Christian Leathley
Christian has over 25 years' experience focusing on international commercial and investment arbitration and is the Head of our Latin America Group, dedicating much of his practice to our clients' interests in Central and South America.
Christian represents corporations and sovereign states across all major industry sectors, and in particular energy (oil & gas, power), mining, engineering, technology, construction, sports and telecommunications. He heads our Latin America Group and jointly heads our Public International Law team.
Christian is recognised as an accomplished advocate and regularly appears before international arbitral tribunals, such as the ICC, LCIA, ICSID, AAA (ICDR) and UNCITRAL. One source describes him as "very responsive, available and diligent," and another adds, "He is amazing in cross-examinations and orally in general. I'm really impressed with him." He has unique insight to evolving fields of international arbitration, such as his work for a Supermajor oil company in the defense of a sham 'arbitration' for US$18 billion, and successfully prosecuting the first match fixing case in tennis before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Christian has particular knowledge of the practice of public international law, having successfully represented the Kingdom of Spain, Republic of Costa Rica and other sovereign states, as well as gaining experience at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Washington, DC. He sits as Co-Chair of the firm's Public International Law Group, with a focus on ESG – having advised multiple clients across the energy and mining sector in Latin America. Chambers Latin America notes that he "is held in high esteem by clients who note 'He's obviously very used to the area and very knowledgeable, so he has a wealth of information at hand.'" Legal 500 Latin America reports the 'business- and solution-oriented'.
Christian is recognised as Band 1 (US International Arbitration: Enforcement, International Arbitration: Counsel) and Band 2 (US and Latin America: International Arbitration) by Chambers and Partners and ranked as a "Leading Lawyer" by The Legal 500 (US and Latin America).
Accolades
"Christian Leathley is an extraordinary lawyer, who performs extremely well in submitting arguments to the tribunal and organising all the proper documents needed by the tribunal. One other aspect is empathy. Christian’s attitude is not only intelligent in his presentations, but also courteous towards the tribunal and other parties."
Legal 500 UK 2025: International Arbitration
"Very responsive, available and diligent… he is amazing in cross-examinations and orally in general. I'm really impressed with him."
Legal 500 UK 2025: International Arbitration
"Christian is a real asset for everything we work on."
Chambers USA 2024: International Arbitration: Enforcement, International Arbitration: Counsel
"I am incredibly impressed by his ability to get to the practical issues that we are facing both legally and commercially. He is a great asset when dealing with complex matters."
Chambers USA 2024: International Arbitration: Enforcement, International Arbitration: Counsel
"Christian has great intellect, is strategic, thoughtful and timely, and is all-around a great person to work with."
Chambers USA 2023
"He brings his international experience to the table, takes into consideration local characteristics of the market and is always available."
"Christian is very responsive, understands the tasks and is mindful of what the business needs."
"Christian Leathley enjoys acclaim for his longstanding experience handling the full gamut of international arbitration mandates. Lauding his work, interviewees describe his service as 'stunning', going on to say: 'He was so communicative, he involved us in every decision, and he was very strategic and eager to learn from us and any institution involved. His knowledge of international law is obviously exceptional as well.'"
Chambers USA 2021
"Christian Leathley is praised by sources for being 'a very effective advocate on his feet.' He is experienced in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, with notable experience in Latin America-related matters. One client notes: 'He has a wealth of experience in international arbitration. His writing and speaking skills are impeccable, and his decision-making is very strategic. He is very involved in every step of the case and he is very dedicated and attentive.'"
Chambers Latin America 2021
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
- successfully defending a US Supermajor oil company in a multi-faceted defense of a sham 'arbitration' for US$18 billion
- successfully defending the Republic of Costa Rica in a CAFTA-DR investor-State claim commenced under the UNCITRAL rules for over US$100 million, regarding various environmental claims
- successfully defending the Kingdom of Spain in various Energy Charter Treaty investor-State arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Rules (PV Investors) and SCC Rules (Charanne) in what were the first two cases of this kind
- representing a Supermajor in the pursuit of claims emerging from the LNG sector in the Gulf of Mexico, New York law/seat, ICC Rules
- representing a major Brazilian corporation in an English law/seat arbitration regarding the construction of oil and gas infrastructure, under the UNCITRAL Rules
Background
Christian is fluent in English and Spanish, and is qualified in both England & Wales, and New York. He is the author of the book "International Dispute Resolution in Latin America: An Institutional Overview" (Kluwer Law International), a leading text on the region. He is currently Visiting Professor at Durham University (UK), having also served as Adjunct Professor at NYU School of Law (USA) and Visiting Lecturer at University of Pennsylvania Law School (USA), where he taught international arbitration.
Recognition
Benchmark Litigation
Litigation Stars
Chambers and Partners' Chambers USA
International Arbitration: Enforcement
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