an appeal of the dismissal of an antitrust class-action lawsuit before the Fifth Circuit.
- Representing a North American investor in an ICSID arbitration against Venezuela.
- Representing a government ministry as an amicus curiae party in a class-action antitrust litigation.
- Providing legal services on US foreign relations law to the Republic of the Philippines relating to an interpleader proceeding in Singapore.
- Providing legal services to a Central Asian state in an ICSID arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty.
Mr. Pham also has significant experience working with non-profit corporations of varying sizes relating to tax-exemption, corporate filings, compliance, and dispute resolution services.
Bars and Courts
US Supreme Court, 2010
US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2009
US District Court for the Southern District of Texas, 2007
New York State Bar, 2004
District of Columbia Bar, 2004
Education
JD, Harvard Law School, Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Negotiation Law Review, 2003
AB, Harvard University,
magna cum laude, 1998
Professional Associations and Memberships
American Bar Association, Vice-Chair, TIPS Appellate Advocacy
American Law Institute, Members Consultative Group
International Bar Association, North American Forum, Assistant Treasurer
ICC Young Arbitrators' Forum, Steering Committee Member
District of Columbia Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
Publications
"The Principle of State Sovereignty over Natural Resources in US Lawsuits against OPEC and Member Countries,"
OPEC and International Law, 2010 (co-authored with Carolyn B. Lamm and Robert A. Milne)
"Has the Time Come for an ICSID Code of Ethics for Counsel?,"
Yearbook on International Investment Law & Policy 2009-2010 (co-authored with Carolyn B. Lamm and Chiara Giorgetti)
"Consent and Due Process in Multiparty Investor-State Arbitrations,"
International Investment Law for the 21st Century: Essays in Honour of Christoph Schreuer, 2009 (co-authored with Carolyn B. Lamm and Alexandra K. Meise Bay)
"Interim Measures and Dismissal under the 2006 ICSID Rules,"
The Future of Investment Arbitration, 2009 (co-authored with Carolyn B. Lamm and Chiara Giorgetti)
"Enforcing Foreign Arbitral Awards in the United States: The Non-Arbitrable Subject Matter Defense,"
Journal of International Arbitration, 2008 (co-authored with Abby Cohen Smutny)
"Developing Countries and the WTO: The Need for More Mediation in the DSU,"
Harvard Negotiation Law Review, 2004
"Taking the Next Step: Vietnam and MFN Status,"
Harvard International Review, 1997
Speaking Engagements
"Pathways to Employment in International Law," ABA Section of International Law & The International Law Students Association, ILSA Spring Conference, Washington, DC, March 26, 2010
"The Nuts and Bolts of International Arbitration," American Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, February 9, 2009
"International Dispute Resolution and Litigation," 12th Annual International Law Forum hosted by the Washington College of Law's International Law Society, Washington, DC, October 29, 2005
Professional Activities
Former Chair of the Board of Directors for Asian American LEAD, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, DC
Founding Director of the Vietnamese American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, DC Area.
Languages
English
Vietnamese
Citizenship
United States