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 Ltdcase
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 for 2022 and 2023 and in Who’s Who Legal: Future Leaders for 2022 and 2023, 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 2022 and 2023 and praised as “a fabulous lawyer”, “able to explain technical scientific phenomenon”, and “prepared, unflappable on her feet”.
She is a member of the International Bar Association’s under-40 arbitration sub-committee, the ICCA Task Force on Gender Diversity in International Arbitral Appointments and Proceedings, the ICC Task Force on Arbitration of Climate Change Related Disputes, and the CPR Y-ADR’s Steering Committee. 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.