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The White & Case International Arbitration Group is widely recognized as globally pre-eminent in the field of international arbitration. Founded over two decades ago, the Group is a pioneer in international arbitration and now has over 160 practitioners in offices around the world.
The Group has "a depth of accumulated experience in the field that places the firm at the top of the field," according to Legal 500, which praises White & Case for its "stellar international arbitration reputation." Chambers Global describes our practice as "extremely deep and extremely experienced" and "widely admired for the 'depth and scope of its activities across the globe,'" while Global Arbitration Review 100 notes that our Group is a "force in the global market."
Global Reach
White & Case "stands out for its geographic scope" and "global footprint," according to Global Arbitration Review 100 and Chambers USA. We were the first firm to have deeply developed teams in the traditional arbitration hubs of London, New York, Paris and Washington, DC. We also have practices in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Miami, Moscow, Prague, Stockholm, Tokyo and elsewhere. All of our arbitration centers are highly ranked by leading legal directories and work together as a fully-integrated team. Euromoney's Benchmark Litigation praises our "consistent level of quality work and responsiveness," and Chambers Global emphasizes that White & Case is among the "farthest reaching and most evenly spread of the arbitration specialist firms."
- United States. White & Case has been annually ranked at the top of its field in the US by leading publications such as Chambers, Benchmark Litigation and Legal 500, which have described our practice as "pioneering", "pre-eminent" and "clearly the best." Chambers USA named the Group the "Arbitration Team of the Year" at the Chambers USA Awards 2007. The Washington, DC and New York offices have large teams engaged in investment and commercial arbitration, with additional experience out of Miami. Chambers Global and Chambers USA emphasize that "the firm is at the forefront of ICSID developments" and has a "thriving" commercial arbitration practice. We also advise on arbitration matters affecting diverse fields such as antitrust and project finance, and related proceedings in diverse courts, including issues reaching the US Supreme Court.
- Europe. Our European offices are recognized by Chambers Global for their "'skilful and expedient work' carried out by a 'responsive and proficient team of lawyers.'" Our London office is noted for its "focus on arbitral matters arising out of the financial sector" in addition to its "work in the fields of energy, construction and telecoms" and was named "Best in the UK" for construction arbitration by Chambers UK. The Paris office is renowned for "its expertise in energy, construction and telecoms" (Chambers Global), while we are noted by Chambers Europe for our "strength in Sweden." One of the arbitrators from our Stockholm office was named as one of the "Most In Demand Arbitrators" by Chambers Global and Chambers Europe. Additionally, we are one of the few firms with arbitration specialists based in Central and Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation.
- Asia. Our lawyers in Asia have a broad range of experience and in-depth knowledge of sectors including oil and gas, power, construction, water, telecommunications, cement production, financial services and disputes between investors and states or state-owned companies. In addition to arbitrations under the rules of the ICC, UNCITRAL, ICSID and regional institutions such as HKIAC, SIAC and CIETAC, we are, through our Stockholm arbitration practice, leading practitioners before the SCC, which is a popular forum for the resolution of disputes involving Chinese parties. Asia Pacific Legal 500 states that White & Case is "well-endowed with Hong Kong-qualified lawyers, an essential characteristic for the dispute resolution sector" and is "top-rated for dispute resolution" in Tokyo. Chambers Asia emphasizes our "multi-jurisdictional Asia team" that handles disputes out of China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and other markets.
- Latin America. For half a century we have successfully handled arbitrations arising out of Latin America, and our clients have included companies across all industry sectors as well as sovereigns. Our Latin American arbitration practice is led from our Washington, DC and New York offices, where we have Spanish and Portuguese-speaking arbitration practitioners, and is supported by our Miami, Mexico City, São Paulo, Paris and London offices. Legal 500 USA describes our Latin American arbitration team as "formidable, with lawyers…handling disputes concerning a variety of jurisdictions, including Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, El Salvador and Venezuela," and Chambers Global emphasizes our "strong reputation in Latin America."
