May Khoury to Speak on Middle East Arbitration Developments at Georgetown Arbitration Month

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May Khoury to Speak on Middle East Arbitration Developments at Georgetown Arbitration Month

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February 2026 — Chaffetz Lindsey’s May Khoury will participate as a panelist during Georgetown Arbitration Month 2026, hosted by the Georgetown International Arbitration Society in Washington, D.C. The month-long series brings together students, practitioners and academics to explore emerging trends and regional developments across the international arbitration landscape.

On February 24, 2026, May will join the panel “Beyond Oil: The Middle East’s Bid for Global Arbitration Leadership”. The session will examine the evolving role of the Middle East as an arbitration hub, including economic diversification, cross-border trade expansion, legal and institutional reforms, and enforcement trends from a comparative perspective.

May will be joined by Scott Vesel of Three Crowns LLP and Dalia Hussein, Director of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration. The discussion will be moderated by Salih Kartal of GIAS.

Learn more and register for the event here.

May Khoury to Join NYIAC Workshop on Strategic Interviewing Skills

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January 2026 – Chaffetz Lindsey’s May Khoury will participate in New York International Arbitration Center’s “Strategic Interviewing Skills: Communicating Expertise & Impact” workshop on Tuesday, January 13th. The workshop will focus on building confidence in communicating arbitration expertise, navigating common interview formats, and crafting effective narratives to highlight key skills in different interview settings.

May will be joined by speakers Pedro José Izquierdo (Sullivan & Cromwell), Daniel Schimmel (Foley Hoag), Eve Perez Torres (FedEx) and moderator Daniela Paez (HSF Kramer).

The NYIAC workshop will be held on January 13th, from 6:00pm -7:30pm via Zoom. For more information about the event, click here.

May Khoury to Join NYIAC Workshop on Strategic Interviewing Skills

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January 2026 – Chaffetz Lindsey’s May Khoury will participate in New York International Arbitration Center’s “Strategic Interviewing Skills: Communicating Expertise & Impact” workshop on Tuesday, January 13th. The workshop will focus on building confidence in communicating arbitration expertise, navigating common interview formats, and crafting effective narratives to highlight key skills in different interview settings.

May will be joined by speakers Pedro José Izquierdo (Sullivan & Cromwell), Daniel Schimmel (Foley Hoag), Eve Perez Torres (FedEx) and moderator Daniela Paez (HSF Kramer).

The NYIAC workshop will be held on January 13th, from 6:00pm -7:30pm via Zoom. For more information about the event, click here.

Chaffetz Lindsey Secures Resounding Victory for AES in Investment Arbitration Against Argentina

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August 2025 – New York, NY – In a landmark decision in favor of The AES Corporation (AES), an international tribunal has awarded the company over US$730 million in an ICSID arbitration against the Republic of Argentina. In its May 30, 2025 award (recently made public), the Tribunal unanimously held the Republic of Argentina liable under the Argentine–U.S. Bilateral Investment Treaty for unlawful and arbitrary interference with AES’s investments in eight power generation facilities. For the Chaffetz Lindsey team, this a significant victory for a longstanding client.

The Tribunal found that Argentina’s measures—including dismantling the electricity sector’s remuneration system, withholding owed receivables, and coercing AES’s subsidiaries to reinvest those receivables in new infrastructure—arbitrarily altered the essential characteristics of the electricity generation framework. These actions constituted violations of Argentina’s treaty obligations. The Tribunal also rejected all of Argentina’s jurisdictional and admissibility objections. As of the date of AES’s petition to confirm the award, Argentina owed US$821,070,619.71, including damages (to date), interest, and arbitration costs, making it the largest award rendered in any of the more than 60 ICSID arbitrations brought against Argentina following the 2001–2002 economic crisis.

