Chuck is Of Counsel based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on international commercial and treaty-based arbitration, transnational litigation, and public international law.
Previously a partner at an international law firm, he spent over twenty years as an international law counsel representing multinational corporations and sovereign states in complex international disputes.
Chuck’s representative experience includes:
- acting for an Estonian company in an ICSID arbitration relating to an investment in a construction project in Kazakhstan
- acting for U.S. investors in a treaty-based arbitration claim arising out of the financial services industry in Poland
- acting for a Middle Eastern State in an OIC arbitration relating to a claim by a Qatari aviation company
- acting for a Canadian company in an ICSID arbitration relating to an investment in Kazakhstan’s gold mining industry
- acting for a Canadian company in an UNCITRAL arbitration relating to an investment in Kazakhstan’s uranium mining industry
- acting for a Turkish company and individuals in an ICSID arbitration against Uzbekistan in relation to an investment in the country’s gas transportation industry
Chuck is a Professor of Practice at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, an Honorary Professor at Durham Law School and a Visiting Professor of Law at the Kyiv School of Economics. He teaches courses in international arbitration, public international law and international human rights. He has published extensively, authoring or co-authoring more than two dozen articles and book chapters over the last 20 years.
Chuck is a member of the United States Government Delegation to UNCITRAL Working Group III on Reforms to Investor-State Dispute Settlement and the U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Private International Law. Prior to his time in private practice and academia, he was was a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and Private International Law in Hamburg, Germany, and a Law Clerk to the Honourable Joseph F. Weis on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Chambers USA has recognised him as a Band 1 lawyer, calling him a “wonderful lawyer” and a “standout person…known for his…extensive multijurisdictional expertise.”
Chuck is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (JD ’01, BA ’97), and the University of Durham (LLM ’00), and is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania.
Erin, a senior associate in the Washington, DC office, has extensive experience representing and advising clients, including governments and government entities, international organisations, and multinational companies, in international arbitration proceedings (contractual and treaty-based), recognition and enforcement proceedings, complex commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, and project finance matters. Erin’s representations have concerned diverse industries, such as gaming, mining, life insurance, banking/finance, satellites, and wireless spectrum.
Erin’s experience includes:
- Representing Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc. and Sureste Properties, Inc. in an UNCITRAL arbitration in Singapore and in subsequent enforcement proceedings in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The arbitration arose from the termination of a management services agreement for an integrated resort and casino in Manila
- Representing the Government of Mongolia in a bilateral investment treaty arbitration arising from the passage of a windfall tax following increases in the price of gold
- Representing insurers, The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company (Lincoln) and Equitable (formerly AXA Equitable), in complex litigation in federal court defending against multiple individual actions and putative class actions arising from adjustments to the cost of insurance for universal life insurance products
- Representing Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels, Inc. (Bloomberry) in an appeal in New York state court by Bangladesh Bank of the dismissal of Bloomberry for lack of personal jurisdiction from a lawsuit arising from the theft by North Korean hackers of nearly $100M from Bangladesh Bank’s account and the laundering of the stolen funds in the Philippines
- Representing the Bank of Mongolia in bringing a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act case in Florida against an international criminal enterprise that defrauded the Bank of Mongolia of approximately $70M
- Representing Ligado Networks, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Sea Launch in their reorganisations from Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- Advising the African Development Bank and private lenders on international law and dispute resolution clauses of a sovereign guarantee agreement with the Republic of South Africa in connection with a $1.3B public-private loan agreement to a South African electricity public utility company
Erin received a J.D. with High Honours from The George Washington University Law School, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. She received her B.A. from the Princeton School of Public & International Affairs at Princeton University.
Erin is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia, as well as the US Supreme Court, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, US District Court for the District of Columbia, US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia, and US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Erin has published and presented on topics including arbitration, dispute resolution, international trade and investment. She has extensive experience working in Africa and Asia, and her pro bono practice focuses on reproductive rights, asylum, and juvenile justice.
Kelly is a senior paralegal in our Washington, DC, office. She has significant experience supporting international commercial and investor-State arbitration cases across various sectors under all major arbitration rules, many of them from the inception of the case through to the final hearing. She has been the lead paralegal in hearings based in London, Paris, Geneva, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Brisbane.
Kelly also recently co-authored an article on e-Disclosure for GAR’s The Guide to Evidence in International Arbitration.
