Reed Smith’s international arbitration practice spans the globe. With offices in the world’s leading arbitral seats, including London, Paris, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Miami, and Houston, we are strongly positioned to represent clients in international business disputes.
We are ranked #13 in the elite GAR 30 2023, Global Arbitration Review’s list of the world’s top 30 leading international arbitration practices.
Our clients, whether privately or publicly owned, benefit from the invaluable insights, in-depth knowledge, award-winning talent and cross-border collaboration of our global team of international arbitration lawyers, many embedded in our core industry practice areas.
We act as trusted advisers, advocates and arbitrators across a broad spectrum of complex and often multi-million/billion-dollar commercial, investor-state, and sector-specific arbitrations. Our dynamic and forward-looking practice has a strong track record of achieving results based on our clients’ needs, their commercial objectives and the characteristics of the dispute.
- “A firm with lawyers who genuinely care about their clients’ businesses… They are meticulous in their work." Chambers UK 2022
- “The best Latin American arbitration team in the industry.” The Legal 500 Latin America 2022
- "The kind of external advisers that you always want to have on your side… The team is outstanding." Chambers USA 2021
- “A dynamic and forward-looking practice…superb at providing clients with advice which reflects their practical and commercial objectives.’’ The Legal 500 EMEA 2020
A practice on the move – Our expanding global footprint and excellent reputation are the result of our dedicated, innovative and international practitioners, many of whom are qualified in more than one jurisdiction, multilingual, and viewed as leaders in their field, having forged long-standing and successful relationships within the international arbitration community. Many of our lawyers occupy leadership roles within the arbitral community, acting as chairs, co-chairs, committee members and members of some of the most well-respected and world-renowned international arbitration institutions.
Practice scope – Our practice covers the full life cycle of dispute resolution for both respondents and claimants, from pre-contract strategic advice and negotiation and drafting of international arbitration agreements (including guidance on choice of forum and law) to risk management, interim measures, pursuing and defending claims, enforcing international arbitration awards and advising on recovery strategies should a dispute arise. We help clients achieve their commercial objectives while minimizing and managing risk no matter the stage of the dispute process.
Institutional knowledge – Choosing the right arbitral institution, rules and tribunal can be key to achieving a successful outcome. We can assist you in arbitrations taking place in every important arbitral seat around the world, and conduct arbitrations pursuant to the rules and procedures of all the major international arbitration institutions, including:
- Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC)
- American Arbitration Association/International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA/ICDR)
- BANI Arbitration Center (BANI)
- Centro de Arbitraje de Mexico (CAM)
- China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)
- Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit (DIS)
- Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC)
- Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
- Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC)
- International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
- London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
- London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA)
- Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
- Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)
- Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC)
- Swiss Rules of International Arbitration of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce (Swiss Rules)
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
We also represent clients in United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and other ad hoc arbitrations around the world. We have substantial experience handling bilateral and multilateral investment treaty disputes under the auspices of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and other arbitral bodies, including disputes involving the Energy Charter Treaty, advising and representing international investors, states and state-owned entities in a wide range of disputes.
Geography – Wherever your business takes you, we can partner with you. We have arbitration experience in jurisdictions around the world and have acted in disputes in both established and emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and Latin America. We speak your language – literally. Our arbitration lawyers include work in a wide variety of languages, including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Cantonese and Mandarin. Culturally, we also recognize the important nuances when working across different jurisdictions.
Industry – Many of our arbitration lawyers are based in industry groups, giving them a deep understanding of the drivers in your industry and the project environment. We are regularly instructed on significant commercial disputes across telecoms, insurance, defense, projects and construction, energy and natural resources, commodities, chemicals, banking and financial services, transportation, international trade, manufacturing, leisure, environmental, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, as well as disputes arising from shareholder and joint venture agreements. We combine our deep sector knowledge with significant technical skills in international arbitration and dispute resolution. We are also skilled in arbitrations under the rules of a number of trade associations and trade institutions, through the strength of our pre-eminent commodities, trade and shipping practices.
