ROAP AMERICAS 2024/5 FINALS – 3 April 2025
The ROAP Americas Finals bring to a close our advanced remote oral advocacy and cross-examination courses, by featuring the most persuasive and skilled participants on each course.
The outcome of the finals will be determined by a panel of world-class arbitrators consisting of Catherine Amirfar (President) to whom the ROAP Americas 2024/5 edition was dedicated, Grant Hanessian, and Yasmine Lahlou.
The event will take place live online on 3 April 2025 from 2:30pm to 6.10pm ET. Provisional event programme:
- 2:30pm ET – Welcome from the ROAP Americas co-chairs, and introduction by the ROAP Americas 2024/5 Dedicatee, Catherine Amirfar
- 2.35pm ET – CROSS-EXAMINATION FINALS
- 4.05pm ET – ORAL SUBMISSIONS FINALS
- 5.40pm ET – Tribunal decisions for both Finals
- 6.10pm ET – Word of thanks
You will find short bios of our finalists and tribunal members below.
TRIBUNAL FOR ROAP AMERICAS 2024/5 FINALS
Catherine Amirfar is Co-Chair of Debevoise’s International Dispute Resolution Group and the Public International Law Group, and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Her practice focuses on public international law, international commercial and treaty arbitration, and complex international commercial litigation.
With over twenty years of experience, Ms. Amirfar has argued before federal and state courts throughout the United States, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and arbitration tribunals sitting around the world. She has deep expertise representing states, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations and multinational companies.
Ms. Amirfar is consistently recognized at the very top of her field by the major legal directories. She is ranked in Band 1 in Chambers Global (Global Market Leaders) for Arbitration (International) and Public International Law; and in Chambers USA for International Arbitration. In Chambers Global (2024), clients declare that she is “the best of the best,” “truly exceptional” and “a real leader in the field.” According to Chambers USA (2024), she is a “trusted advisor to clients, a world-recognized leader in the world of arbitration and a mentor to so many at Debevoise.” One client asks, “Is there anything Catherine cannot do?” She is also said to be “brilliant, innovative and a superb advocate with an unrivaled sophistication in international matters” and “an excellent advocate, fierce in her delivery and mature in her judgment.” The Legal 500 US (2024), which lists her in its Hall of Fame for international arbitration, has noted that she enjoys “a prominent global reputation for her record in landmark disputes” and has described her as “an amazing advocate for her clients” and “one of the best litigation/arbitration specialists in her field.” She receives praise for her “subject matter expertise, tactical abilities, and grounded demeanor.” Who’s Who Legal (2024) names her as a Global Elite Thought Leader, and has described her as “an extremely skillful advocate” and “a leading practitioner with broad experience” of international arbitration. Ms. Amirfar has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a State Litigation Star and a National Practice Area Star for International Arbitration since 2018. She has also been recognized by the guide as one of the Top 250 Women in Litigation (2018 to 2024). In 2021, Benchmark Litigation recognized her as International Arbitration Litigator of the Year. In 2021, she also has been named a Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer, an award which recognizes achievements in “the nation’s most complex high-profile cases” which impact “the biggest breakthrough decisions in America’s courtrooms.”
Ms. Amirfar has a long history of wider involvement in her field beyond client work. Ms. Amirfar is Immediate Past President of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), for which she has been co-hosting a podcast called “International Law Behind the Headlines.” ASIL is one of the most prestigious organizations within the field of international law, with 4,000 members from more than 100 nations. She also serves as a member of the U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Law, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Advisory Committees of the American Law Institute for the Restatement (Fourth) of Foreign Relations Law of the United States and for the Restatement of the U.S. Law of International Commercial Arbitration. Ms. Amirfar is also a member of the Governing Board of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), the leading global organization of international arbitrators and arbitration practitioners, the Court of Arbitration of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and serves as Co-Chair of the ICCA-ASIL Task Force on Damages in International Arbitration. In 2021, Ms. Amirfar was appointed Deputy Co-Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, an independent body that was established in July 2019 at the request of the United Kingdom and Canadian governments to provide advice to countries that are members of the Media Freedom Coalition of States.
Ms. Amirfar maintains a highly active pro bono practice, advising NGOs and individuals in a wide variety of human rights matters. Most recently, she has led work in conjunction with the Clooney Foundation for Justice on a number of high-profile cases seeking the release of unlawfully imprisoned journalists around the world. She is also representing plaintiffs in Alien Tort Statute and Torture Victims Protection Act cases in U.S. courts with co-counsel the Center for Justice and Accountability. These include civil suits against the alleged commander of the Lutheran Church massacre of approximately 600 unarmed civilians in Liberia, and the former Secretary of Defense of Sri Lanka for his alleged involvement in the attack, torture, and murder of a journalist. In 2014, Ms. Amirfar was selected by Chambers USA as the Pro Bono Private Practice Lawyer of the Year.
Prior to rejoining Debevoise in 2016, Ms. Amirfar spent two years as the Counselor on International Law to the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State, and received the State Department’s Superior Honor Award in recognition of her contributions. During her tenure as Counselor, Ms. Amirfar advised the State Department on its most significant litigation matters involving international law and foreign relations, and liaised with senior officials of the Departments of Justice and Defense, the National Security Council and the Office of White House Counsel. She represented the United States before international bodies and advised the State Department on international legal issues arising in the areas of human rights, armed conflict, sovereign and diplomatic immunity, international arbitration and claims settlement, and the intersection of U.S. and international law.