Tom is an associate in the Washington, DC office. He has significant experience representing clients in a wide range of international arbitrations under most major institutional rules, with a particular focus on disputes across Asia and Latin America. Tom has represented and advised clients from an array of industries, including construction, mining & metals, post-M&A, biotech, and pharmaceuticals.
Tom’s recent experience includes:
- Representing a global gold company in a UNCITRAL arbitration in connection with a South American bi-national mega mining project.
- Representing the subsidiary of a Chinese State-Owned entity in an ICC arbitration concerning a mega mining project in Latin America.
- Representing a US non-profit company in a dispute arising from the faulty construction of a women’s hospital in rural Burundi, prevailing on 100% of the client’s claims and awarding 100% of the client’s costs.
- Representing a major Korean construction conglomerate in a Hanoi-seated arbitration under VIAC rules.
- Representing a Chinese bio-tech company in a post-M&A dispute against a Korean private equity fund in a Hong-Kong seated arbitration under HKIAC rules.
- Representing a Korean pharmaceutical company against a German competitor in a Tokyo-seated arbitration under ICC rules.
- Representing a Korean client in a nuclear construction dispute against a North American supplier for an arbitration seated in Seoul under KCAB Rules.
Tom holds a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Hawaii School of Law, and a B.A with Honors from Dartmouth College. While in law school, he won first-place individual oralist for the global International Environmental Law Moot Court competition. He is the host of The China Arbitrator, a Mandarin language arbitration podcast dedicated to understanding Asian views of the practice of international arbitration. He is also the co-founder of Rescue Afghan Women Now, an organization dedicated to rescuing high-risk Afghan women from Taliban capture and execution.
Tom is admitted to practice in California, New York, and Washington DC. He speaks English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean, and is conversant in Arabic (Egyptian dialect) and Farsi.
Sola is an international associate in the Washington, DC office. She has significant experience advising multinational corporations and states in commercial and treaty arbitrations under several institutional rules. Her practice spans across various industries, including the energy, life sciences, construction, telecommunication, and technology industries.
Sola’s recent experience includes:
- Assisted the counsel team representing an Eastern European state in an ICSID arbitration arising out of a concession agreement
- Assisted the counsel team representing a major telecoms company in an ICC post-M&A arbitration relating to valuation and technical deficiencies
- Assisted the counsel team representing a leading pharmaceutical company in a DIS post-M&A arbitration arising out of a share purchase agreement
- Assisted the counsel team providing Nigerian law advice and support in the enforcement of a US$2 billion arbitral award in New York, against the Nigerian state owned oil corporation
- Represented the Nigerian subsidiary of one of Africa’s largest telecommunications tower companies in an arbitration arising out of a managed services and colocation services agreement
- Represented an energy and infrastructure multinational in two concurrent construction arbitrations
- Represented a drilling company in the enforcement of a US$23million award against an exploration and production company over breaches and the non-performance of conditions precedents under an offshore drilling contract
Sola has appeared severally before the Nigerian courts and has provided Nigerian law advice for cases pending before courts in the United States and the United Kingdom. Recently, she was a member of the team that advised JPMorgan Chase Bank (through an international law firm), in the successful defense of a claim by the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), relating to transactions processed through the bank for the controversial sale of OPL 245.
Sola holds an LL.M. degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where she graduated with Distinction and was on the Dean’s List. While at Georgetown, she externed with ICSID, working with the English case management team, and represented Georgetown Law at the American University International Commercial Arbitration competition.
Valeriya is a dual-qualified international associate in the Washington, DC office. She has experience advising private corporations, high-net-worth individuals, and States in a variety of sectors, including energy, construction and manufacturing, across a range of arbitral institutional rules. Valeriya has also advised international organizations and NGOs on questions of international public law, European law and human rights.
Her recent experience includes:
- Acting for two consortia of energy companies in three separate series of disputes against a Central Asian State arising from a long-term production sharing agreement, the arbitrations include issues of tax, cost recovery, and environmental inspections
- Representing a high-net-worth individual in a $14b ad hoc UNCITRAL arbitration against a CIS state in respect of his investments in banking, mining, real estate and heavy manufacturing industries, the representation included successfully obtaining an interim award from the tribunal to suspend the parallel extradition proceedings against the client
- Successfully representing a Dutch investor against an Eastern European state in a $750m ICSID arbitration under a BIT relating to a judicial expropriation of a metallurgical plant
- Representing a CEE state in two separate annulment action of an ICSID award rendered against it
- Representing a private company against an Eastern European state in a $75m ICSID arbitration in respect of its railcar manufacturing business
- Representing one of the parties in a $40b ICC arbitration arising out of an offshore construction project in APAC
Prior to her legal career, Valeriya served at the embassies of Ukraine in Paris and Berlin, as well as at the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations in New York, where she represented Ukraine in the Second (Economic and Financial) Committee during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.
