International Arbitration

Global Expertise. Industry Focus. Strategic Results.

Akin has a globally integrated international arbitration team comprised of market-leading individuals with deep-rooted institutional and sector-specific expertise. We focus on high-value, high-profile, complex international arbitrations and enforcement campaigns across key industries, including energy & infrastructure, construction & real estate, financial services, mining & critical minerals and telecom, media & technology (TMT).

Commercially Minded, Business-Critical Dispute Resolution.

Our practitioners are drawn from the highest levels of business, law and academia. We bring a multidisciplinary perspective to international dispute resolution with the goal of resolving business-critical matters efficiently and effectively. The team is multilingual and multicultural, with strong international networks and long-standing relationships with leading arbitral institutions, government agencies and regulatory bodies. This diversity—combined with the strength of our Tier 1 international trade and public policy & lobbying groups—provides clients with unparalleled access to decision-makers worldwide.

Why Clients Choose Akin.

Clients turn to Akin when disputes are complex, strategically sensitive or involve innovative legal or technical issues. Our team—barred in several key jurisdictions—frequently acts as both arbitrators and counsel, performing their own advocacy, and consistently delivers favorable results across a broad spectrum of matters.

We operate as a single, integrated team with seasoned disputes practitioners located in all major arbitration hubs, ensuring that clients receive the right mix of institutional, sector-specific and regional expertise. Our lawyers have successfully handled some of the largest and most complex arbitrations in the world, often involving "bet-the-company" exposures and arbitration-adjacent claims exceeding $1 billion. Reflecting the breadth of our practice, our clients include sovereign governments, state-owned entities, multinational corporations, international investors and financial institutions.

International Commercial Arbitration & Disputes

Our lawyers are recognized thought leaders who have acted on some of the largest and highest-value arbitrations in the world.

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Investment Treaty Arbitration & Disputes

Our practice is an industry standout as we bring to bear the network of relationships gained from decades of negotiating such treaties.

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Enforcement & Arbitration Adjacent Actions

At Akin we design and run a holistic strategy from tribunal to court, focused on leverage, speed, and monetization.

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Experience Across Borders & Industries.

We have conducted arbitrations under the rules of all major arbitral institutions, including the: International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA); International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID); United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL); Swiss Arbitration Centre (SAC); Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC); Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCAC), the predecessor institution of ArbitrateAD; Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC); Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC); Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC); International Centre for Dispute Resolution / American Arbitration Association (ICDR/AAA) and Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services Inc. (JAMS), among others.

Our full-service, interdisciplinary team handles complex international disputes across a wide range of sectors. Read more about our work across these sectors:

The ideal dispute is the one that is prevented, and a key focus at Akin is assisting clients to anticipate and manage risk, design dispute-avoidance frameworks and engage properly in the negotiation and settlement process.

When a dispute cannot be avoided, we move decisively and intentionally to obtain leverage for our clients. Akin is instructed when it counts. We are entrusted with commercial disputes that are of the highest value and reputational importance to our clients, across all transaction-types and sectors.

We act on cases involving complex financial products, M&A deals, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, innovative technologies, professional negligence and fraud, often with claim values upwards of $1 billion, under all major arbitral rules.

We pride ourselves on strategic creativity and a laser focus on the issues that will turn the outcome. The result: practical, business-focused advice delivered efficiently and with purpose.

Representative Matters

Acting for a publicly listed company in ICC arbitral proceedings brought under a guarantee instrument, ultimately obtaining a $1.3 billion award against a major telecommunications provider in the MENA region.
Acting for a publicly listed entity regarding the international enforcement of an ICC arbitral award valued at $1.7 billion, which stemmed from a joint venture dispute relating to the mismanagement of an Iraqi company and the misappropriation of shareholding. This included obtaining the (then) largest freezing order in DIFC Court history. Akin also successfully defended a claim to set aside the same award in both the DIFC Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal.
Acting for the claimant, a Middle Eastern conglomerate, in multiple Lebanese-seated arbitration proceedings against a Lebanese bank in which findings of fraud were made against the bank and a subordination deed was invalidated, giving rise to a subsequent damages claim of $190 million. Akin also assisted with related § 1782 proceedings in the U.S. Courts in which key evidence was obtained.
Acting for one of the largest companies in the Middle East in arbitral proceedings, claiming $100 million in damages arising from the unlawful misappropriation of land in the Middle East, including acting as strategic counsel to coordinate various related proceedings in the onshore courts and advising on potential investor-state claims for denial of justice.
Acting for an investment entity on a sensitive, high-value funds arbitration, including overseeing applications for urgent injunctive relief in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Cayman Islands Courts and acting on an expedited LCIA arbitration.

We pride ourselves on strategic creativity and a laser focus on the issues that will turn the outcome. The result: practical, business-focused advice delivered efficiently and with purpose.

