Herbert Smith Global Arbitration Practice announces promotion of Christian Leathley to Partner

Herbert Smith announced today the promotion of Christian Leathley to its partnership from 1st May 2012.

Christian specialises in international commercial and investment arbitration with a particular focus on disputes related to Latin America.  He is New York and English law qualified, having spent five years in New York before returning to Europe.  He now splits his time between the firm's London and Madrid offices.  A fluent Spanish speaker, with basic Brazilian Portuguese, Christian has represented investors and states in investment arbitrations (most recently the Republic of Venezuela in a number of disputes).  Christian also has substantial international commercial arbitration experience, having acted for and advised individuals, corporations and sovereign states in cases arising from all major industry sectors under the rules of the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, AAA (ICDR), CAS and UNCITRAL.

Christian has a strong and growing reputation for his expertise in Latin America, having spent over ten years practicing international commercial and investment arbitration in the region. Christian is author of one of the leading text books concerning the region, International Dispute Resolution in Latin America: An Institutional Overview, published by Kluwer Law International, a revised edition of which will be published in 2011 by both Kluwer and Legis (in Spanish).

Christian is a "hugely talented lawyer", "tipped for huge success" as a "prominent figure" in his field (Chambers Latin America). 

Christian's credentials include: 

• a major Spanish infrastructure company in a number of ICC arbitrations regarding a central Asian investment
• a South American NOC in a US$500 million post-acquisition arbitration governed by New York law
• the Governing bodies of tennis in a CAS arbitration in the first match fixing case in tennis
• a South American energy company in a contractual dispute with consortium members arising out of its investment in Bolivia
• a South American corporation in an ICC dispute against a state telecommunications enterprise, and a specialized organization of the United Nations, governed by Swiss law, seat of arbitration in Geneva
• The Republic of Venezuela in a number of oil and gas related investment arbitrations including ConocoPhillips Company and others v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/07/30); and Mobil Corporation and others v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/07/27)
• The Republic of Venezuela in CEMEX Caracas Investments B.V. and CEMEX Caracas II Investments B.V. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/08/15); and Holcim Limited, Holderfin B.V. and Caricement B.V. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/09/3)
• a Jamaican construction company in an AIA international commercial arbitration with South East Asian contractors
• a German and Peruvian joint venture in an UNCITRAL bilateral investment treaty claim against a South American state
• a number of high profile Russian and American investors in a multi-billion joint venture ICC dispute, governed by English law, seat of arbitration in London
• a major New York Bank in a US$22 billion dispute with the Russian Federal Customs Service, before the Moscow courts
• a leading German infrastructure company in an ICC environmental arbitration with various UK manufacturing companies
• an American manufacturing company in an ICC arbitration governed by Hindu law, seat of arbitration Mumbai
• a number of foreign investors regarding their options following Bolivia’s withdrawal from the ICSID Convention
• a high profile Mexican businessman in proceedings before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights against Mexico
• a major oil company in both ICSID and expert determination proceedings (the latter run in accordance with the ICC Rules of Arbitration), against Bangladesh governed by Bangladeshi law, seat in Washington, D.C.