Arbitration Committee
Arbitration Committee
The British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre (BVI IAC), an independent not-for-profit institution serving the demands for dispute resolution in the international business community, announced the constitution of its Arbitration Committee per Annex D of the 2021 BVI IAC Arbitration Rules on 2 May 2022.
The 20-member committee represents five different regions of the globe: Caribbean, Americas, Europe, Africa & Middle East, and Asia, complementing the skillset and diversity of the BVI International Arbitration Centre Panel. The committee key roles include providing recommendation of arbitrators for appointment, deciding on challenges of arbitrators and requests for joinder and consolidation. The Arbitration Committee will oversee the consistent application of the 2021 BVI IAC Arbitration Rules.
Dancia Penn OBE KC
PRESIDENT
Dancia is a lawyer and Alternate Dispute Resolution Practitioner in active practice. She is a British Citizen and is a former Attorney General of The Virgin Islands (“BVI”). She became Queen’s Counsel in 1996. Her legal experience includes contentious and non-contentious matters in corporate and commercial law including financial services, insolvency, dispute resolution, employment, hospitality and regulatory matters as well as a wide range of other areas of private law, including trusts and estates, and public law. Dancia regularly advises and assists clients in BVI and globally on matters of BVI law. She represents clients in major commercial disputes and has appeared in the Courts at all levels including Her Majesty’s Privy Council. She has the right of audience in all nine Member States of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and was called to the Bar of Barbados in 1999. Dancia accepts appointments as an Arbitrator and is a qualified Mediator on The Roster of Mediators of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. She regularly sits as a Sole Arbitrator, Chair or Member of various Arbitration and Ad Hoc Tribunals, and also represents parties before them. Dancia is currently a Judge of The Caribbean Community Administrative Tribunal (CCAT). Judges sit on an Ad Hoc basis. Dancia is a member of The Panels of Distinguished Neutrals of The International Institute For Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) and is an Arbitrator on its Global Panel which is CPR’s general commercial panel, which is divided regionally. She is also on the Panel of Neutrals of The Jamaica International Arbitration Centre Ltd. ( the JAIC), and is listed to serve in Arbitration, Mediation, Neutral Evaluation, and Facilitated Contract Re- Negotiation. Dancia is a member of Abritrators@33BedfordRow, London and Arbitration Place in Toronto. She is also Co-Founder of Caribbean Arbitrators in BVI and is on the Roster of Arbitrators of The BVI International Arbitration Center and is a Founding Member of its Support Group. She is Vice President of the recently established BVI IAC Committee. Dancia is an appointed Arbitrator on the Labour Arbitration Tribunal of The Virgin Islands and is regularly chosen as a party representative on that and other Tribunals. Dancia is a Member of the Council of The Commonwealth Lawyers Association, and Co-Chair of The Sub – Committee of the Campaign For Greener Arbitrations in The Caribbean. Dancia typifies diversity in arbitration in terms of gender, race and geography. She is well regarded for her broad experience and expertise, her known competence, her balance, equanimity, cultural sensitivities, integrity and fairness. Among other distinguished awards, Dancia has been recognized as a Caribbean Luminary by The American Foundation of The University of The West Indies in New York. Dancia has the unique distinction of having served at the highest levels in all three branches of Government – Executive, Legislative and Judicial, and of working prominently in the private sector of the legal profession and Alternate Dispute Resolution in The Virgin Islands, and beyond.
Thomas Granier
VICE PRESIDENT
Thomas Granier is a vice-president of the BVI IAC and Counsel at ASAFO & Co. As a French attorney, he has a decade experience of representing clients and acting as co-counsel in arbitrations and related court proceedings (including multi-jurisdictional enforcement of awards) in the energy, environment, new technologies, infrastructure, construction, defence, pharmaceutical, mining, and distribution sectors, including in the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and North Eastern Asia. Thomas Granier has also been repeatedly appointed as arbitrator under the arbitration rules of the ICC, the DIS, Delos Dispute Resolution and in ad hoc arbitrations. Thomas Granier is fluent in English, French and German. He has been repeatedly recognised as a “rising star” by Legal 500 and as an arbitration leader in France by WWL, where he is singled out as “a leader of his generation who has quickly become a reference for arbitration involving Africa”, having “significant experience in resolving energy disputes”. Prior to joining ASAFO &Co., Mr Granier was an attorney at McDermott Will & Emery in Paris, and previously served as counsel for the Africa, Middle-East and Europe Team at the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris, after having acted as deputy counsel for the Germany, Switzerland, and Austria Team.