Valeriya holds an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School, where she served as President of Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association (HIALSA) and worked as a research assistant at Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (HLS PILAC). She also graduated with a Master’s degree in Global Business Law and Governance, jointly taught by SciencesPo Paris, Columbia Law School, and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Valeriya also holds an advanced Master’s degree (M2) with honors in Finance and Asset Management from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and a B.A. degree in Transatlantic Relations from SciencesPo Paris, where she won the best oralist prize in the SciencesPo International Public Law Moot.
Valeriya is admitted to practice in England & Wales and Ukraine, and her admission to the NY Bar is pending.
Raoul is an international associate in the Washington, DC office, specialising in complex international commercial and investment arbitration.
Prior to joining Three Crowns, Raoul represented global business at the United Nations General Assembly and related institutional fora as a Counselor in the Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations of the International Chamber of Commerce. In that role, Raoul led the ICC delegation to the Global Pact for the Environment negotiations at UNEP in Nairobi, Kenya, and frequently represented ICC at multilateral events around the world. Raoul also led the ICC working group on e-commerce, providing business perspectives for the Joint Statement Initiative on the trade-related aspects of electronic commerce at the World Trade Organization. Raoul developed guidance and briefs on a wide range of international public policy issues, including the economic and fiscal response to COVID-19, the equitable distribution of vaccines and digital trade. As Deputy Director of Legal Reform within ICC’s Digital Standards Initiative, Raoul led reform efforts globally to promote the adoption of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR).
Raoul holds an LL.M. from Columbia Law School, where he graduated with Honors and the Parker School Certificate for Achievement in International and Comparative Law. Raoul served as Submissions Editor on the American Review of International Arbitration, Research Assistant to Professors George A. Bermann and Kabir A.N. Duggal, and was a Board Member of the Columbia International Arbitration Association. He holds a J.D. from Melbourne Law School, where he graduated in the top 10% of his class and won the prestigious King & Wood Mallesons Moot Court Competition, the Castan Centre Human Rights Moot, and the Sir Zelman Cowen State Championship Moot. He also holds a B.A. (Philosophy and Mandarin Chinese) and a Diploma of Languages (Spanish) from the University of Melbourne.
Raoul serves as Assistant Editor for Technology for Kluwer Arbitration Blog and has a working knowledge of Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.
Aarushi is an international associate in the Washington, DC office.
Prior to joining Three Crowns, Aarushi clerked with Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud at the Supreme Court of India, where she worked on commercial, arbitration, and constitutional law matters. She also has prior experience of working at the judicial chambers of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague and as an associate in the projects and infrastructure practice of a domestic commercial law firm in India.
Aarushi holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, where her focus was on international commercial and investment arbitration and public international law. She served as the Vice President of the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association and as a member of the board of the Harvard International Law Journal. She also holds an LL.B. from National Law University Jodhpur, where she graduated with a gold medal for her outstanding achievements in moot court competitions.
Aarushi has published in international law journals such as the California Western International Law Journal and participated in international law conferences.
Hong is an associate based in the Washington, DC office. She has experience with commercial and treaty disputes in the TMT, energy, infrastructure, private equity, aerospace and defence sectors, and working with private clients, States and State-owned entities. She has also advised States and clients on matters of public international law.
Her recent experience includes:
- Representing a US aerospace multinational in a billion-dollar ICDR arbitration, seated in New York, against a Latin American aerospace company arising out of the termination of agreements to establish and operate joint ventures
- Representing an oil and gas major in commercial and treaty arbitrations against a CIS State
- Representing a European construction company in an ICC arbitration arising from a delayed urban development project in a CIS State
- Representing the Kingdom of Cambodia in an ICSID claim brought by a Chinese telecommunications investor
- Representing an Asian private equity fund in an UNCITRAL arbitration and related litigations in Vietnam and Singapore
- Representing an Indian EPC contractor in an SIAC arbitration with a Chinese subcontractor relating to the construction of a mega power plant
- Advising a European telecommunications investor on separate treaty claims against two Asian States
- Representing a State agency in an SIAC arbitration against a North American contractor in a defence-related construction dispute
Hong was previously State Counsel at the International Affairs Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore, where she advised the Singapore government on a range of international law issues, including trade and investment disputes, international organisations, privileges and immunities, United Nations Security Council Resolutions compliance, extradition, and mutual legal assistance. She acted in matters before the Singapore courts and in commercial arbitration. She also represented the Singapore Government in FTA negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Union and the United Kingdom and was a delegate to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Working Group III (Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform) and the ICSID Rules amendment project. Hong was also a Justices’ Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Singapore.
