Biography
Mounia Larbaoui is an associate in the International Arbitration Group in Paris. She represents clients in a broad range of sectors, including corporate and M&A, construction, telecommunications, energy, mining and aviation disputes. She has acted for parties in arbitration proceedings before the major arbitral institutions and rules, including ICC, LCIA, SIAC, and ICSID.
Mounia also has extensive experience advising clients in pre-arbitration disputes as well as enforcement and annulment proceedings before French and Algerian courts.
Mounia graduated as the class valedictorian from Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne and received summa cum laude honors for her theses at Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne and HEC Paris.
Experience
Representing a leading French retail group in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris against a Brazilian company arising out of restructuring proceedings, involving claims exceeding EUR 200 million;
Representing a leading French industrial company in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris concerning a railway renovation project, involving claims exceeding EUR 500 million;
Representing a Chinese State-owned conglomerate against five Algerian nationals in a multi-party ICC arbitration seated in Paris and governed by Algerian law, involving claims exceeding USD 400 million;
Representing the claimants in a multiparty ICC arbitration governed by Saudi law arising out of the Riyadh Metro Project, with claims exceeding USD 150 million;
Representing PT Ventures in its successful ICC arbitration against the other shareholders of Unitel S.A., the Angolan telecommunications company. The Award of February 2019 directed the respondents to pay PT Ventures over USD 750 million in compensation and interest;
Advising a Southeast Asian contractor in the pre-arbitral phase of a dispute concerning the operation of a sea water desalination plant in North Africa;
Representing a leading foreign construction company in set-aside proceedings concerning three ICC arbitral awards in relation to a joint venture agreement governed by Algeria law;
Representing a foreign company in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris concerning a mining project in West Africa;
Representing the claimant in ENGIE v. Hungary, an ICSID arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty and the France-Hungary BIT relating to the regulation of gas tariffs;
Acting as Tribunal Secretary in a sports arbitration case arising out of an employment contract dispute;
Advising an investor in relation to an ICSID arbitration against a Caribbean State; and
Advising a consortium of Japanese contractors on tax issues arising out of a major infrastructure project in Algeria.
Key Lawyer, Foreign Firms: Algeria, Legal 500 EMEA 2025
8 May 2026: Francarbi Conference on Public Policy and International Arbitration – Dakar
27 March 2026: Paris Arbitration Week, International Arbitration in North Africa: An Insider’s Perspective – Paris
14-15 April 2023: FIAA – MIDS Advocacy Workshop – Geneva
19 January 2023: African Arbitration Day, Need to reform Substantive Standards of Investment Protection in Africa? – London
2026: "Procedural Public Order in Arbitration" in A. Ngwanza, J.-F. Tossens, Public Order and International Arbitration, Bruylant (with Simon Ndiaye)
2020: "Modification, Suspension, Termination" in I. Bantekas, P. Ortolani, S. Ali, Gomez MA, M. Polkinghorne, UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration: A Commentary. Cambridge University Press (with Michael Polkinghorne)
2017: "Transparency in Investment Treaty Arbitration: Criticisms and Practical Solutions" in T. El Ghadban, Ch.-M. Mazuy, A. Senegacnik, The Protection of Foreign Investments: A reaffirmation of the State?, A. Pedone (with John Willems)"