Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler is one of the leading law firms specializing in international investment law and investor-state arbitration worldwide. Its lawyers have acted as arbitrators or counsel in over 120 high-stake investor-State arbitrations arising under bilateral investment treaties (BITs), multilateral investment treaties (including the Energy Charter Treaty, NAFTA, CAFTA-DR and others), investment chapters of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), domestic investment laws or investment contracts, under all major arbitration rules (including those of the ICSID, ICSID Additional Facility, UNCITRAL, ICC, SCC, and LCIA).
The investor-State proceedings in which LKK lawyers have acted have often involved amounts exceeding several USD billions and spanned a wide range industries, including energy and natural resources (oil, gas, renewable energies), telecommunications, banking and finance, construction and transportation.
LKK partners Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler, Laurent Lévy and Michele Potestà are widely recognized for their expertise and thought leadership in investor-State disputes. Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler is recognized as a “first-class ISDS arbitrator” (Who’s Who Legal, 2021) and a “a big star when it comes to handling high-level investment disputes” (Who’s Who Legal Arbitration Switzerland, 2018). Laurent Lévy is praised for his “immense experience” in investment arbitration proceedings (Who’s Who Legal, 2022) and considered “incredibly strong in investment arbitration” (Who’s Who Legal Arbitration Switzerland, 2018). Michele Potestà is commended as “an authority on investment arbitration” and “the go-to person in matters relating to public international law and investment arbitration” (Who’s Who Legal, 2021 and 2019).
Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler and Michele Potestà are also members of the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators, and act as expert advisors to the Swiss Government in matters of ISDS reform, particularly in connection with the inter-State negotiations in UNCITRAL Working Group III.