She studied law at the University of Cambridge and New York University as a Singapore Public Service Commission scholar, graduating with First Class Honours from the University of Cambridge. She is bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese, and has a working knowledge of Spanish.
Katherine is an associate in the Washington, DC office. She advises on commercial and investment treaty arbitrations across a range of sectors.
Her experience includes:
- advising a Japanese high-technology glass manufacturer and its South Korean and Taiwanese subsidiaries in an ICC arbitration seated in New York against a US glass manufacturer
- advising an independent oil and gas company in two multibillion-dollar disputes against Middle Eastern company arising out of a long-term gas sale and purchase agreement
- advising the Republic of Chile in an ICSID arbitration brought by a South American company concerning fines and guarantees enforced by Chile due to the claimant’s delay in the construction of an electric power transmission
Katherine regularly provides legal support pro bono. She worked on two research memos for Guernica 37, drafting the extraterritorial applications of the European Convention on Human Rights and breaches of Article 2, the right to life.
Katherine has interned at World Bank Group, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, and the International Criminal Court. She was the 2021-22 Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard International Law Journal and was the U.S. Champion and World Champion of the 2022 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot.
Katherine holds a JD from Harvard Law School, a MPhil in political theory from the University of Oxford, and a Bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Chicago. She speaks English and Mandarin.
Srinath Reddy is an associate in our Washington, DC office. He has experience with commercial, investment treaty, and inter-State arbitrations, as well as arbitration-related litigation before U.S. courts, across a range of sectors including financial services, energy, mining, real estate, and infrastructure.
Srinath’s experience includes:
- Representing a leading international financial services provider in an LCIA arbitration with its joint venture partner pertaining to the amounts owed under a joint venture agreement relating to credit card transactions
- Representing an international energy major in an UNCITRAL arbitration against a state-owned energy company relating to the costs of decommissioning one of the world’s largest oil and gas fields
- Representing a Middle Eastern conglomerate assessing investor-State claims arising from sale and purchase agreements for plots of land in a neighbouring State
- Representing a renewable energy producer and litigation funder in two contractual disputes arising from wind turbine supply agreements
- Representing an international mining corporation in post-arbitration proceedings across multiple jurisdictions to enforce a US$2 billion LCIA award
Before joining Three Crowns, Srinath was an Assistant Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, where he assisted arbitral tribunals in investor State disputes, contract-based arbitrations, and an Annex VII arbitration under the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea. He was also an economic consultant assisting quantum experts on a range of econometric and damages analyses.
Srinath’s writing on international law has been published in the Yale Journal of International Law, the Cornell Law Review, the Harvard National Security Journal, and Just Security. He was also the U.S. National Champion, international semi-finalist, and one of the top 10 oralists worldwide in successive years of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot.
Srinath holds degrees in Mathematics, Economics, and Government from Cornell University and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was awarded the Jerome Sayles Hess Prize for the top graduating student in International Law.
Trey is Of Counsel based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on international arbitration and litigation, public international law, and private international law (conflict of laws).
Trey has briefed and argued cases as counsel before the International Court of Justice and has consulted as an expert on various matters before international arbitral tribunals, with particular experience in PCA and ICSID-administered arbitrations. He has appeared as counsel before courts throughout the United States, including the United States Supreme Court, and has appeared as an expert before various courts outside of the United States. Trey was the 28th Counselor on International Law to the Legal Adviser at the U.S. State Department, which involved advising on the formulation of the government’s arbitration and litigation strategy. He also represented the United States before international bodies, including as part of the U.S. delegation to UNCITRAL Working Group III (regarding reforms to Investor-State Dispute Settlement), before the Council of Europe’s Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI), and in the Diplomatic Session of the Hague Judgments Convention.
Trey is a tenured professor of law at the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law and has been a Scholar-in-Residence at the New York University School of Law’s Center for Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Commercial Law, and a visiting professor of law at the Washington & Lee University School of Law. He teaches courses on international arbitration and litigation, international business transactions, conflict of laws, comparative law, ethical considerations in international arbitration, civil procedure, and ethical lawyering. He has also taught courses through the Center for American and International Law.