Christine Artero
VICE PRESIDENT
Christine is a full-time arbitrator with The Arbitration Chambers (Singapore) and Fountain Court Chambers (London and Singapore). She is educated in both the civil law and the common law traditions, and she is admitted to the Paris Bar and as a solicitor in England and Wales. Christine is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators. Christine has served as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator and presiding arbitrator in arbitrations administered by (in alphabetical order) the AIAC, HKIAC, ICC, JCAA, KCAB, LCIA, PCA and SIAC, as well as in ad hoc arbitrations. She has also acted as sole arbitrator in expedited and fast[1]track proceedings and is on the panel of numerous arbitral institutions. Her experience spans a broad range of commercial disputes, including joint venture and shareholder disputes, fraud cases, construction and infrastructure projects, shipping, shipbuilding, heavy machinery manufacturing, agency and distributorship agreements, hotel services, employment, sale of goods and general contractual disputes. Christine has been appointed as arbitrator in cases seated in Hanoi, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mexico, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo, and she has heard cases governed by the laws of Cambodia, England & Wales, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New York, Singapore and Taiwan, as well as cases under the UNIDROIT Principles and the CISG. She has also handled conflict of law and jurisdictional issues, concurrent and consolidated cases, joinders, disputes involving multiple contracts and applicable laws, summary dismissal applications and security for costs applications. Prior to launching her career as independent arbitrator, Christine worked in private practice, at Shearman & Sterling; as counsel at the LCIA, where she oversaw the administration of over 200 arbitrations; and as tribunal secretary to over 80 arbitral tribunals at The Arbitration Chambers. As adjunct professor, Christine teaches International Arbitration at the University of Toulouse 1 (France), and regularly lectures at other leading universities (ESSEC Business School, NUS, Sorbonne-Assas International Law School)
Prof. Albert Fiadjoe
MEMBER
ALBERT K. FIADJOE is a Council Member of the Ghana Association of Restructuring and Insolvency Advisors (GARIA), Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, an International Legal Consultant, a domestic and international arbitrator, Emeritus Professor of Public Law and formerly Dean, Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies. He holds the degrees of LL.B (Hons.) (Ghana), LL.M and Ph. D (London) with Four (4) Certificates in Mediation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, International Arbitration and the Rights and Obligations of the World Trade Organization, all from the International Law Institute, Washington DC. His published works include Two (2) text books in Public Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution together with over fifty articles in internationally refereed journals. He is also a joint author of Telford Georges: A Legal Odyssey. Prof. Fiadjoe was Chairman of the Constitution Review Commission of Ghana, 2010 – 2012, formerly Chairman of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, the First Chairman of the Ghana Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Member of the Ghana Bar Association and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). He is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana with fifty-four (54) years of legal practice under his belt, a Notary Public and a Domestic and International Arbitrator. He is a member of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and was once a close associate of Prof. Martin Hunter (now deceased), one of the founding fathers of modern international arbitration, on a number of arbitrations. Prof Fiadjoe has also worked closely with the Ghana Arbitration Center in conducting training workshops in domestic and international arbitrations and has also been involved with adjudication in local arbitrations either as Chairman or Member of the Tribunal. Until December 2017, he was the Chairman of the Education Committee of the Ghana Arbitration Centre focusing on training in arbitration practice.