Representative Matters

Acting for a publicly listed company in ICC arbitral proceedings brought under a guarantee instrument, ultimately obtaining a $1.3 billion award against a major telecommunications provider in the MENA region.
Acting for a publicly listed entity regarding the international enforcement of an ICC arbitral award valued at $1.7 billion, which stemmed from a joint venture dispute relating to the mismanagement of an Iraqi company and the misappropriation of shareholding. This included obtaining the (then) largest freezing order in DIFC Court history. Akin also successfully defended a claim to set aside the same award in both the DIFC Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal.
Acting for the claimant, a Middle Eastern conglomerate, in multiple Lebanese-seated arbitration proceedings against a Lebanese bank in which findings of fraud were made against the bank and a subordination deed was invalidated, giving rise to a subsequent damages claim of $190 million. Akin also assisted with related § 1782 proceedings in the U.S. Courts in which key evidence was obtained.
Acting for one of the largest companies in the Middle East in arbitral proceedings, claiming $100 million in damages arising from the unlawful misappropriation of land in the Middle East, including acting as strategic counsel to coordinate various related proceedings in the onshore courts and advising on potential investor-state claims for denial of justice.
Acting for an investment entity on a sensitive, high-value funds arbitration, including overseeing applications for urgent injunctive relief in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Cayman Islands Courts and acting on an expedited LCIA arbitration.

Drawing on Akin’s globally integrated mining & critical minerals practice—with leading capabilities in project development, finance and government relations—we represent clients in disputes that arise throughout the mining lifecycle. These include investment treaty and commercial arbitrations relating to exploration rights, concession and stabilization agreements, joint ventures, project financing, offtake arrangements, construction contracts and regulatory change.

Our experience covers a broad range of commodities, including copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, rare earth elements, iron ore, gold and other critical minerals essential to the global energy transition. We regularly advise mining companies, investors, financial institutions and governments on disputes involving expropriation, changes to fiscal or environmental regimes, force majeure events, and claims under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties.

We also help clients anticipate and mitigate risk through proactive investment structuring, regulatory engagement and dispute-avoidance strategies. Working closely with our leading government contracts, international trade and public policy teams, we assist clients in navigating sanctions, export controls, anti-bribery and competition issues, and in securing alignment with national and multilateral critical minerals initiatives.

Our combination of transactional depth, policy expertise and world-class arbitration experience positions Akin as a full-service advisor in mining & critical minerals disputes—delivering strategic, commercially focused solutions wherever our clients operate.

Representative Matters

Acting for a U.S. mining company against a Latin American state regarding the expropriation of its concession.
Acting for an African mining company against its contractor regarding the construction of a processing plant.
Acting for a U.K. mining company regarding liability for damage caused by the collapse of a dam in Latin America.
Acting for a HNW individual regarding the acquisition of mining assets in an Eastern European state.
Acting for a European mining company against its JV partner for breach of contract and fraud.
Acting for an Asian buyer against its supplier regarding its refusal to accept delivery of high-grade coal.

Representative Matters

Acting for a U.S. mining company against a Latin American state regarding the expropriation of its concession.
Acting for an African mining company against its contractor regarding the construction of a processing plant.
Acting for a U.K. mining company regarding liability for damage caused by the collapse of a dam in Latin America.
Acting for a HNW individual regarding the acquisition of mining assets in an Eastern European state.
Acting for a European mining company against its JV partner for breach of contract and fraud.
Acting for an Asian buyer against its supplier regarding its refusal to accept delivery of high-grade coal.

Our team has long-standing and deep expertise in advising multinational clients to deploy, develop or invest in innovative, rapidly evolving technologies that can result in complex, high-value international arbitration and disputes.

Our clients have historically been at the forefront of the digital transformation, and are galvanizing the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) tools across all industry sectors. In close collaboration with our leading global cybersecurity, privacy & data protection and government contracts practices, we help clients navigate intricate disputes and intertwined investigations, to negotiate a favorable outcome.

We have particular expertise in contentious matters involving digital assets, cryptocurrency & blockchain, cloud computing & data storage, semiconductors, autonomous systems & advanced mobility, and AI/ML tools and have successfully resolved investor-state disputes in multiple jurisdictions where TMT clients have launched their most prized products and services.

Representative Matters

Acting for a Dutch telecoms company, in connection with a dispute with several associates over the control of a leading Polish mobile telecoms supplier.
Acting for a UAE telecoms company, in defending proceedings commenced by its shareholder, a Norwegian telecoms operator, regarding pre-emption rights under a $20 billion M&A transaction.
Acting for a BVI media company for breach of contract/failure to make payments under a licensing agreement.
Acting for a U.S. entertainment group in relation to an agreement under which a prominent U.S. soccer team agreed to appear in two matches in the People's Republic of China.
Acting for an International tech company in a dispute with a government-owned bank in Eastern Europe, for the supply of a core banking software package and related mortgage banking modules.
Acting for a crypto exchange, in a dispute with a tokenized staking platform, regarding the release of staked crypto assets.

Representative Matters

Acting for a Dutch telecoms company, in connection with a dispute with several associates over the control of a leading Polish mobile telecoms supplier.
Acting for a UAE telecoms company, in defending proceedings commenced by its shareholder, a Norwegian telecoms operator, regarding pre-emption rights under a $20 billion M&A transaction.
Acting for a BVI media company for breach of contract/failure to make payments under a licensing agreement.
Acting for a U.S. entertainment group in relation to an agreement under which a prominent U.S. soccer team agreed to appear in two matches in the People's Republic of China.
Acting for an International tech company in a dispute with a government-owned bank in Eastern Europe, for the supply of a core banking software package and related mortgage banking modules.
Acting for a crypto exchange, in a dispute with a tokenized staking platform, regarding the release of staked crypto assets.