“This case is deeply meaningful to our firm,” said James Hosking, Chaffetz Lindsey founding partner and head of the international arbitration practice. “AES entrusted us with this dispute from the moment we launched the firm in 2009. After helping the client navigate a decade-long suspension in which Argentina had promised to implement sector reforms, we were proud to resume the arbitration in 2018 and to deliver this result alongside our good friends at Freshfields and Bruchou.”

The Spanish-English bilingual merits hearing took place in 2023. The Chaffetz Lindsey team was led by partners James Hosking, Aníbal Sabater, and Caline Mouawad, with support from Matilde Flores, May Khoury, Silvia Marroquín, and Agustina Alfaro. Partner Andreas Frischknecht is now leading, as co-counsel with Freshfields, an action to enforce the award in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Success in the AES case comes on the heels of a series of other recent investment arbitration wins for the firm, including in the case of APM Terminals Callao S.A. v. Republic of Peru and Clorox Spain S.L v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The final award is available in full on the ICSID website.

The tribunal’s decision has garnered considerable global coverage. To access these articles, please click on the links provided below:

Chaffetz Lindsey Dominates International Arbitration and Enforcement Rankings in Chambers USA 2025

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June 2025—The recently released 2025 Chambers USA Guide marks another milestone in the Chaffetz Lindsey’s team’s recognition as the leading US-based international arbitration and enforcement boutique. The team boasts seven ranked lawyers across three categories—the equal highest number of active lawyers of any firm in the US.  Recognized lawyers cover elite Band 1 leaders to Band 6 rising stars, demonstrating the strength and depth of the firm’s bench.

The firm’s international arbitration team continues to be ranked in “International Arbitration: The Elite” as the only New York-based boutique, placing it among top-tier global firms.

Chaffetz Lindsey’s six ranked lawyers appearing in the “International Arbitration: Counsel” table evidences the breadth and diversity of the team. New this year, Counsel May Khoury, is ranked as an “Associate to Watch,” recognizing emerging talent. Anibal Sabater, Caline Mouawad, James Hosking, Yasmine Lahlou, and Gretta Walters continue to be recognized in a group that one client described as “absolutely a force to be reckoned with.”

Andy Frischknecht and Yasmine Lahlou have again earned Band 1 recognition in the highly regarded International Arbitration: Enforcement rankings. Andy and Yasmine lead a majority of the firm’s major award and enforcement engagements. This marks the fourth year the firm has been recognized for its specialized practice in arbitration enforcement. With two Band 1 lawyers in this category, Chaffetz Lindsey is uniquely positioned to manage complex global enforcement mandates with boutique agility and elite capability.

A source close to the team noted, “They are always on point, prepared and ready.”

Anibal Sabater and James Hosking have also been named among the top Arbitrators in the country.

Sources had this to say about Chaffetz Lindsey partners:

  1. James Hosking “is as sharp as a surgeon’s knife.”
  2. Andreas Frischknecht’s “advice and awareness is enviable.”
  3. Yasmine Lahlou “is incredibly bright and super collegiate to work with.”
  4. Caline Mouawad [has a] “pragmatic, client-oriented mindset. She was able to figure out how to put the company’s priorities first.”
  5. Anibal Sabater “is extremely reliable, and it gives me comfort knowing that everything is under control. The experience he has is highly valuable.”
  6. Gretta Walters “is a lawyer’s lawyer. She is professional and outstandingly smart.”
  7. May Khoury’s work left one source “impressed.”

To view the firm’s International Arbitration and Enforcement profile, visit our website or the Chambers USA website.  For a full breakdown of Chaffetz Lindsey’s Chambers USA International Arbitration Rankings, see below.

May Khoury Moderates Paris Arbitration Week Panel

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April 2025—Chaffetz Lindsey’s May Khoury will moderate the panel “Bridging the Gap: Streamlining Dispute Resolution for Investment and Trade in the OIC Region” on Friday, April 11th as part of Paris Arbitration Week.

