On Thursday 6 July at 5:00pm CEST we had an in-depth 90mn discussion of this year´s English High Court decision in Republic of Sierra Leone v. SL Mining Ltd, in our ‘A Case in Time’ journal series.

The speakers for this episode were Markus Burgstaller (Hogan Lovells), Marc Jacob (DLA Piper), Elizabeth Oger-Gross (White & Case) and Nania Owusu-Ankomah (Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah), with Tsegaye Laurendeau (Signature Litigation LLP) moderating (short bios of the speakers below).

The recording is available here.

ABOUT THE GAP AND THE SPEAKERS

The Delos Guide to Arbitration Places (GAP) is designed to assist in-house counsel, corporate lawyers and arbitration practitioners with efficiently accessing key insights into a large range of jurisdictions, including for the purposes of negotiating the choice of arbitral seats and conducting arbitral proceedings in those jurisdictions.

This peer-reviewed open access publication is now in its second edition. Browse the table of contents, explore the jurisdictions covered in the GAP or jump to the traffic lights table.

SPEAKERS:

Markus Burgstaller combines experience in public international law and EU law at the highest level of government with many years of experience in private practice. He acts for States, international organisations, businesses, and individuals in international disputes, mainly arbitrations under ICSID and UNCITRAL rules, and in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). He is nominated to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators by the Austrian Government. Markus was lead counsel for the Slovak Republic in the Achmea case before the CJEU in which the CJEU ruled that EU law precludes a provision in an international agreement concluded between EU Member States that provides for investor-State arbitration. For his work Markus received the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers award for innovation in legal expertise – dispute resolution, the award for “Most Important Decision” by Global Arbitration Review and was named “Lawyer of the Week” by The Times. Recognized as a leading individual in public international law in the UK and globally, Markus guest lectures at universities such as the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Humboldt University in Berlin.  Markus is frequently interviewed and published in international media such as the Financial Times, The Economist, The Times, the BBC, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Marc Jacob is an advocate and adviser in our leading international arbitration and litigation practice. He acts for companies and states worldwide in investment treaty, commercial and infrastructure disputes. Marc has handled matters under almost all the major arbitral rules. He also has significant experience in cross-border court proceedings. Marc often assists at the intersection of multiple jurisdictions, legal traditions and cultural backgrounds. He recently helped a client in a high-value and politically significant investment treaty arbitration. This involved domestic proceedings across several countries. He was also involved in one of the largest commercial arbitrations in Germany in recent years. Marc also advises on and argues public international law issues and regularly assists international organisations and other clients on a pro bono basis.

Tsegaye Laurendeau is an international arbitration partner at Signature Litigation and is based in London. With over 10 years’ experience of international arbitrations as counsel, Tsegaye has advised and represented companies, States and State-owned entities in arbitrations conducted pursuant to the arbitration rules of many of the major arbitration institutions, with a particular focus on disputes in the oil and gas, energy, mining, construction and telecoms sectors. Tsegaye has developed an expertise in arbitrations involving complex corporate structures, financial products, accounting and tax issues and handles all matters relating to quantum in international arbitrations. While Tsegaye’s practice focuses exclusively on arbitration, he began his career in the Project Finance group of a magic circle firm, acting for financial institutions and international corporates in relation to the financing and development of large energy and infrastructure projects in the MENA region and Sub-Saharan Africa. Tsegaye was a partner at international arbitration boutique law firm Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes and Counsel in Shearman & Sterling’s international arbitration group. He is recognised in arbitration guides and features in The Legal 500 International Arbitration Powerlist UK, which showcases the UK’s leading arbitration practitioners. Tsegaye is admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales and at the Paris Bar.

Elizabeth Oger-Gross is a partner of the Firm’s International Arbitration Group and is based in the Paris office. Elizabeth advises clients in complex disputes, with broad experience across a number of sectors and a focus on the construction and energy industries. She has significant experience acting for and against States. Overall, she has an excellent track record, successfully building and implementing sound and innovative strategies that help her clients win. She has conducted both ad hoc arbitrations and arbitrations under most of the major institutional rules. Her arbitration experience spans the globe, having been involved in arbitrations in Western and Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan and North Africa, North, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Asia. She also has substantial experience in cross-border litigation. Before moving to the Paris office, she practiced litigation and arbitration in White & Case’s New York office. Elizabeth is both common-law and civil-law qualified and acts in both English and French-language arbitrations. She is a member of the LCA Arbitration Court and teaches international arbitration at Paris 2 (Panthéon-Assas), Sciences Po Paris, Université Paris Est Créteil Val-de-Marne, and the Lagos Court of Arbitration. She also sits as arbitrator.

Nania Owusu-Ankomah is a Partner at Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah in Ghana. She regularly advises and represents clients in a range of high value litigation and arbitration disputes. She is listed on CPR’s Panels of Distinguished Neutrals, the LCIA Database of Arbitrators and the Ghana ADR Hub List of Arbitrators. She formerly served as a Member of the Electronic Communications Tribunal of Ghana. She is a Councillor of the LCIA Africa Users’ Council and is an Editor of the IBA Arbitration Committee Newsletter. She has been recognized as one of Africa’s 50 Most Promising Young Arbitration Practitioners (2020), was named a Rising Star by Africa Arbitration (2019) and featured as a Woman to Watch’ by African Institute of Women in Law.