Robert A. de By

Partner, London And Los angeles
Chair, International Arbitration Practice Group

For 25 years Robert de By has successfully represented numerous domestic and international clients in international arbitrations, litigations, and mediations concerning complex cross-border contractual, business, investment and other major multi-jurisdictional disputes. Before joining the Firm, Mr. de By was the Chair of the Global Arbitration Group at Dewey Ballantine, and a partner in its successor firm Dewey & LeBoeuf, one of the world's largest law firms. Prior, he practiced for nearly a decade at Sullivan & Cromwell.

Mr. de By represents companies and multinationals that are leaders in their respective fields of business and industry in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, as well as many leading commercial and investment banks. His clients include financial services, communications, oil, electronics, airline, media, publishing, accounting, insurance, travel, automotive, and manufacturing companies, and industry organizations. Mr. de By has extensive experience with clients located in, and disputes arising from, a wide range of jurisdictions, including the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, The Netherlands Antilles, the Bahamas, Argentina, Ghana, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan and Hong Kong.

His practice centers on complex transactional disputes. The large-scale, high-value arbitrations and litigations he has acted in as counsel involved claims ranging from tens of millions of dollars to well in excess of $10 billion. He has appeared and successfully argued for clients in international arbitrations, including those governed by the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), American Arbitration Association (AAA), and UNCITRAL, arbitration rules. He has also successfully represented clients in court in Europe, the Caribbean, and federal and state courts throughout the U.S.

Mr. de By was educated and has practiced law in both common and civil law jurisdictions. His extensive experience both with disputes covered by substantive common and civil law enables him to effectively communicate with arbitration panels composed of arbitrators from either legal system. Mr. de By also successfully represented numerous clients during trial and at evidentiary, injunctive and appellate court proceedings. His extensive experience ranges from his defense of and the subsequent acquittal he obtained early in his career for a businessman-client on trial for attempted murder to the numerous successful representations of clients in complex, high-value business, contractual, financial, investment and other transnational disputes that are the emphasis of his current practice.

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION AND LITIGATION

• Represented a major European oil company as lead counsel in an UNCITRAL
arbitration against a major Russian oil company in a dispute concerning an oil
supply contract involving claims in excess of $4.5 billion (ranked by The American
Lawyer magazine - Focus Europe Survey as the seventh largest contract arbitration
worldwide)

• Represented a satellite operator and subsidiary of a (former and now privatized)
national phone company as lead counsel in a LCIA arbitration against a leading
aerospace manufacturer in a dispute concerning the manufacture and delivery of
a broadcast satellite involving claims in excess of $200 million

• Represented a sovereign nation in an ICC arbitration and mediation with a
leading foreign telecom operator concerning the operation and ownership of the
nation’s mobile phone network involving claims in excess of $260 million

• Represented a major European oil refinery operator as lead counsel in an UNCITRAL
arbitration against a Swiss selling organization in a dispute concerning an oil
supply and delivery contract involving claims in excess of $1.5 billion (ranked
by The American Lawyer magazine - Focus Europe Survey as the 23rd largest
contract arbitration worldwide)

• Represented a leading European automotive designer and car manufacturer in two
ICC arbitrations against a Japanese car manufacturer in disputes concerning a
car’s design, development and manufacture involving claims with a combined
value in excess on $150 million

• Represented a sovereign nation’s central bank in negotiations with a foreign bank
doing business within its territory

• Represented a big four accounting organization in international/US litigation brought
against it by the trustee appointed by a foreign government to oversee the bankruptcy
of an audited corporation involving claims in excess of $10 billion

• Represented one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers in simultaneous
multi-jurisdictional US and European litigations against an international media
company in a dispute concerning the acquisition of a majority interest in the
company involving total claims in excess of $10 billion

• Represented one of Europe’s largest commercial banks and its investment banking
subsidiary in simultaneous multi-jurisdictional US and European litigations against
a U.S.-based multi-national corporation in a dispute concerning financing of the
acquisition of the corporation’s European subsidiary and subsequent sale of same
involving total claims in excess of $600 million

Phone: +44.20.3328.9010 (UK)
+1.626.638.1762 (US)
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33 St. James's Square
London SW1Y 4JS
United Kingdom

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