- Middle East and Africa. We are one of the most established firms operating in the Middle East and have undertaken a variety of arbitrations in the region, mainly in the oil and gas, petrochemical and construction areas. We are assisted in this regard by our colleagues in our Riyadh and Abu Dhabi offices and Arabic-speaking lawyers throughout our global network. We also have significant experience in disputes arising in Africa and draw on the support of our Johannesburg office.
Experience with All Major Institutions and Arbitration Rules
We have extensive experience before all major arbitral institutions and arbitration rules. Legal 500 notes that the Group "is adept at handling disputes before all major institutions, including the ICC, LCIA and AAA, with notable experience before ICSID, the SCC and various other regional institutions" and highlights the Group's "knowledge of arbitral systems, language skills, top-level legal capabilities and dedication to the case." Our experience includes:
- International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
- International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
- American Arbitration Association (AAA)/ International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR)
- London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
- Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC)
- UNCITRAL Rules arbitrations
Our experience in arbitrations before the International Court of Arbitration of the ICC, the arbitral institution most frequently used for the resolution of significant international commercial disputes, is unsurpassed. Our Group includes two Alternate Members of the Court. At the AAA, two members of our Group are on the Board of Directors; one is Chair of the Law Committee and the other is a member of the Executive Committee. One of our Group is also a member of the LCIA Court.
We also appear regularly before regional and national arbitral institutions such as the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration, Zurich Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, Singapore International Arbitration Centre and local arbitration centers in Latin America.
Investor-State Arbitration
White & Case is one of the few firms with vast experience in representing both investors and state parties in disputes arising under international law and investment treaties. White & Case lawyers have been involved in over 55 ICSID arbitrations, as well as in dozens of investor-state arbitrations in other fora. Chambers Global and Chambers USA describe White & Case as "renowned for…its involvement in ICSID cases" and as having "a platinum investor-state practice." As one example, the Group obtained a complete victory in Plama Consortium Limited v. Republic of Bulgaria, the first ICSID case to reach the merits under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), which was selected the "Best Award of 2008" and the "Most Surprising Award of 2008" in a survey of arbitration lawyers by Oil Gas Energy Mining Infrastructure and Investment Disputes (OGEMID).
Industry Experience in Construction, Energy and Other Sectors
We are experienced dispute resolution specialists in a wide range of industry sectors. In addition to other industry-oriented accolades, Chambers Global notes that "observers admire the group's experience of arbitrations concerning the construction and oil and gas industries." Chambers Europe and Chambers Global describe the firm as "a leading player in the construction sector" with "fantastic experience in the energy and telecoms sectors" and "matters arising out of the financial sectors, harnessing … specialist banking expertise."
We work with international contractors and owners of projects, including sovereign states and state-owned entities, in dispute adjudication boards and similar procedures and in international construction arbitrations around the world. Our Group includes the legal advisor to the FIDIC contracts committee, which produces the forms of construction contract most widely-used in the world.
We also have extensive experience in dealing with the energy sector, including oil and gas industry matters, and acting for oil and gas companies, contractors, suppliers, sponsors, investors, lenders, joint venture companies, sovereigns and others in energy-related arbitrations involving disputes relating to power plants, hydroelectric plants, coal and gas-fired energy facilities, oil refineries, LNG, LPG and petrochemical plants.
The Group also has significant experience handling arbitrations involving industries such as:
- aviation
- aerospace
- chemicals
- construction
- communications
- defense
- electricity
- financial services and banking
- hospitality
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- information technology
- manufacturing
- media
- mining
- oil and gas
- power
- sovereign
- real estate
- telecommunications
| Enforcement and Dispute Counseling
We provide counsel on the complete dispute resolution process, from the drafting of dispute resolution clauses, to pre-proceeding issues, over the conduct of the arbitral proceedings, to enforcement issues. We advocate the use of alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation, and have successfully advised and represented clients in CEDR, CPR, JAMS and ad hoc mediations. Several of our partners are registered and accredited mediators, arbitrators and dispute review board chairmen.
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