Angeline Welsh
MEMBER
Angeline is a commercial litigator with over 15 years of experience and specific expertise in international arbitration. She has appeared (unled) before the English Commercial Court, the English Court of Appeal and conducted substantial advocacy before both commercial and investment treaty arbitral tribunals. She has also appeared (led) before the Supreme Court and the Privy Council, as well as various courts in the Caribbean. In addition, Angeline has substantial experience in handling cases involving issues of public law, constitutional law and human rights law. Prior to being called to the English Bar in 2015, Angeline was Counsel and Solicitor Advocate with a major international law firm. She has litigated a broad range of commercial disputes, including those in the energy, telecoms, financial, construction, manufacturing and shipping sectors, before the English courts, courts in the commonwealth and arbitral tribunals under the LCIA, HKIAC, ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL and BVI IAC rules. Angeline also regularly sits as arbitrator. In 2021, Angeline was named International Arbitration Junior of the Year by Chambers and Partners and was recognised as a Global Leader for Arbitration by Who’s Who Legal. She is described in Chambers 2020 (UK and Global) as having an “impressive mastery of the details of the case and of technical legal arguments” as well as “[e]xtremely hands-on, approachable and a real team player.” Angeline was previously named as a ‘Star at the Bar’ by Legal Week in recognition of her “excellent judgement and leadership qualities” and not being frightened to tackle novel and difficult areas of law, or “to deal head-on with the more complicated aspects of a case”.
Apoorva J. Patel
MEMBER
Apoorva Patel is a Vice President at Burford Capital and is based in Washington, DC. Apoorva is responsible for assessing, structuring, and providing oversight on Burford’s investments in high-value international arbitration matters. Apoorva was previously a litigator at leading global law firms, most recently as Counsel in WilmerHale’s international arbitration and international litigation practices. His practice spanned every stage of complex commercial and investment treaty arbitration proceedings worldwide, court proceedings relating to the enforcement or challenge of arbitration agreements and arbitral awards, and a range of disputes involving foreign sovereigns and their instrumentalities. Apoorva writes and speaks regularly on topics of international arbitration law and practice and serves in leadership roles in several global and national lawyers’ organizations focused on international dispute resolution. Apoorva graduated from Harvard Law School, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, a leading journal on legal dispute resolution. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in public policy from Duke University, where he graduated magna cum laude.
Bertha Cooper-Rousseau
MEMBER
Based in The Bahamas, Bertha Cooper-Rousseau, who acts as arbitrator in international disputes, is the Managing Partner of Rousseau & Cooper Law Firm and a Door Tenant of 3 Hare Court in London, England. She has advised on a broad range of complex commercial matters as counsel for a company of a leading Swiss bank. Bertha is widely recognized as one of The Bahamas’ leading pioneers for developing the legislative infrastructure for international arbitration and commercial mediation. She is a former Director of The Bahamas Maritime Authority and Consultant to the Government of The Bahamas on international arbitration development. Bertha is also responsible for launching Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Committee focused on building capacity for professionals and the judiciary in The Bahamas in collaboration with leading international institutions such as the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes and the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. She is the founding Chair of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Bahamas Branch. Having been appointed by the Government of The Bahamas to serve on the Panel of Arbitrators and of Conciliators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, Bertha has served on numerous committees for annulment proceedings arising between States and investors in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. She is also on the panels of several notable international arbitration and mediation institutions. Bertha is a Bencher of The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Botswana Institute of Arbitrators, and Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators. Bertha studied French at the Sorbonne and attained her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in International Relations at L’Institut Libre d’Étude des Relations Internationales et des Sciences Politiques in Paris, France. Thereafter, she studied maritime law at Université de Bretagne Occidentale in Brest, France. Bertha obtained her Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of London in England. She is presently the Honourary Counsel for the Republic of Botswana in The Bahamas.
