Ouday Al Barazi
Ouday advises clients in commercial disputes before state courts and arbitral tribunals.
Ouday's practice focuses on commercial litigation and international arbitration. He represents a diverse portfolio of clients across key industry sectors—including banking, energy, manufacturing, insurance and reinsurance, and construction—in the context of French and international disputes.
Ouday regularly acts in complex disputes involving, among others, large-scale investments, post-M&A transactions, insolvency proceedings, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards. In addition to his work in international arbitration (ICC, CEPANI, ad hoc, etc.), he appears before all French civil and commercial courts and frequently handles disputes arising in OHADA countries, both before local courts and the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration (CCJA).
A dual national of France and Syria, Ouday is fluent in French, English, and Arabic, enabling him to serve clients across jurisdictions with cultural and linguistic agility. Before joining Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Ouday gained valuable professional experience in France, the United Arab Emirates, and Luxembourg, enriching his international perspective and cross-border legal insight.
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
- a reinsurance company in a complex shareholders’ dispute related to an investment in West Africa, involving two parallel arbitration proceedings (ICC and CACI) and associated judicial proceedings in France and Côte d’Ivoire
- a company in relation to multiple applications for pre-trial evidence and follow-on damages actions brought before the French courts following a decision by the Competition Authority
- a telecommunications company in the Middle East in an ICC arbitration regarding the payment of invoices issued under a services agreement
- an oil and gas company in multiple judicial proceedings in Cameroon, involving summary decisions (référés), provisional attachments, and enforcement actions
- a manufacturing company in a post-acquisition dispute involving an expert determination procedure and a CEPANI arbitration concerning a price adjustment
Background
Ouday holds postgraduate degrees in Business Law from the University of Rennes, France (DJCE), and the University of Exeter, UK (LLM.in International Business Law). He further enhanced his academic background with a certificate in Domestic and International Business Disputes from the University of Montpellier, France. Ouday qualified as a French Avocat in 2018 and has been registered with the Paris Bar since January 2019.
