International Arbitration | Partners | US Law Firm, London

London is our client's principal platform outside the United States and a deliberate decision has been taken to further strengthen its arbitration bench at the partner level. Their international disputes offering spans commercial arbitration, investor-state disputes and public international law. Clients include corporations, financial institutions, investors, sovereign states and state-owned entities, in high-value proceedings under the rules of the principal arbitral institutions and across the major seats. Current mandates draw on relationships across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

This is a relatively broad brief. The firm will consider junior partners taking a first step into partnership through to established practitioners with a mature following. Established candidates would be expected to bring a substantial and demonstrable book of business, while those at an earlier stage of their partnership career are of equal interest, provided the practice is robust (i.e. work that transfers, client relationships are held personally, and projected figures can withstand scrutiny).

Candidates practising in international commercial arbitration, investor-state disputes, public international law or a combination of these will be considered. Sovereign and government-facing practices are of particular interest, as are lawyers whose client relationships would benefit from the support of a broader full-service platform, albeit one geared not to create conflicts.

Applicants should ideally bring:

• Substantial experience of complex, high-value international arbitration;
• A record of running matters independently and holding senior client relationships;
• Portable work and client relationships held in their own right;
• A business case capable of being evidenced by rates, hours and billings;
• Demonstrable origination, or a clear and credible route to it;
• A collaborative approach to working across offices and jurisdictions.

The package will be competitive by reference to the London partnership market, with the structure of the appointment determined by seniority, practice mix and the strength of the business case. Credit for originated work forms a meaningful part of the model.