Arif H. Ali serves as lead attorney or trial counsel in international commercial and investment arbitrations under the procedural rules of all major arbitral institutions including the CRCICA, DIAC, ICC, ICSID, LCIA, ICDR, DIAC, and the UNCITRAL. Mr. Ali has litigated a broad spectrum of disputes across a wide range of industries including oil and gas, energy, infrastructure development, mining, hospitality, technology, and the internet. Mr. Ali has particular experience advising on issues involving foreign direct investments, privatization; oil and gas pipeline construction, mining concessions, gas pricing disputes; natural resource exploitation projects and contracts; operation and commercialization of thermal, nuclear, and hydro power plants contract stabilization and renegotiation issues; the development and operation of tourism and hospitality projects, domain names; and, patents and trademarks.
Recognized as a leader in investor-state dispute resolution cases and “hailed as ‘a polished maestro in his field’”, Mr. Ali has also appeared before the International Court of Justice in addition to intergovernmental claims tribunals including the U.S.-Iran Claims Tribunal and the United Nations Compensation Commission (Chambers & Partners USA 2012). His portfolio features disputes in a variety of jurisdictions in United States, Asia, Canada, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Mr. Ali regularly sits as an arbitrator and mediator for international disputes involving the governing laws of jurisdictions under various institutional regimes.
Mr. Ali is routinely ranked as a leading international arbitration lawyer for “his knowledge of and sensitivity towards region-specific legal issues.” (Chambers USA 2015). Praised by peers and clients alike for being a “great advocate, and a very intelligent and knowledgeable international arbitration expert,” Mr. Ali has been featured in Chambers and Partners (USA, Global and Latin America), Global Arbitration Review, The International Who’s Who of Commercial Arbitration Lawyers, The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, Lawdragon, Legal 500, The Legal Media Group’s Guide to the World’s Experts in Commercial Arbitration, PLC Which Lawyer?, Washington Super Lawyers. Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Public International Law (Chambers, International Arbitration 2015).
Mr. Ali has served as an advisor to several arbitral institutions and currently is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University. He has spoken are more than 100 conferences around the globe on a wide range of topics including arbitral deliberations and decision-making; arbitration developments in various jurisdictions and regions of the world; construction sector disputes; dispute resolution and risk management in the hydrocarbons and mineral extraction industries; enforcement of arbitral awards; globalization and international economic development; information technology and internet dispute resolution; power sector disputes; rule of law and international investment; and, substantive, procedural, and evidentiary issues in state-investor arbitration as well as in international commercial arbitration.
Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. Ali served as co-chair of the international arbitration practice at another international law firm. His previous experience also includes working as the UN Compensation Commission section chief and as senior counsel at the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center.
Significant Representations
