Rahul Donde specializes in international commercial and investment arbitration.

He has acted as arbitrator, counsel, secretary and assistant of the arbitral tribunal in over 35 international arbitration proceedings under both ad hoc (UNCITRAL, Swiss PILA, Indian Arbitration Act, 1996) and institutional arbitration rules (CEPANI, CRCICA, HKIAC, ICC, ICSID, ICSID (AF), LCIA, MCIA, SIAC).

In 2023, Rahul was ranked among the “most highly regarded” non-partners at arbitration firms in the EMEA region (Who’s Who Legal – Arbitration 2023), with peers and clients describing him as the “go-to person for any dispute with connections to India and Europe” and “a true common law expert with broad experience of the civil law approach”. He has been consistently recognized as “Expert”, “Rising Star” and “Future Leader” by the major legal directories including Expert Guides, Legal500 and Who’s Who Legal.

Rahul has specific experience in disputes relating to natural resources (water, oil, gas, renewable energy), as well as commercial (agency, distribution, sales, purchase, services agreements) and corporate laws in different jurisdictions. Rahul has worked in Switzerland and India for 15 years and has expertise in complex commercial and investment disputes in both common law and civil law systems.

Rahul sits as an arbitrator (presiding, sole, and co-arbitrator) under various rules, including the ICC, LCIA, MCIA and SIAC rules. He is empanelled with all major international arbitral institutions. As counsel, he has advised multinational companies in cross-border construction and commercial disputes and assisted parties in annulment proceedings before the Swiss Supreme Court. He has considerable experience representing Indian clients before various judicial and quasi-judicial bodies.

Rahul is an Honorary Lecturer at Aberdeen University. He co-edited the first-ever TDM Special Issue on dispute resolution in India. He has held leadership positions in several international arbitration organizations including Young ICCA, and is regularly invited to lecture, speak at conferences and conduct workshops in international arbitration. His publications cover topics of current interest in technology, energy law and international arbitration.