Trey regularly writes law review articles and is a co-author of Transnational Law and Practice (Aspen Publishers 2015 & 2021) and Transnational Litigation in a Nutshell (West Academic 2021). He has co-edited a volume entitled Private International Law and Arbitration (Edward Elgar 2018). He has also organised academic conferences on the relationship between international arbitration and courts.
Trey is an elected member of the American Law Institute, a member of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration’s Academic Council, a director of the American Society of Comparative Law, and a member of the Advisory Committee on International Law of the U.S. State Department.
Isha is a special legal consultant based in the Washington, DC office. She has experience in international commercial and investor-State arbitrations across a range of industries, including energy, construction, and intellectual property.
Isha’s experience includes:
- Representing a glass manufacturing company in an ICC arbitration arising out of a New York law-governed patent licensing agreement
- Representing a technology company in an ICC arbitration arising out of a Delaware law-governed software licensing agreement
- Representing a multinational energy company in a PCA arbitration against a Southeast Asian State arising out of an international law-governed concession contract
- Representing multinational energy companies in applications to a US District Court for the discovery of evidence for use in litigation in the courts of Ghana
- Working with Guernica 37 in bringing claims on behalf of victims of human rights violations in a Middle Eastern State
Isha holds an LLM from Harvard Law School, where she was awarded the Roger Fisher and Frank E.A. Sander Prize for the best student paper on a topic related to dispute resolution. She also holds an LLB from the National Law School of India University. In the 2018 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot, she won the Stephen M. Schwebel award for best oralist in the world championship round.
Isha is published in leading international law journals, including the Leiden Journal of International Law and Arbitration International.
Will is an associate in the Washington, DC office. He has advised clients in the finance, energy, and manufacturing sectors in both treaty and international commercial arbitrations conducted under ICC, ICSID, LCIA, and UNCITRAL rules.
His recent experience includes:
- Representing a major energy company in an investment treaty arbitration involving a denial of justice
- Representing a renewable energy technology concern in an ICC arbitration arising under a patent cross-licensing agreement governed by Illinois law
- Representing a large financial services firm in an LCIA arbitration applying New York law
- Advising a telecommunications logistics firm in a Delaware law contract dispute
Will studied classics at Princeton, law at Yale, and legal history at the University of Chicago, where he received a PhD in 2020. Immediately before joining Three Crowns, Will held the Raoul Berger-Mark DeWolfe Howe Fellowship at Harvard Law School and taught Roman law at Boston College Law School. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and, before graduate school, taught classical languages at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH.
Anton is an associate in the Washington, DC office.
His recent experience includes:
- Acting for two consortia of energy companies in two separate series of disputes against a Central Asian State, arising from a long-term production sharing agreement. The arbitrations include issues of tax, cost recovery and admissibility. A further expert determination has been launched in relation to an annual work program and budget.
- Advising the same consortia on strategic questions and potential disputes, including regulatory issues relating to the approval of a field development plan, OPEC+ production cuts, and inspections related to environmental issues.
- Acting for an energy company in two separate disputes against Eastern European states in connection with the construction and operation of power plants.
- Acting for Grupo Unidos por el Canal in annulment proceedings in U.S. federal court against an award arising out of the expansion of the Panama Canal.
Anton regularly provides legal support pro bono. He assisted REDRESS in the case of Meriam Ibrahim before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, is working with Guernica 37 Chambers in bringing claims before the European Court of Human Rights on behalf victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a Middle Eastern State, representing a Sudanese refugee seeking family reunification, and advised a people on possible paths to gaining independence from an Asian State.
Prior to joining Three Crowns, Anton completed his Ph.D. at Harvard University. He previously clerked for the late Honorable Juan R. Torruella on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School (James Kent Scholar), as well as a Bachelor’s Degree (magna cum laude) and a Master’s Degree from Harvard University. Anton was a visiting professor at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, where he taught international arbitration and gave a faculty presentation on issues relating to international arbitration. He was also selected by the International Law Institute to teach choice of law as part of an International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation Master Class.
His publications have appeared in “Pro-Arbitration” Revisited: A Tribute to Professor George Bermann from his Students over the Years (Juris Publishing, 2023), Reflections on International Arbitration – Essays in Honour of Professor George Bermann (Juris Publishing, 2022), and the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law. He also co-authored a chapter in International Arbitration in Latin America: Energy and Natural Resources Disputes (Kluwer Law International, 2021).