Christian Albanesi
MEMBER
Christian has acted as counsel and arbitrator in some of the most complex international arbitrations in Latin America (ICC, ICSID, LCIA, PCA, AAA, UNCITRAL, Lima Chamber of Commerce, AMCHAM Peru, Bogota Chamber of Commerce, DAB proceedings). He also advises clients regularly in compliance investigations or other major crisis. Christian draws on his prior experience at the ICC International Court of Arbitration where, in his position as Managing Counsel, he supervised the nine case management teams of the ICC Secretariat to ensure uniformity of practices and decisions of the Court. He previously held the position of Counsel in charge of the Latin America, Spain and Portugal case management team where he oversaw hundreds of cases pending under the ICC Rules from filing through scrutiny and notification of awards. Christian is recognised by Chambers & Partners in the category of International Counsel in International Arbitration for Latin America-wide. He is also recognized as a “Recommended Global Leader” by Who’s Who Legal Arbitration 2022 and has been consistently recognised as one of the “most highly regarded individuals” in international arbitration under 45, in the Who’s Who Legal Arbitration – Future Leaders 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Emilia Onyema
MEMBER
Emilia Onyema is a Professor of International Commercial Law at SOAS University of London where she teaches international commercial arbitration, international investment law and commercial law in a global context. She is qualified to practice law in Nigeria, as a Solicitor in England & Wales, Fellow of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and independent arbitrator. She is a member of the Cairo Regional CICA Advisory Committee, LACIAC Court member, among others. She convenes the SOAS Arbitration in Africa conference series and leads the SOAS Arbitration in Africa biennial survey research project; she co-authored the African Promise and founded the Arbitration Fund for African Students (AFAS) a registered charitable organisation in England. Her research interests focus on the development of international arbitration in Africa and the engagement of Africans in international arbitration. She publishes widely in her areas of expertise. She has experience as presiding, co and sole arbitrator, and acts as legal expert witness in international arbitration.
Funke Adekoya
MEMBER
Funke Adekoya is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who practices as an independent arbitrator and litigation consultant in Lagos Nigeria. She is a Chartered Arbitrator of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a past Vice President and current Governing Board Member of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration. She has expertise in resolving disputes in the energy and natural resources, construction and commercial contract sectors and is ranked in Chambers Global and in Who’s Who Legal Arbitration. She has been appointed as sole, party appointed and chair of the panel in disputes administered by the ICC and the LCIA and is also listed on the Chairman’s Panel of Arbitrators at ICSID from where she has been appointed as arbitrator and annulment committee member in investment contract and BIT disputes. She is also listed on the panels of many other international arbitration institutions and is currently a member of the ICC Nigeria National Committee and the ICC Africa Commission.
Dr. Jane Fedotova
MEMBER
Dr. Jane (Jevgenija) Fedotova, being a solicitor with higher rights of audience qualified in both common law and civil jurisdictions, is an Associate in the Litigation & Restructuring Department of Conyers Dill & Pearman in the British Virgin Islands and an associate lecturer at the Queen Mary University London where she teaches investment arbitration course being part of the LLM online programme. Jane’s academic interests focus on urgent interim measures, she has successfully defended her thesis entitled: “The Concept of the Emergency Arbitrator: Is It a Novelty? Meaning of “Emergency”, Legal Framework, Standards and Enforcement of the Emergency Relief” and was awarded the Queen Mary University of London degree of PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). Her practice in the BVI covers a wide range of commercial, insolvency and arbitration matters often involving issues pertaining to asset tracing. Jane has advised clients arbitrating under the LCIA, ICC, SIAC, BVI IAC and CIETAC Rules. Jane often advises clients on court interim measures, including appointment of receivers, in support of on-going complex and high value arbitration proceedings and foreign litigation, and assist clients with enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign judgments in the BVI. Prior to joining Conyers, Jane practiced law in London in a major international law firm and was seconded to serve as counsel for the London Court of International Arbitration. Jane’s recent arbitration experience includes acting for a company in the BVI IAC multimillion arbitration relating to a construction dispute; acting for a BVI company in relation to an application seeking appointment of liquidators based on unpaid multimillion LCIA arbitration award; and obtaining a mandatory injunction order to appoint a director over BVI companies and provide documents for inspection in support of the LCIA multi-million arbitration relating inter alia to a default under a loan agreement and a major shareholders’ fallout. Jane often speaks at the conferences and writes articles on arbitration matters. Her recent public speaking engagements and articles covered issues arising in liquidation matters that raise complex issues of interrelationship of arbitration and insolvency proceedings, and issues arising at the stage of enforcement of investment treaty awards. Jane completed her undergraduate degree in law at the Lomonosov Moscow State University and obtained LLM degree at the University College London. Jane is a member of the BVI Arbitration Group, a member of the executive committee of RCAN and is a founding member of the BVI Crypto Legal Club. Jane has been recognised in the 2021 edition of Legal 500 and in the 2020 edition (and 2019) of Global Restructuring Review 100.