Ms. Amirfar has written extensively on international arbitration, the relationship between international law and U.S. domestic law, international human rights and humanitarian law; investor-state disputes; and the law of consular and diplomatic immunities. She is a frequent lecturer on international law and has guest-lectured at Yale Law School and NYU Law School, among others.
Ms. Amirfar originally joined the firm in 2002 and became a partner in 2008. From 2000 to 2002, she clerked for the Hon. D.A. Batts, Southern District of New York. She received a J.D. cum laude from New York University Law School in 2000, where she was a Root-Tilden-Snow Scholar. She served as an editor for the NYU Law Review and was awarded top honors in the NYU Orison S. Marden Moot Court Competition. She received a B.A., with honors, in International Relations from Stanford University in 1995.
Grant Hanessian is an independent arbitrator in New York, specializing in international, investor-state and complex commercial disputes.
Mr. Hanessian has acted as arbitrator in a wide range of commercial and treaty disputes arising under the laws of common and civil law countries and public international law. Prior to July 2020, he was a partner at Baker McKenzie, where he practiced for 33 years, and served as global co-head of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice, head of its International Arbitration Practice in North America and head of its New York office Litigation Department.
Mr. Hanessian was U.S. member on the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Court of Arbitration in Paris from 2015 to 2021 and chair of the Arbitration Committee of the U.S. Council for International Business (U.S. national committee of the ICC) from 2015 to 2020; he was a member of the ICC’s Commission on Arbitration and its Task Forces on Arbitration Involving States or State Entities (2013-2015) and on Financial Institutions and International Arbitration (2017-2019).
He is a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of International Centre for Settlement of Investment Dispute’s Panel of Arbitrators, the American Arbitration Association—International Centre for Dispute Resolution’s International Advisory Committee and its Advisory Committee on Brazil, and former Vice President (for U.S.) of the London Court of Arbitration’s North American Users’ Council, a member of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre’s User’s Council, the International Arbitration Club of New York, the Arbitration Committee of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on International Commercial Disputes, Club Español del Arbitraje, and the Panel of Recognized International Market Experts in Finance (P.R.I.M.E.) Arbitration Rules Drafting Committee, and founding board member of the New York International Arbitration Center.
Mr. Hanessian is editor of ICDR Awards and Commentaries Vol. I and II (Juris Pub.) and co-editor of International Arbitration Checklists (Juris Pub., 3rd ed.), Gulf War Claims Reporter (ILI/Kluwer), Baker & McKenzie’s International Litigation & Arbitration Newsletter (2010-2020) and Baker & McKenzie’s International Arbitration Yearbook (2009-2019).
Mr. Hanessian is annually recommended by Chambers Global and USA Guides (described as “strong arbitrator,” “commercial and practical in his approach,” “careful, measured and brings tremendous experience”, “really thoughtful, very detailed, decisive,” “well prepared and asks the right questions,” “a mastermind,” “people go back to him again and again because of his command of the matters,” “exceptionally experienced,” “his attention to detail and ability to handle complex procedural issues sets him apart,” an “elite lawyer” who is “very experienced, hugely knowledgeable and effective”), Legal 500 (described as “a great practitioner” with a “strong commercial profile”), PLC Which Lawyer, The International Who’s Who of Commercial Arbitration (“superb counsel and arbitrator”), and Expert Guide to Leading Practitioners in International Arbitration (ranked among “Best of the Best” in international commercial arbitration).
Mr. Hanessian is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham Law School, where he teaches the International Commercial Arbitration and LL.M. International Arbitration Practicum courses. He is a frequent speaker at arbitration conferences and law schools around the world.
Mr. Hanessian is admitted to practice law in the State of New York. He received an LL.M. degree in International Law from Columbia University, a J.D. degree from New York University and a B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Yasmine Lahlou is fluent in English, French and Italian and proficient in Portuguese, Yasmine Lahlou has over 25 years of experience in international arbitration and enforcement actions and has been with Chaffetz Lindsey since 2009. Initially trained in Paris and admitted in New York, Yasmine is experienced in civil and common law systems. Yasmine has represented clients in arbitration proceedings conducted under all the major institutional and ad hoc rules. She has acted as a presiding, sole and co‐arbitrator in ICC, ICDR/AAA, SCC, CRCICA (in Cairo) and LCIA arbitrations.
Yasmine is a member of the ICC Court on International Arbitration, co-chair of the ICC’s Working Group on Expedited Procedure Provisions and outgoing co-editor-in-chief of the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Bulletin Editorial Board. Member of the Advisory Council of Africa Arbitration, and retiring member of the board of directors of ArbitralWomen, she is also a Peer Review Board member of the American Review of International Arbitration (ARIA) at Columbia Law School.
Yasmine has been named one of 23 “Global Elite Thought Leaders” in North America— a title reserved for the top 2.5% of ranked practitioners considered the “very best by peers and clients, achieving the highest number of recommendations in the research”— by Who’s Who Legal 2025 Arbitration report for the third year in a row.
FINALISTS (Forthcoming)