Anton’s languages include English, Dutch, Russian, German, French, and Spanish.
Simon is a partner in the Washington, DC office. He has significant experience in commercial arbitration and investment arbitrations, having represented clients across a wide range of sectors.
Simon’s experience includes:
- Representing Elliott Associates LP in its successful claim against the Republic of Korea under the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement
- Advising a number of international oil companies concerning production sharing contracts rights in Nigeria
- Representing a Missouri-based artificial intelligence firm in a JAMS arbitration arising out of a contract dispute under Delaware law
- Representing Sacyr in a $1 billion dispute relating to claims brought under the Spain-Panama BIT in relation to the Panama Canal Third Set of Locks Project, including section 1782 motions in the U.S. courts
- Representing a Chilean oil and gas explorer in successful defence of claims brought by a co-venturer under a joint operating agreement
- Representing Ukraine in defence of claims for unlawful termination of a licence to explore for oil and gas. The matter settled following a hearing
- Representing a Canadian rare earths minerals explorer in its expropriation claim against the Republic of Kyrgyzstan
Simon is recognised in Who’s Who Legal as a global leader for Arbitration, which highlights that his “analytical skills, clear communication style, and legal expertise make him a strong practitioner” and that “he has the ability to articulate issues in a clear, concise manner”, noting “he is confident and sharp”. Simon has been recognised for International Arbitration in The Legal 500 US since 2020 and clients have described him as having “formidable analytical skills and great client service”.
Simon co-authored the chapter “Fair and Equitable Treatment: Legitimate Expectations and Transparency” in ICSID’s 50th anniversary text Building International Investment Law: The First 50 Years of ICSID. He sits on the Banking and Financial Services Committee for the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR).
Simon received his LLM from Columbia Law School, where he studied as a Fulbright scholar. Before that, he received an LLB with first-class honours and a BA with first-class honours from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. He speaks English and French, and is admitted to practice in Washington, DC, New York, and New Zealand.
Liz, a partner in the Washington, DC office, has twenty-five years of experience as an advocate and adviser in international arbitration matters. She has acted in arbitrations around the world, with notable experience of disputes arising in Africa, India, and Asia. Her practice is a mix of commercial and investment treaty arbitration, with a focus on the upstream energy, power, and mining sectors. Liz has particular expertise handling disputes involving States and State entities, including investment treaty cases, fiscal disputes under long term-contracts, and disputes that implicate both contract and treaty implications.
Liz’s experience includes:
- Representing a subsidiary of an Australian mining company in a dispute with a Central Asian State concerning tax and royalty demands in breach of stability guarantees in a long-term investment agreement relating to one of the world’s largest gold/copper mines
- Representing Elliott Associates in a pending UNCITRAL arbitration against the Republic of Korea under the investment chapter of a free trade agreement, arising out of alleged governmental corruption and political interference in the activities of a State-controlled entity
- Representing consortia of oil majors in a series of arbitrations against a West African State-entity arising out long-term production sharing contracts
- Representing the Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese subsidiaries of a globally diversified mining company in an ICC arbitration with a US glass manufacturer arising out a licence agreement and concerning issues of patent infringement
- Defending an ICC arbitration brought by a counterparty to a technology licensing agreement against a Fortune 10 technology company. Governed by Delaware law, the dispute involves the development of cutting-edge mobile phone technology and a claim of unpaid royalties
Liz is recognised in leading legal directories. The Legal 500 describes her as “the real deal at the elite level of intellectual analysis and experience”, who provides “excellent, timely advice, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the business”, and Who’s Who Legal notes that she is “a wise and hugely knowledgeable lawyer with excellent written advocacy skills”. She is also ranked in Chambers.
Liz is a member of the International Bar Association, the Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration, and the North American Users’ Council of the LCIA.
Liz holds degrees from the University of Virginia and the University of Oxford. At Virginia, she was an Articles Editor for the Virginia Law Review. She clerked for the Hon. Judge J.H. Wilkinson, then Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Liz has taught courses on international arbitration and global disputes at University College London (2007-2012), American University’s Washington College of Law (2019-2023), and Georgetown University (2021-2023).
Mihir is a senior associate in our Washington, DC office. He has experience advising clients across a range of industries, including the oil and gas, technology, aerospace, and financial services industries. Mihir has acted as counsel in several high-value and complex commercial and investment arbitrations under the ICSID, ICC, AAA-ICDR, HKIAC, and SIAC Rules.