Dr. Karim Youssef
MEMBER
Dr. Karim A. Youssef is founder of Youssef & Partners, a Global Arbitration Review (GAR) 100 law firm, and a regional leader in dispute resolution. Karim leads the international arbitration and international law practices at the Firm. His practice focuses on commercial arbitration, investment treaty arbitration, complex high-value disputes, and international law, and is world-renowned in these fields. Karim represents key Egyptian and regional clients and some of the world’s most significant global corporations in high-profile local, regional, and purely international disputes. His expertise in large-value and complex claims is unmatched among MENA practitioners: Karim has featured and continues to feature as counsel or arbitrator in some of the highest-profile and largest commercial and investment treaty claims in the region. He also spends part of his time giving strategic advice to some of the region’s most significant corporations across a wide array of key industries and sectors; and heads the firm’s high net-worth individuals’ practice. Karim has received some of the highest distinctions by peers and clients. Among others, he has been described as “a leading light in international arbitration” (Legal 500, 2018) and “the number one arbitration lawyer in Egypt” (Chambers Global Guide, 2021). He has an impressive, region-spanning practice which sees him represent international companies in investment treaty disputes and other arbitration claims against state entities. With expertise in international law, he frequently represents clients in multibillion-dollar arbitrations seated around the world. He has further been praised for his “excellent analytical skills” and described as a “leading counsel in the MENA region” (Who’s Who Legal, 2019).
Katharine Menendez de la Cuesta
MEMBER
Katharine Menéndez de la Cuesta is a Miami-based Partner with the law firm Holland & Knight LLP who handles international disputes. Clients rely on her experience to represent them in international arbitration proceedings in English and Spanish, and in litigation matters before U.S. federal and state courts in New York and Florida. Ms. Menéndez has handled international arbitrations applying the laws of New York, Florida, Illinois, Spain, France, U.K., Namibia, Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Guatemala, among other jurisdictions, and administered by the main arbitral institutions, such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). She has acted as Administrative Secretary of arbitral tribunals, and was a representative for North America of the ICC’s Young Arbitrators Forum (YAF) for its 2019-2021 mandate. Her background includes practicing international arbitration and litigation at a leading Spanish law firm for several years. She remains licensed in Spain, where she argued cases before Spanish courts concerning commercial matters. She is admitted to practice in Florida, New York and Spain. Ms. Menéndez has lectured on advocacy and legal skills at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE), Universidad Europea in Madrid, University of Miami School of Law and Florida International University (FIU), as well as presented seminars about advocacy skills in Latin America.
Loretta Malintoppi
MEMBER
Loretta Malintoppi is an independent arbitrator with 39 Essex Chambers, based in Singapore. Loretta is dually qualified (Paris and Rome Bars) and specializes in international commercial arbitration, investment arbitration and public international law. She sits as arbitrator in proceedings under a variety of arbitration rules, including ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL, SCC, SIAC, LCIA and DIAC. Loretta also appears as counsel and advocate in State-to-State disputes before the International Court of Justice and in ad hoc arbitrations. She is a past member and a Vice-President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. She currently sits on the Governing Board of ICCA and has been appointed a vice-President of ICCA as of April 2022. Loretta was appointed to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators by the Chairman of the World Bank. She is also a member of the Council of the ICC Institute of World Business Law, of the Council of the Milan Chamber of Arbitration (“CAM”), of the Arbitration Committee of the British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Center (“BVI IAC”) and the International Arbitration Committee of the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (“KCAB International”). Loretta is one of the co-authors of the second edition of The ICSID Convention – A Commentary published by Cambridge University Press in 2009 and one of the editors/authors of the 3d edition due to be published in the course of 2022. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals, editor of the International Litigation in Practice Series, and a member of the editorial advisory board of the Journal of World Investment and Trade. Apart from her native Italian, Loretta is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
Maria Irene Perruccio
MEMBER
Maria Irene is a double qualified lawyer (in Milan, Italy and Paris, France), and she currently holds the position of Head of International Affairs for Europe and Americas of Webuild S.p.A. (former Salini Impregilo S.p.A.). She previously worked as Deputy Counsel of the Swiss-Italian Team of the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. Before that, she was working in the International Arbitration department of White&Case LLP, in Paris, where she specialized in international arbitration and litigation in the areas of energy (mainly oil & gas) and construction. She regularly speaks at conferences on construction contracts and construction disputes matters, and regularly lectures at Paris I University and Turin University. She graduated in law&economics at Bocconi University and specialized in international litigation; she also spent one semester as Erasmus student in Paris XII. She hold a master degree from Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (Madrid, Spain), and the first level certification at the Ecole de Droit International Comparé (in Strasbourg). She participated as member of the Bocconi team and oralist in the C Vis Moot in 2011, and supports the competition since then, having served as coach and arbitrator both in Vienna and in a number of Pre-Moots afterwards. She is co-founder and vice-president of YPCP (Young Practitioners of Construction in Paris), co-founder and former co-chair of AIA-ArbIt-below40 (the Italian below-40 association for arbitration), member of the In-House focus group of ICC YAF, member of Young ICCA, ICDR Y&I, and PVYAP.
