The Role
Department: Political Risk
Location: London (Hybrid)
Role: Permanent
The Team
The team focuses on the areas of political risk and trade credit, political violence and terrorism. It is best known for the work in political risk and trade credit risks, including advising on product development, claims and recoveries in regions across the world. The team has also been involved with many cases involving fraud in all its guises, including trade finance and commodity frauds.
Recent work includes trade credit claims arising from the collapse in the oil and commodities prices, political violence claims arising from the Ukraine crisis, and the Arab Spring claims stemming from the global financial crisis, cases in Thailand arising from the May 2010 disturbances, and political violence and expropriations in South America.
The team are experienced in the preferred forums for dispute resolution in this class—particularly the London Court of International Arbitration and the Commercial Court in London—and in arbitrations under the rules of the ICC and UNCITRAL.
The Role
This role would be predominantly supporting the lead Partner on a varied and interesting range of work. Some examples of recent matters include but are not limited to the following:
- Representing a political risk insurer in a LCIA arbitration relating to Venezuela.
- Advising on numerous claims relating to the non-issuing of loans to goldmines in Canada, Thailand,theUnited States and South Africa
- Advising the successful Lloyd's Underwriters in their defence of the only reported decision of the English courts in recent times relating to political risk insurance, International Lottery Management v Dumas [2002] LRIR 237, which relates to issues of non-disclosure and misrepresentation with respect to confiscation insurance of an investment in a lottery in Azerbaijan
- Pursuing insurers' rights of subrogation, including a worldwide recovery action in eight different jurisdictions where the sum at stake is USD 261 million
- Advising on ACE v. CMI, a ground-breaking case relating to the interaction of the Service of Suit Clause and an LCIA arbitration clause
Essential Skills & Experience
- Qualified England and Wales SRA Solicitor / Barrister with 2+ years post qualification experience (PQE). Those qualified in another jurisdiction will be considered providing they have relevant skill set and experience.
- The successful candidate will have a focus on disputes and a background in Arbitration.
- Successful candidates will have an interest demonstrable interest in political and credit risk.
Role Competency Requirements
Technical Excellence
Technical legal expertise: the knowledge of the law and ability to apply it
Research: the ability to conduct research effectively and apply it commercially
Managing legal processes: the ability to ensure all legal processes are followed efficiently and effectively
People and Team
Guiding individual performance and development: develops the skills of self and others
Teamwork and collaboration: working cooperatively and effectively with others
Leadership: creating high performing teams
Client Relationships and Business Development
Building business relationships: establishing, maintaining and using relationships to create and develop business opportunities
Commercial thinking: understanding the commercial drivers
Cross-selling and business development
Finance and Practice Management
Finance management and understanding of the business
Project management: ensuring projects are delivered
Knowledge sharing