His recent experience includes representing:
- ConocoPhillips in parallel ICSID and ICC proceedings arising out of the expropriation of its oil projects in Venezuela, resulting in historically large, multibillion-dollar awards
- ExxonMobil in ICSID proceedings against Venezuela in a dispute resulting in an award of approximately a billion dollars
- A Middle Eastern utility company in a multimillion-dollar construction arbitration involving, among other things, claims of delay, variations, and liquidated damages
- A leading Middle East oil and gas company in a multibillion-dollar arbitration against a state-owned oil company arising out of breaches a gas sale and purchase agreement;
- A leading footwear and lifestyle company in multi-jurisdictional disputes against a Hong Kong-based entity involving claims of breach of contract and unfair prejudice; and
- An Asian company in a dispute for breach of contract against a large U.S. company arising out of a multibillion-dollar foreign military sales program.
Prior to joining Three Crowns, Mihir was a management consultant with an international consulting firm. He advised clients on, amongst other things, valuing companies for acquisition and improving cost efficiencies.
Mihir holds an LLM and a certificate in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution from Georgetown University Law Center, where he graduated with Distinction and was on the Dean’s List. Mihir also holds degrees in law (LLB) and History from the University of Delhi. He speaks English, Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali.
Nicola is an England and Wales qualified Barrister and Special Legal Consultant in the Washington, DC office, where she has a broad practice in international dispute resolution. She has appeared as counsel in international commercial and investment treaty disputes, as well as in proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and International Court of Justice.
Her experience includes:
- Acting for US financial investor, Elliott Associates, in an investment treaty dispute brought under UNCITRAL Rules arising out of a major State corruption scandal in Korea
- Representing a glass manufacturing company in ICC proceedings concerning breach of a cross license agreement governed by New York law
- Acting for the Kingdom of Bahrain in an ICC arbitration relating to a project to design, build and operate a waste-to-energy plant
- Representing one of the world’s largest companies in a WIPO arbitration against a leading telecoms operator concerning the use and registration of intellectual property
- Acting for an American lifestyle company in an LCIA arbitration and parallel expert determinations relating to the buy-out of an Indian joint venture
- Acting as tribunal secretary in an ICC arbitration arising from alleged violations of a share purchase agreement by two businessmen convicted of fraud in the Czech Republic
- Representing the Republic of Vanuatu before the International Court of Justice in proceedings concerning the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965
- Advising the UN Environment Programme in proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in proceedings concerning the Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law
- Appearing as counsel before the UK Supreme Court on behalf of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in the widely reported Halliburton Company v Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd case
Nicola is the Legal Secretary to the International Tennis Federation Ethics Commission and has led numerous investigations into ethical complaints in sport. She also has an active pro bono practice and for over ten years has provided legal support to developing country negotiators and NGOs attending the international climate change treaty negotiations.
Nicola is recommended for International Arbitration in The Legal 500 US and in Who’s Who Legal: Future Leaders, highlighting her “reputation for excellence”, noting that she is “thorough and well-prepared”, “extremely smart”, and that “her knowledge of climate arbitration is impressive”. Nicola has also been ranked twice as an Associate to Watch by Chambers USA and praised as “a fabulous lawyer”, “able to explain technical scientific phenomenon”, and “prepared, unflappable on her feet”.
She is a member of the CPR Y-ADR’s Steering Committee, the ICCA Task Force on Gender Diversity in International Arbitral Appointments and Proceedings, and the ICC Task Force on Arbitration of Climate Change Related Disputes. Prior to joining Three Crowns, she worked as Assistant Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
Nicola holds degrees from the University of Cambridge, Imperial College, London, and University College, London.
Hugh Carlson is the Chief Executive Officer of Three Crowns, in which capacity he is responsible for the firm’s global operations. He also serves as General Counsel to the firm.
Hugh has represented clients across a range of industries and under most major arbitral rules systems. He has been described in Who’s Who Legal as “absolutely phenomenal”, “a great strategist”, “command[ing] the respect of his peers”, and “‘very highly recommended’ for his international investment treaty and commercial arbitration work”. He is also recognised in other leading rankings and directories, including Law Dragon’s “Global Litigation 500” and Super Lawyers.
Hugh teaches international arbitration at Harvard Law School and is a co-founder of its International Arbitration Workshop.
Prior to joining Three Crowns, Hugh practised in the litigation and international arbitration group of a major international law firm.
