Penny, counsel in the Singapore office, has more than a decade of experience in international commercial arbitration, public international law, and international human rights law. Her primary focus has been on energy-related disputes, including disputes relating to long-term oil and gas agreements (including environmental, abandonment and decommissioning, and cost recovery issues), renewable energy, gas pricing, licensing, and intellectual property.

Penny’s experience includes:

  • Representing an oil major in a dispute relating to a sale and purchase agreement and pre-emption rights in the UK North Sea
  • Representing an oil major in a decommissioning dispute against a South-Asian State under two concession agreements adopting the 1946 ICJ Rules
  • Representing a leading European wind turbine manufacturer in a dispute relating to the effect of the termination of a cross-licensing agreement governed by Illinois law on certain licenses relating to patented wind turbine technology
  • Representing a major European State-owned gas supplier in various disputes relating to gas pricing and pipeline operational issues, including set-aside proceedings in Sweden
  • Representing an international consortium of oil and gas companies defending cost recovery and related accounting claims relating to operations in a Middle Eastern State
  • Advising an oil major in respect of the termination of two production sharing agreements with a Middle Eastern State and related end of production sharing agreement issues, including cost recovery and decommissioning issues
  • Representing an international consortium of oil and gas companies defending environmental, technical, and operational claims of US$800 million arising out of historical operations by the Ministry of Oil & Minerals of a Middle Eastern State

Penny also has a background in academia and co-authored the leading text on the appointment of international judges entitled Selecting International Judges: Principle, Process, and Politics (Oxford University Press, 2010), which examined the process for appointing judges to the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, and other international courts and tribunals.  Recently, Penny assisted in the preparation of the Report of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee recommending measures to improve gender balance in international human rights bodies and mechanisms. Her pro bono work has included assisting with an amicus brief submitted in Moore v. Texas (US Supreme Court).

Penny was named a “Rising Star” in International Arbitration in The Legal 500 UK having been previously recognised as “Highly Regarded”. She received her BA/LLB (Hons) from Monash University and LLM in Public International Law (with Distinction) from the University of Glasgow. Penny is admitted to practice in England and Wales and Victoria, Australia.