Petr Polášek is a member of the Firm's International Arbitration Group in Washington, DC, focusing on the resolution of foreign investment disputes under investment treaties and investment contracts and on commercial arbitration matters. Mr. Polášek has been involved in a number of arbitrations, including, for example:

• Gold Reserve Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/09/1), representing the claimant in a US$2 billion pending case under the Canada-Venezuela bilateral investment treaty relating to one of the largest undeveloped gold-copper deposits in the world;
• Československá obchodní banka, a. s. v. Slovak Republic (ICSID Case No. ARB/97/4), a case based on an investment contract and (initially) a bilateral investment treaty in which the Firm achieved an award for the client in excess of US$877 million, including an award of costs;
• Plama Consortium Limited v. Republic of Bulgaria (ICSID Case No. ARB/03/24), a US$300 million case under the Energy Charter Treaty concerning an oil refinery in which the Firm defeated all claims, parallel jurisdiction under a bilateral investment treaty, and a request for urgent provisional measures and achieved an award of costs for Bulgaria;
• EDF (Services) Limited v. Romania (ICSID Case No. ARB/05/13), a US$132 million case under a bilateral investment treaty concerning duty free services in which the Firm defeated all claims and obtained an award of costs for Romania;
• S&T Oil Equipment & Machinery Ltd. v. Romania (ICSID Case No. ARB/07/13), a €140 million case under a bilateral investment treaty concerning an ammonia plant in which the Firm secured a victory for Romania in the form of a discontinuation order issued after the claimant abandoned its case following Romania's written pleadings;
• PSEG Global et al. v. Republic of Turkey (ICSID Case No. ARB/02/5), a case under a bilateral investment treaty involving an energy project in which the Firm achieved an award for PSEG of approximately US$20 million, including an award of costs;
• Trans-Global Petroleum, Inc. v. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (ICSID Case No. ARB/07/25), a US$1 billion oil concession dispute under a bilateral investment treaty in which the Firm achieved a settlement for Jordan in the form of a zero liability consent award;
• Aguaytia Energy, LLC v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/06/13), a US$150 million energy dispute in which the Firm defeated all claims;
• Giovanna A. Beccara et al. v. Argentine Republic (ICSID Case No. ARB/07/5), a US$4.4 billion pending dispute arising under the Italy-Argentina bilateral investment treaty in connection with Argentina's default on sovereign bonds;
• Convial Callao S.A. and CCI - Compañía de Concesiones de Infraestructura S.A. v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/10/2), a case involving a highway construction project;
• A case involving claims by an investor against a Central American country under the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement and a bilateral investment treaty in connection with a factory; and
• An arbitration before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on behalf of a European country against multiple respondents arising out of the privatization of a telecommunications company.

Mr. Polášek also advises on structuring foreign investments to benefit from the protection of investment treaties. Among other things, Mr. Polášek participated in the assessment of options to bring an investment of a large Brazilian company in another South American country within the protection of a bilateral investment treaty.

Prior to joining the Washington, DC office in 2003, Mr. Polášek worked for several years with the Firm's Prague office, handling various arbitration and litigation matters such as one of the largest cases before the Czech Arbitration Court concerning an oil exploration joint venture and complex interbank and cross-border litigations.

Bars and Courts
District of Columbia Bar, 2010
New York State Bar, 2005

Education
LLM, George Washington University Law School, 2003
Mgr, Charles University, Faculty of Law, 2001

Professional Associations and Memberships
American Society of International Law
American Bar Association, Section of International Law
British Institute of International and Comparative Law 
International Bar Association, Arbitration Committee
New York State Bar Association, International Law and Practice Section
International Law and Practice Section
ICC Young Arbitrators Forum

Publications
"China's Investment Treaties and the Most-Favored-Nation Clause" in Investment Treaty Arbitration and International Law, Vol. 4 (forthcoming)
"Unlawful or Bad Faith Conduct as a Bar to Claims in Investment Arbitration" in A Liber Amicorum: Thomas Wälde (2009) (co-authored with Abby Cohen Smutny)
"Investment Arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty: The Novel Case of Plama Consortium Limited v. Republic of Bulgaria" (forthcoming) (co-authored with Jonathan C. Hamilton and Sylvia T. Tonova)
Reporter, International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Congress, Rio de Janeiro, May 2010
"Plama Consortium Limited v. Republic of Bulgaria – the Best and Most Surprising Award of 2008," www.KluwerArbitrationBlog.com, Feb. 11, 2009 (co-authored with Jonathan C. Hamilton)
Analytical headnotes for InvestmentClaims.com, Oxford University Press's online research tool for international investment law and arbitration

Speaking Engagements
"China BITs and MFN – Will the Renta 4 Award and New Jurisprudence Expand the Application of China BITs?," Fourth Annual Investment Treaty Arbitration Conference, Washington, DC, April 30, 2010
"Pathways to Employment in International Law," ABA International series sponsored by the American Bar Association Section of International Law, American University Washington College of Law, Inter-American Development Bank, and American Society of International Law, Washington, DC, February 27, 2007

Languages
Czech
English

Citizenship
Czech Republic