Peter Ferrer
MEMBER
Peter Ferrer is co-head of Harneys global Litigation, Insolvency and Restructuring team. Peter was called to the English Bar in 1998 and practiced at Quadrant Chambers, London from 1999 to 2016. He was called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands in 2016. He has extensive experience of acting as counsel under a variety of arbitral rules including BVI IAC, ICC, LCIA, LMAA and UNCITRAL. Peter acts on behalf of institutions, companies, corporate entities and high net worth individuals. His experience includes shareholder actions, fraud claims, hedge fund disputes, crypto disputes, insolvency and restructuring matters. He has extensive experience in arbitration enforcement proceedings including tracing actions in multiple jurisdictions. While at the English Bar he appeared at every level including the English Court of Appeal and the United Kingdom Supreme Court in relation to arbitration appeals. He has been involved some of the leading British Virgin Islands cases involving arbitration. He is consistently recommended in the Legal Directories as being a leading individual and described as “capable and commercially minded”. He sits on the BVI Commercial Court Users committee, the BVI Civil Procedure Rules Steering Committee and acts as the CIArb BVI Chapter Vice Chair. Peter is fluent in German, Polish and Italian.
Sherlin Tung
MEMBER
Sherlin is a partner in the international arbitration and litigation team based in Withers’ Hong Kong office. She is a specialist in cross-border corporate and commercial disputes (with a particular focus on joint-venture and shareholder disputes, pharmaceutical disputes, commodities disputes, and general commercial disputes), international commercial arbitration, international contracts (notably the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods “CISG”), and multi-jurisdiction litigations. Sherlin acts as counsel, sits as an arbitrator, and also acts as an expert on international arbitration procedures. With over a dozen years of experience, Sherlin has advised clients worldwide, specifically in the Americas, Europe, and APAC region, on all phases and aspects of international arbitrations and cross-border litigations. Prior to joining Withers, Sherlin worked with a leading international law firm in its Hong Kong office where she was a member of the international disputes practice group. She started her international disputes career by working with a leading independent arbitrator, Dr. Pierre A. Karrer, where she was based in Switzerland and acted as tribunal secretary for a significant number of complex, international commercial disputes. She also assisted Dr. Karrer with expert legal opinions. Thereafter, Sherlin worked for the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration where she managed over 300 international arbitration matters in both Hong Kong and New York, the latter of which she was a founding member of the case management office. Sherlin also worked in-house with a publicly listed international conglomerate where she was the lead international legal counsel in the group’s various M&A transactions as well as for their international litigation and arbitration disputes. Sherlin regularly speaks in conferences as well as gives lectures and trainings worldwide on international arbitration, trade law, and cross-border disputes. She is a strong advocate of international arbitration and trade law and she constantly gives back to the community. Amongst her various roles in the international arbitration community, Sherlin is the Deputy Director of the Vis East Moot Foundation, a member of the Willem C. Vis Moot Board of Directors, and President of the Moot Alumni Association. She is a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong and is qualified to practice law in New York and California. Sherlin is native in Mandarin Chinese and English and is proficient in Spanish and conversational in German (A2).
