Derains & Gharavi International

Mélanie Van Leeuwen

Partner

Biography

NATIONALITY: Dutch
LANGUAGES: English, French, German and Dutch
ADMISSION: Paris (Directive 98/5/EC) and Amsterdam
OFFICE: Paris

Melanie van Leeuwen joined Derains & Gharavi as a partner in 2011.

Who’s Who Legal describes Melanie as “a Dutch superstar in Paris, who is lauded as an outstanding professional and great personality”, noting that “she is the best of the best”. Chambers Europe ranks Melanie in the category of Most in Demand Arbitrators, describing her as “a real powerhouse with a very strong presence and a sharp sound legal mind.” Legal 500 lists Melanie as “an excellent strategist who has a profound knowledge of investment law and impresses by the outstanding quality of her written and oral pleadings.”

Since 1996, Melanie has been practising international arbitration exclusively. She has solid experience as counsel and arbitrator in both commercial and investment arbitration, conducted under all major sets of arbitration rules (ICC, LCIA, LCIA-MIAC, ICSID, SCC, ICDR, UNCITRAL, PCA, DIAC, NAI, SIAC, CEPANI and Swiss Rules) and governed by various procedural and substantive laws. She has handled over 100 arbitrations as counsel and arbitrator concerning disputes arising out of international commercial contracts, cross-border investment, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, construction projects and investment protection under international law. She has been particularly active in the sectors of energy, mining, media, information and communication technology, construction and engineering, real estate, aviation and infrastructural and defence projects. She also regularly represents clients in annulment, enforcement and consolidation proceedings before the Netherlands state courts.

Melanie has been appointed to the ICSID panel of arbitrators by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. At present, she is serving as chair of the ICC Commission on Arbitration, as co-chair of the ICCA-IBA Joint Task Force on Data Protection in International Arbitration, and as a board member of the Swiss Arbitration Association.

EXPERIENCE AS ARBITRATOR IN INVESTMENT ARBITRATION

EXPERIENCE AS COUNSEL IN INVESTMENT ARBITRATION

EXPERIENCE AS ARBITRATOR IN COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION

EXPERIENCE AS COUNSEL IN COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Since 2011 Partner, Derains & Gharavi
2005 – 2011 Counsel, Loyens & Loeff, Paris
2003 – 2004 Senior Associate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Paris
1999 – 2003 Associate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Amsterdam
1996 – 1999 Trainee lawyer, Stibbe Simont Monahan Duhot, Amsterdam

MEMBERSHIPS

EDUCATION

2011 ICC Advanced Training – Master Class for Arbitrators
2000 Trial Skills Course – National Institute for Trial Advocacy, New York
1998 Professional Education Dutch Bar Association (Beroepsopleiding Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten
1996 Law Degree (LLM), specializations: Civil Law and International Law – Erasmus University Rotterdam

LEGAL PRACTICE AREA REGISTRATION IN THE NETHERLANDS

Melanie van Leeuwen has registered the following legal practice area in the Netherlands Bar’s register of legal practice areas (rechtsgebiedenregister): arbitration.

Based on this registration, she is required to obtain ten training credits per calendar year in this registered legal practice area in accordance with the standards set by the Netherlands Bar.

Publications

“Internal disputes between the members of unincorporated international construction joint ventures” in Uluslararasi İnşaat Sözleşmelerinde Ortak Girişimler, published by Onikilevha and İnstanbul Uluslararasi İnşaat Hukuku Konfeanslari III (2019) - publication of the papers of the Istanbul 3rd International Construction Law Conference dedicated to International Construction Joint Ventures.

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