Dechert Expands Global Arbitration Practice with Washington Hires
August 05, 2015
Global specialist law firm Dechert LLP announced today it has expanded its international arbitration practice with the addition of Arif Hyder Ali and Alexandre de Gramont as partners. Both join the firm from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and will be based in the firm’s Washington, DC office. Ali will serve as co-chair of Dechert’s international arbitration practice with Paris-based Eduardo Silva Romero.
“Our continuously expanding workload, global footprint and the firm’s diverse client base have resulted in a need to add first chair international arbitration trial capabilities, as well as augment our practice with a multi-lingual and multi-cultural group that extends the reach and capabilities of our truly global practice. Arif and Alex are excellent lawyers with an outstanding reputation for their advocacy skills, who have been honored with a myriad of industry recognitions and awards. Their combined decades of international arbitration experience strengthen our team’s deep bench of expertise and ability to handle the largest, most complex disputes confronting businesses and governments throughout the world,” said Silva Romero. “I am particularly pleased to have Arif, a friend for many years, join me as practice co-chair.”
Ali, former co-chair of Weil’s international arbitration practice, represents parties from around the globe in commercial and investment arbitrations relating to a diverse range of industries, including energy, oil and gas, construction, mining, hospitality and Internet governance. He has first-chaired numerous arbitrations, including some of the largest disputes in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, several of which have set important precedents. He publishes extensively on international arbitration and public international law subjects, is a member of the adjunct faculty at Georgetown Law School, and frequently sits as an arbitrator. In recent years, Ali has received several awards for client service – in 2001 he was decorated with the Order of Bahrain for his work on the border dispute between Bahrain and Qatar. His clients include oil and gas majors and independents, mining companies, construction companies, hotel management companies and Internet start-ups.
“I have been tremendously impressed with Dechert’s international arbitration team, specifically its unmatched reputation and performance on behalf of clients across Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The cross-office collaboration of the group is evident, and I am very excited to be part of a firm that is so globally-oriented and join a group that is so entrepreneurial, energetic and ambitious.” Ali said.
Ali is a graduate of Columbia University (B.A., 1986, summa cum laude) and New York University School of Law (J.D., 1990). He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and is a Registered Foreign Lawyer in England and Wales. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and French, and is conversant in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, and Portuguese.
Alexandre de Gramont also joins as partner. He focuses his practice on international commercial arbitration matters as well as investor-state arbitration cases arising from international investment laws, BITs, and multi-lateral treaties (including CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, and the Energy Charter Treaty). He has represented oil and gas and mining companies, Internet entrepreneurs, airlines, hotel management companies, and states and state-owned enterprises in high value, bet-the-company disputes under the arbitral rules of all of the major arbitral institutions. He has published extensively on international arbitration subjects and is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School, where he teaches courses on investor-state arbitration.
“I am delighted to join the international arbitration team at Dechert, which is so talented and dynamic at every level,” said de Gramont. “Dechert’s excellence and global reach are in many ways exemplified by its international arbitration practice. The abilities of the team and the diversity of its experience are second to none, and they are relentlessly client- and quality-focused.”
de Gramont is a graduate of Wesleyan University (B.A., 1986, high honors) and New York University School of Law (J.D., 1990). He is fluent in English and French; he reads Spanish. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New Jersey.
About Dechert
Dechert is a global specialist law firm focused on sectors with the greatest complexities and highest regulatory demands. We deliver practical commercial insight and judgment to our clients' most important matters. Nothing stands in the way of giving clients the best of the firm’s entrepreneurial energy and seamless collaboration in a way that is distinctively Dechert.
“Our continuously expanding workload, global footprint and the firm’s diverse client base have resulted in a need to add first chair international arbitration trial capabilities, as well as augment our practice with a multi-lingual and multi-cultural group that extends the reach and capabilities of our truly global practice. Arif and Alex are excellent lawyers with an outstanding reputation for their advocacy skills, who have been honored with a myriad of industry recognitions and awards. Their combined decades of international arbitration experience strengthen our team’s deep bench of expertise and ability to handle the largest, most complex disputes confronting businesses and governments throughout the world,” said Silva Romero. “I am particularly pleased to have Arif, a friend for many years, join me as practice co-chair.”
Ali, former co-chair of Weil’s international arbitration practice, represents parties from around the globe in commercial and investment arbitrations relating to a diverse range of industries, including energy, oil and gas, construction, mining, hospitality and Internet governance. He has first-chaired numerous arbitrations, including some of the largest disputes in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, several of which have set important precedents. He publishes extensively on international arbitration and public international law subjects, is a member of the adjunct faculty at Georgetown Law School, and frequently sits as an arbitrator. In recent years, Ali has received several awards for client service – in 2001 he was decorated with the Order of Bahrain for his work on the border dispute between Bahrain and Qatar. His clients include oil and gas majors and independents, mining companies, construction companies, hotel management companies and Internet start-ups.
“I have been tremendously impressed with Dechert’s international arbitration team, specifically its unmatched reputation and performance on behalf of clients across Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The cross-office collaboration of the group is evident, and I am very excited to be part of a firm that is so globally-oriented and join a group that is so entrepreneurial, energetic and ambitious.” Ali said.
Ali is a graduate of Columbia University (B.A., 1986, summa cum laude) and New York University School of Law (J.D., 1990). He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and is a Registered Foreign Lawyer in England and Wales. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and French, and is conversant in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, and Portuguese.
Alexandre de Gramont also joins as partner. He focuses his practice on international commercial arbitration matters as well as investor-state arbitration cases arising from international investment laws, BITs, and multi-lateral treaties (including CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, and the Energy Charter Treaty). He has represented oil and gas and mining companies, Internet entrepreneurs, airlines, hotel management companies, and states and state-owned enterprises in high value, bet-the-company disputes under the arbitral rules of all of the major arbitral institutions. He has published extensively on international arbitration subjects and is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School, where he teaches courses on investor-state arbitration.
“I am delighted to join the international arbitration team at Dechert, which is so talented and dynamic at every level,” said de Gramont. “Dechert’s excellence and global reach are in many ways exemplified by its international arbitration practice. The abilities of the team and the diversity of its experience are second to none, and they are relentlessly client- and quality-focused.”
de Gramont is a graduate of Wesleyan University (B.A., 1986, high honors) and New York University School of Law (J.D., 1990). He is fluent in English and French; he reads Spanish. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New Jersey.
About Dechert
Dechert is a global specialist law firm focused on sectors with the greatest complexities and highest regulatory demands. We deliver practical commercial insight and judgment to our clients' most important matters. Nothing stands in the way of giving clients the best of the firm’s entrepreneurial energy and seamless collaboration in a way that is distinctively Dechert.
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