Tana'Ania Small Davis KC
MEMBER
Tana’ania is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica. She has over twenty five (25) years in practice having been admitted in Jamaica, British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Anguilla. Tana’ania main practice areas are Commercial Litigation, Insolvency and International and Domestic Arbitration. She has considerable experience in preparing and conducting complex multi-jurisdictional litigation and arbitration in the areas of shareholders’ disputes, breach of contracts, and asset tracing and recovery which often involves urgent interim relief by way of freezing orders, orders for disclosure of documents and information, search and seizure orders and injunctions. Tana’ania is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration and a member of the Bar Associations of Jamaica, Antigua and Anguilla and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and the Recovery and Insolvency Specialists Association (BVI) and the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals (INSOL), the world-wide federation of national associations for accountants and lawyers who specialise in turnaround and insolvency. She is a partner at Livingston, Alexander & Levy, Attorneys-at Law in Kingston Jamaica, the oldest law firm in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
Timur Aitkulov
MEMBER
Timur was a partner of Clifford Chance for about 15 years, where he headed the dispute resolution practice of the Moscow office. He specializes in international arbitration, domestic and cross-border litigation, administrative proceedings and white-collar criminal matters. For more than 25 years he has been representing clients in the Russian courts at all levels, including before the Russian Supreme Court and Constitutional Court, and in international commercial arbitrations (ICAC at the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SCC, ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules). Timur has acted as counsel/arbitrator in international arbitral proceedings and in litigation in the areas of M&A, construction, shipbuilding, oil and gas, nuclear energy, mining, financial services, as well as in IP disputes. Timur has extensive experience handling construction, corporate, antitrust and bankruptcy disputes, and in disputes in the oil and gas, energy, mining, pharmaceuticals, intellectual property and financial sectors. Timur is recognized as one the leading Dispute Resolution lawyers in Russia by the international legal directories Chambers Global, Chambers Europe and Legal 500. Timur is a Member of the Moscow Bar; Member of the Board of the Russian Arbitration Association (RAA); Member of the Presidium of the Russian Arbitration Center at the Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration; Member of BVI IAC Arbitration Committee; Member of the SIAC Users Council; Member of ICC Russia; Member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court of Arbitration (2015 – 2021).
Victor Bonnin Reynes
MEMBER
Victor Bonnin is an arbitration lawyer qualified in Spain and a qualified solicitor in England and Wales. Additionally, he also holds a law degree on Swiss law and a Master in Business Law from the University of Geneva. Currently, Victor is the Secretary General of the Spanish Club of Arbitration. Victor is currently sitting as arbitrator. He has acted in more than 35 cases as coarbitrator, chair or sole arbitrator under the rules of institutions such as the ICC, LCIA, HKIAC, Swiss Center, the Madrid Court of Arbitration, the Spanish Court of arbitration, Amcham Peru, etc. with seat in Madrid, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, London, Hong Kong, Casablanca, or Lima and conducted in Spanish, English, French or Portuguese languages. Before founding his own arbitration practice, Victor was a senior associate of the Madrid and London offices of Allen & Overy. There, he represented foreign investors in several investment proceedings in the renewable sector. Previously, Victor was a senior associate at the arbitration department of the Spanish law firm, Garrigues. During that period, he worked at the New York office of Skadden Arps as visiting attorney. He has a vast experience in commercial, investment and sports arbitration in ad hoc and institutional arbitral proceedings. He has been listed in international rankings such as Chambers: Most in Demand Arbitrators (2020 to 2022), and Who’s Who Under 45 Future Arbitration Leaders and Who’s Who Global. In 2020, 2021 and 2022 he has also been ranked in and in League: Spain’s Best Arbitrators. He has also written numerous articles on arbitration law, participates frequently in arbitration congresses and seminars as speaker and collaborates with universities in arbitration related courses. In 2020 he has co-coordinated the Spanish Arbitration Handbook (Memento Lefebvre).
