International transactions and investment are the cornerstone of today’s global marketplace. Effective enforcement, and defense, of the parties’ rights and obligations in these matters is critical. When disputes arise, international arbitration is the primary method to resolve them. SGR’s attorneys specialize in advising clients involved in cross-border business transactions and investment regarding the dispute resolution options available to them. When those disputes go to arbitration or mediation, we represent our clients in those proceedings, as well as any subsequent award enforcement or defense proceedings.

SGR’s attorneys have broad experience advising and representing clients in arbitral proceedings around the world, and have particularly significant experience representing clients in arbitrations seated in North America, Europe, and Asia. SGR’s seasoned practitioners have successfully represented clients in numerous international arbitrations, as well as arbitration agreement, award enforcement, and defense proceedings in the United States and abroad. They have represented clients in disputes before various international arbitral institutions, including, for example, the International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration, the American Arbitration Association’s International Centre for Dispute Resolution, the London Court of International Arbitration, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Institute, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and the Qatar International Centre for Conciliation and Arbitration. SGR’s attorneys also have significant experience representing clients in cross-border investment disputes at the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

When it comes to international dispute resolution, SGR provides its clients with legal advice and representation from the contract formation or investment phase, through any arbitration or other dispute resolution proceeding, all the way to award enforcement or defense. From the outset, the firm’s international arbitration and dispute resolution lawyers work together with their corporate law colleagues to advise clients during the contract drafting phase, long before any potential dispute has arisen. While no business likes to consider the possibility of potential disputes when entering into a relationship with a prospective business partner, properly doing so at the outset places SGR’s clients in the best possible position should disagreements later arise. In this regard, SGR’s attorneys advise and make recommendations on various issues that businesses should consider in an arbitration or forum selection agreement. For example, SGR’s international disputes lawyers help the firm’s clients identify the jurisdictions and legal principles that are likely to be relevant to a possible dispute, including considerations relevant to enforcement, and the advantages and disadvantages of selecting various arbitral institutions, arbitral seats, and governing law.

Efficient and cost-effective resolution of business disputes is a hallmark of the arbitration process. The firm’s international arbitration attorneys draw upon their experience and expertise to achieve those objectives in international disputes, helping SGR’s clients resolve their international disputes in a timely and cost-effective manner. For example, SGR’s international arbitration lawyers consider specific arbitrators’ reputations for expeditiously (or belatedly) resolving disputes, and how adopting particular procedural provisions or rules, such as the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Commercial Arbitration, can streamline resolution of the dispute.

SGR’s international arbitration and disputes attorneys have represented clients in various sectors, including construction, aviation, renewable energy, pharmaceutical, intellectual property, automotive, nuclear power, insurance, oil and gas, and mining. In addition, they have particularly extensive experience and expertise in international reinsurance arbitrations, representing domestic and international ceding companies and reinsurers in proceedings in the United States and abroad. SGR draws on the experience of its lawyers in a myriad of disciplines to advise and represent clients in a broad range of legal matters, including antitrust, mergers and acquisitions, distribution, contract and commercial, intellectual property and real estate matters.

International Network

SGR is a member of TerraLex and The Bridge Group, which further supports our international representation capabilities.

• TerraLex is an association whose mission is to help member firms serve their clients’ legal needs and business interests through a worldwide network of quality law firms that meet high professional standards.
• The Bridge Group is a network of outstanding regional law firms in the United States and Europe that assist one another to serve client needs within member firm locations and specialized practice areas.