International Arbitration

Related Professionals

Overview

Kirkland & Ellis boasts a formidable arbitration team... Their approach is highly strategic and sophisticated, swiftly addressing core issues. They are consistently delightful to collaborate with. - Chambers UK
Our team has extensive experience in international commercial and investor-state arbitrations across all key sectors of the global economy.

We guide clients through every stage of their cross-border disputes, from crafting risk mitigation strategies, conducting successful settlement negotiations, handling complex bet-the-company arbitrations, enforcing and executing arbitral awards in courts around the world, as well as dealing with any collateral court litigation. We deal with arbitrations and other proceedings, whatever the place, language, governing law, or subject matter.

Our practice is dynamic and commercially minded. The team adopts a holistic approach to dispute resolution that focuses on achieving our client’s commercial goals. Our language capabilities, cultural diversity, and broad legal training enable us to better understand the dispute and all its nuances, allowing us to assess our client’s options and present the case in the most compelling way possible.

We represent clients in major international commercial arbitrations under the auspices of all leading arbitral organizations, including the ICC, ICDR, LCIA, HKIAC, PCA, SIAC and the SCC, as well as ad-hoc arbitrations.

We also regularly represent investors and states or state-entities in investor-state arbitrations conducted under the rules of ICSID and ad-hoc arbitrations governed by the UNCITRAL Rules.
We offer end-to-end solutions that put our clients in the strongest possible position to successfully navigate their cross-border legal risks and obtain the results that will best serve their needs.
Kirkland Represents North American Investment Fund in HKIAC Arbitration, Wins Over US $230 Million in Damages
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Capabilities

  • Advice to obtain maximum available protection under international law, including bilateral, multilateral and regional treaties.
  • Coordination with corporate and tax departments to obtain maximum commercial and tax benefits.
  • Market, economic, political and litigation risk assessment.
  • Dispute resolution agreement drafting.
  • Holistic approach to dispute resolution, from the early stages of a potential dispute, assessing alternative solutions to prevent the dispute from elevating, with the commercial goals of our clients at the forefront of our actions.
  • Dynamic, innovative and proactive strategic dispute resolution counselling in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
  • Proactive approach to protecting client’s legal position.
  • Effective negotiation and early settlement strategy.
  • Analyzing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to obtain speedy and positive results.
  • Devising effective case strategy for business context.
  • Deep experience in bringing and defending international commercial and investor-state arbitrations.
  • Extensive experience in multi-forum, multi-proceedings disputes.
  • Successful tracing of assets and enforcement of awards globally,
  • Deep experience in handling and managing collateral and related global litigation.
  • Representation of a leading industrial group in a US$47 billion LCIA arbitration. The dispute concerned a shareholder dispute in a major Russian entity.
  • Representation of an international oil and gas corporation in an arbitration in which Kirkland secured a US$78 million publicly reported settlement in connection with the design and construction of the “topsides” of an off-shore drilling platform in the Arkutun-Dagi oil field in Russia.
  • Representation of a leading industrial group in a US$100 million LCIA arbitration. The dispute concerned a valuation agreement.
  • Representation of an Asian alternative investment management firm in a SIAC arbitration commenced by two Singaporean individuals in connection with an investment in Asia. With related proceedings in the BVI, Singapore and Thai courts.
  • Representing a major US conglomerate in 3 London seated ICC arbitrations arising out of its withdrawal from a number of Russian EPC contracts and parent company guarantees following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The guarantees were New York law governed, and the EPC contracts were Russian law governed.
  • Representation of a Fortune 100 company in LCIA arbitral proceedings seeking significant damages in relation to compensation for expropriation under a political risk insurance policy.
  • Representing a leading pharmaceutical company in a number of ICC arbitration proceedings relating to the development, regulatory approval, and commercialisation of a novel neuromodulator product, as well as breaches of a distribution agreement involving numerous jurisdictions around the world.
  • Representing a US investment fund in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris relating to a joint venture dispute concerning two energy infrastructure developments in the US.
  • Representation of a Chinese insurance and financial services group in an investment arbitration against a European state in connection with the de facto expropriation of its €2.2 billion investment, a treaty arbitration featured in The American Lawyer.
  • Representation of a Middle Eastern company in a series of disputes, including an ICSID arbitration against a Middle Eastern state relating to the expropriation of a US$800 million telecoms investment.
  • Representation of a Middle Eastern company in an investment treaty arbitration against an Asian state. The claim related to the expropriation of the client’s investment as well as claims of unfair treatment of the client by the state. This treaty arbitration was featured in The American Lawyer.
  • Representation of a U.K. investor in an UNCITRAL investment treaty arbitration against a South American state in relation to a government-supervised customs inspection and audit program.
  • Extensive experience in providing strategic advice to investors in connection with investment protection relating to direct and indirect expropriations, including in a recent Central American multi-billion dollar infrastructure project.
  • Representing international investors in South Africa when the South African Reserve Bank prevented the payment of monies outside of the jurisdiction.
  • Substantial experience in advising international investors from a large number of backgrounds and industry sectors in connection with potential investment arbitrations against Middle Eastern, African, and Asian states.

Named #1 in Global Litigation Top 50

The Lawyer, 2026

Cross-Border Capabilities

Practices