News | 07 June 2023
London Partner hire for LALIVE
LALIVE is delighted to announce the recruitment of Nicholas Lawn as partner in its London office, LALIVE (London) LLP. Nicholas was a partner and head of International Arbitration at Van Bael & Bellis, based in the London Office. He specialises in international commercial arbitration, investment arbitration and public international law and is a Solicitor-Advocate with rights of audience in the Higher Courts of England and Wales.
Nicholas has 20 years of experience advising companies, individuals and governments in relation to international disputes across numerous sectors including telecoms, energy, banking and finance, and pharmaceuticals. His experience spans all the major arbitration rules, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC and LCIA. Prior to joining Van Bael & Bellis in 2021 as partner, Nicholas was Counsel at Skadden, where he worked for 11 years with fellow LALIVE London partner, Genevieve Poirier.
David Kavanagh KC, Head of Skadden’s Europe International Litigation and Arbitration Group, comments: “Having worked with Nick for over a decade, LALIVE have made a great hire. Nick is a superb lawyer, his skills complement those of the existing partnership, and LALIVE provides him with a brilliant platform to build upon.”
Nicholas has played a leading role in some of the largest investment arbitration awards of recent years. Notably, he was a key member of the Skadden team successfully representing Vodafone in its landmark victory against the Republic of India, following the state’s attempts to impose a US$5.5 billion tax liability on Vodafone through retroactive legislation.
Toby Landau KC comments: “Nick is a first-class international lawyer, with extensive experience in public international, investor-state and commercial dispute resolution. He also happens to be a pleasure to work with. I have no doubt that he will flourish at LALIVE.”
Nicholas is ranked as a Next Generation Partner for both International Arbitration and Public International Law by Legal 500 UK 2023. He was also listed in Legal 500’s inaugural International Arbitration Power-list.
Nicholas Lawn comments: “I am very excited to be joining LALIVE’s highly regarded International Arbitration team to continue the growth of the firm’s successful London Office. London is a key centre for cross-border disputes and the London Office – with its dynamic and client-focused team – is an important gateway to assist the firm’s global clients in resolving their most complex international disputes. I am looking forward to getting started.”
Domitille Baizeau, LALIVE Geneva partner and head of the firm’s Management Committee, comments: “We are thrilled that Nicholas is joining our incredibly talented 20-strong London team, currently led by partners Lorraine de Germiny and Genevieve Poirier. Nick’s arrival will further broaden our offering in this important common law market. Since we opened the office nearly five years ago, the London team has worked on over 50 matters, contributing to the overall success of our arbitration practice, described in this year’s GAR 30 as ‘Arbitration Royalty’.”
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