Derains & Gharavi has extensive experience in Eastern Europe.

Some of the firm’s lawyers are fluent in Russian and Romanian.

The firm and its partners have acted as counsel and arbitrator in a large number of arbitrations in the region as non-exhaustively listed below (For full list see the CVs of Yves Derains and Hamid Gharavi):

• Successfully represented as lead counsel the Republic of Albania, in three ICSID arbitrations: Pantechniki S.A. Contractors & Engineers v. Republic of Albania, ICSID Case No. ARB/07/21; Burimi S.r.l. & Eagle Games Sh.a. v. Republic of Albania, ICSID Case No. ARB/11/18; Mamidoil Jetoil Greek Petroleum Products Société Anonyme S.A. v. Republic of Albania, ICSID Case No. ARB/11/24;
• Successfully represented as lead counsel Romania against claims by a Dutch investor, the Nova Group Investments BV, in an ICSID arbitration where we obtained the complete dismissal of the EUR 300 million with costs (ICSID Case No. ARB/16/19) and currently representing Romania in two ICSID arbitrations initiated by investors in relation to investments in renewable energy projects (Aderlyne Limited v. Romania, ICSID Case No. ARB/22/13; EP Wind Project (Rom) Six Ltd. v. Romania, ICSID Case No. ARB/20/15);
• Successfully represented as lead counsel French investor, Mr. Frank Charles Arif, against the Republic of Moldova in an ICSID arbitration initiated under a bilateral investment treaty in relation to an investment in the duty-free industry that led to a favorable award on liability including specific performance (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/23);
• Successfully represented as lead counsel US investor Charles Lemire in an ICSID arbitration against Ukraine obtaining compensation for over 10 million USD for FET violation in relation to public tenders – a first in investment arbitration (ICSID Case No. ARB/06/18);
• Successfully represented as lead counsel a French engineering and civil construction company in an ICC arbitration in Paris against a State entity of an Eastern European State for breach of an engineering contract for the construction of a hospital in Eastern Europe (ICC Case No. 15030/EC);
• Successfully represented as lead counsel a leading European multinational Telecom Supplier in an ICC arbitration against an Italian company and a Romanian company in relation to alleged breaches of supply agreements (ICC Case No. 27977/HBH);
• Successfully represented as lead counsel a leading Swiss trader of Turkish hides and skins against a UK purchaser (C&P Case No. 3293);
• Successfully represented as lead counsel a Spanish company against a Russian state institution in an ICC arbitration in relation to the impact of EU sanctions (ICC Case No. 27244/HBH);
• Advised as lead counsel one of the largest Czech energy group in its dispute with a leading French energy group arising out of a fire in a power generating unit while in the course of a share purchase agreement;
• President of the Tribunal in an ICC arbitration under the laws of the Eastern European State between a European construction company and a Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications of an Eastern European State for alleged breaches of contract (ICC Case No. 22594/MHM) [Hamid Gharavi];
• President of the Tribunal in an ICC arbitration between a Romanian company and three Turkish companies in the natural gas sector (ICC Case No. 25272/AYZ) [Yves Derains];
• President of the Tribunal in an ICSID arbitration between three Serbian companies and the State of Serbia in relation to a construction project in Serbia (ICSID Case No. ARB/20/12) [Yves Derains];
• Co-Arbitrator in an ICSID arbitration between an English company and Romania in relation to duty free services (ICSID Case No. ARB/05/13) [Yves Derains];
• Co-arbitrator in an ICSID arbitration between a Jordanian investor and Hungary related to a dispute concerning a series of measures adopted by the Hungarian Government in connection with a company operating a chain of hotels in Hungary (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/45) [Hamid Gharavi];
• Co-arbitrator in an ICSID arbitration between three American companies and a natural person as claimants and Romania as respondent (ICSID Case No. ARB/10/13) [Hamid Gharavi]; and
• Co-Arbitrator in several ICC arbitrations between a Middle Eastern company and an Eastern European State for the alleged breach of construction contracts (ICC Case Nos. 17438-17439-17440/GZ) [Hamid Gharavi].

The firm has built a working relationship with independent correspondents in different jurisdictions in Eastern Europe on which it calls on an ad-hoc basis to ensure tailored/merits-based inputs in counsel cases depending on the specificities that may arise under the laws of these jurisdictions and whether judicial support is required.