Emily Chalk
Biography
Overview
Emily is an Associate (Australian-qualified) in the International Arbitration practice group in the London office of White & Case LLP.
Immediately before joining the Firm, Emily completed a Master of Laws (LLM) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (the LSE), where she specialised in Public International Law. Emily's dissertation concerned the significant role of small States at the International Court of Justice. Prior to her study, Emily practised as a solicitor in the Australian and English offices of a leading global business law firm for almost five years.
Emily specialises in international commercial arbitration, international investment treaty arbitration, and other disputes involving public international law issues. She is experienced in arbitrations conducted in accordance with the ICC, ICSID, LCIA and UNCITRAL Rules. She has also acted in English and Australian commercial litigation, and has been involved in other dispute resolution mechanisms (including expert determination, conciliation and mediation).
Emily acts for sovereign States, publicly-listed corporations and privately-owned companies in their highest profile and most intractable disputes. As a consequence, her experience spans a broad range of geographies and sectors. Her clients include governments, corporations and ultra-high net worth individuals in the natural resources, energy, construction, insurance, technology and entertainment sectors across Africa, the Americas, the Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Emily has an emerging specialism in acting for the Governments of developing Asian and African States in international arbitrations involving public international law issues or relating to the natural resources, energy and infrastructure sectors.
Experience
Representing the Government of an Eastern European State in relation to a multi-million EUR dispute arising out of a lease agreement with two Lithuanian companies. The arbitration was initiated pursuant to the bilateral investment treaty between the State and Lithuania, and is being conducted in accordance with the ICSID Rules.
Representing a French rolling stock manufacturer in relation to a 1.5 billion EUR dispute arising out of its purchase of a Canadian rolling stock manufacturer. The arbitration is being conducted in accordance with the ICC Rules.
Represented the Government of a Central African State in relation to a 556.3 million USD dispute arising out of a construction agreement with an American and a local company. The arbitration was conducted in accordance with the UNCITRAL Rules.*
Represented the majority shareholders of Nigeria’s biggest energy company in relation to a 730 million USD dispute arising out of a series of loans made to the company by a minority shareholder. The arbitration was conducted in accordance with the LCIA Rules.*
Advised a UK election technology company in relation to a dispute, valued in the hundreds of millions of USD, arising out of the expropriation of its assets by the Government of a South American State. The arbitration would be initiated pursuant to the bilateral investment treaty between the UK and the State, and conducted in accordance with the UNCITRAL Rules.*
Advised the Government of Timor-Leste on public international law (especially the law of treaties and the law of the sea) and other legal and political issues as part of its maritime boundary delimitation dispute with Australia. Timor-Leste initiated compulsory conciliation pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – the first ever use of that process. The conciliation culminated in the signature of a maritime boundary delimitation treaty between the two States, resolving a decades-long dispute between them and enabling the development of undersea oil and gas resources valued at tens of billions of USD.*
*experience gained prior to joining White & Case
'Conciliation as an international dispute settlement mechanism within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)', 2020, The Nippon Foundation Capacity-Building and Training Program in Dispute Settlement under the UNCLOS, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Hamburg