Scott, a partner in the Washington, DC office, has a decade and a half of experience handling complex international investment and commercial arbitrations in the oil and gas, construction, energy, mining, gaming, defence, technology, and agribusiness sectors. In addition to his private practice in international arbitration, he has served as an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Department of State and at an international organisation. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches a course on advocacy in international arbitration.
Scott’s recent experience includes:
- Representing a GCC state-owned water utility in a commercial arbitration over delays and defects in the performance of contracts to expand and improve an urban water distribution network;
- Representing a European construction company in a Paris-seated ICC arbitration involving a project in a CIS state under a $600 million contract governed by local law;
- Representing a consortium of international oil and gas companies in a series of disputes with a CIS state under a PSA, including an arbitration concerning tens of billions in disputed cost recovery amounts;
- Representing a Middle Eastern State as respondent in the successful defence of a US$ 200 million ICSID arbitration claim relating to the termination of a long-term oil and gas engineering and construction contract and in the defence of the award in ongoing annulment proceedings;
- Representing a global power generation company in a London-seated, New York law-governed ICC arbitration relating to the termination of a project to develop a coal-fired power station in a South East European state;
- Representing a Middle Eastern state in an ICC arbitration relating to hundreds of millions in disputed cost recovery claims and other issues at the conclusion of a PSA’s term;
- Representing an Asian national oil company as respondent in a London-seated, English law ICC arbitration arising out of its withdrawal from an exploration project in a Central Asian country – the claims valued at over US$ 400 million were dismissed with costs;
- Representing a European gaming company and its controlling shareholder in multiple LCIA arbitrations arising out of a European state’s breaches of contracts;
- Representing a French-German consortium in a € 3 billion Stockholm-seated ICC arbitration arising out of a Finnish law contract to construct a nuclear power plant in Finland;
Who’s Who Legal has recognised him every year since 2016, noting that clients singled him out as “one of the smartest lawyers I have ever worked with”, describing him as “a thoughtful and well-regarded practitioner”, and praised his “impressive pre-hearing preparation and his advocacy”. He is listed in The Legal 500’s 2019 UK Arbitration Powerlist and recommended in The Legal 500 UK where he “attracts praise for his ability to ‘master complex issues’”.
Scott holds JD, MA, and BA degrees from Yale University, as well as an MPA degree from Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. He is qualified as an attorney in New York and the District of Columbia and as a barrister in England & Wales and speaks English, French, German, Russian, and basic Latvian.
A founding partner of Three Crowns, Luke represents private and sovereign clients in some of their largest and most important commercial, investor-State, and inter-State arbitrations, including the successful prosecution of one of the largest ICC cases in history. He also has more than 20 years of experience litigating international issues in U.S. courts.
Luke’s practice experience spans a variety of sectors, with a focus on the energy, financial, and technology industries.
Luke’s experience includes:
- Acting for a multinational technology company in a multi-billion-dollar ICC arbitration pertaining to sole-source supply agreement
- Acting for a global energy in a $9 billion PCA investment treaty arbitration concerning denial of justice by a Latin American country
- Acting for a multinational aviation company in an AAA-ICDR dispute regarding the termination of $4 billion merger and acquisition agreement
- Acting for a global apparel company in HKIAC and SIAC arbitrations concerning a dispute under joint venture agreement involving several Asian countries
- Acting for US multinational energy company in ad hoc investment arbitration arising out of change to decommissioning laws in Asian country
- Acting for a UK renewable energy company in a $200 million concession dispute with an African State
He is active in pro bono matters, including work for Equality Now and the Penobscot Nation.
Luke is also a Senior Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law. Among other publications, he is the co-author of the second edition International Arbitration: Three Salient Problems (Cambridge University Press, 2020) and General Principles of Law and International Due Process (Oxford University Press, 2017).
Luke is ranked by Chambers, which describes him as an “extraordinarily intelligent” attorney who “draws extensive praise for his advocacy skills, with clients affirming that ‘his analysis and strategic view is outstanding.’” Who’s Who Legal has recognised him a “sharp intellectual” who “is praised for his fantastic analytical and writing abilities”. The Legal 500 writes that Luke “is extremely smart and a great strategic thinker” and is “an excellent draftsman”.
Luke previously worked in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he advised and prepared formal legal opinions for executive branch officials on a range of constitutional, international, and administrative law issues.
He earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, after which he clerked for Judge Pamela Ann Rymer of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the US Supreme Court.