The expert panel, featuring Professor Kamalia Mehtiyeva (University of Paris-Est Créteil), Dr. Umar A. Oseni (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Arbitration Centre), Ahmed Abdel Hakam (Volterra Fietta), Nadya Rouben (DLA Piper), and Zhazgul Altynbekova (International Court of Arbitration at the CCI Kyrgyzstan), will illuminate the path to streamlined investment and trade within the OIC region.

The session will dissect procedural complexities, unveil the OIC Arbitration Centre’s cutting-edge innovations, delve into investment treaty nuances, and explore strategies to amplify the Centre’s global reach.

Learn more here.

Chaffetz Lindsey Promotes Matilde Flores and May Khoury to Counsel

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New York, New York – Chaffetz Lindsey is pleased to announce that Matilde Flores and May Khoury have been promoted to Counsel effective January 1, 2025.

Matilde Flores’ practice focuses on investment arbitration, international commercial arbitration, and public international law disputes. She has recently played a significant role in several high-stakes construction, energy and life sciences cases involving disputes in the US, Mexico, and Argentina. Matilde is an active member of the international arbitration community—she was appointed Co-Chair of the Latin America Interest Group at the America Society of International Law in 2024 and is involved in the ICC Young Arbitrators Forum and the LCIA Young International Arbitration Group. Legal 500 Latin America has recognized Matilde as a Leading Associate in 2025.

“I have had the pleasure of working closely with Matilde Flores on several high stakes hearings in English and Spanish,” said Chaffetz Lindsey partner Anibal Sabater. “She is exceptionally dedicated and talented, and a pleasure to work with.  We are delighted to announce her promotion to Counsel and look forward to her continued contribution to our clients’ success in her new role.  Given her legal acumen and commitment to excellence, I am sure she will thrive in her new position.”

Prior to joining Chaffetz Lindsey, Matilde was based in Paris as an associate in the arbitration practice of an international law firm. She graduated with a B.A. (with First Class Honors) and J.D. from McGill University in Montreal. Matilde has practiced law in Mexico City, Paris, and New York and is fluent in English, Spanish, and French.

May Khoury has extensive experience in commercial and investment disputes involving across the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. Most recently, she has worked on complex cases involving an infrastructure project in Panama, a power plant in Mexico, and ISDS cases involving Argentina, the Czech Republic, Mexico and the UAE.  She is trilingual in English, Arabic, and French and has participated in proceedings in all three languages.

Together with Chaffetz Lindsey partners Yasmine Lahlou and Caline Mouawad, May has been particularly involved in the firm’s MENA (Middle East and North Africa) practice. She is a member of the New York City Bar Middle Eastern & North African Affairs Committee, and is among five international arbitration practitioners who launched ArabArb, a networking group for international arbitration practitioners with roots, affinity, or interest in the Arab World. The organization was nominated for the GAR: Equal Representation Arbitration Pledge Award in 2024.

“May is a very talented lawyer whose broad international experience and impressive language skills have made a significant contribution to our arbitration practice. While her encyclopedic knowledge of ISDS arbitration has been an asset since joining us six years ago, more recently May has shown she is equally adept in commercial disputes,” commented Chaffetz Lindsey founding partner and head of the firm’s international arbitration practice James Hosking.

Prior to joining Chaffetz Lindsey, May worked at leading international law firms in Paris, Dubai, and New York. She graduated with honors from Harvard University (B.A.), Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (M.A.), and Boston College Law School (J.D.).

About Chaffetz Lindsey

Chaffetz Lindsey is a leading international arbitration and litigation boutique committed to providing business-minded solutions for our clients.  From its New York base, the firm helps clients resolve complex disputes before US courts and in front of arbitral tribunals around the world.

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Yasmine Lahlou and May Khoury Deliver ISLP International Arbitration Four-day in-Person Training Program to Guyana Government

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August 2024—Chaffetz Lindsey’s Yasmine Lahlou and May Khoury ran a workshop on “International Arbitration in Practice” for the Government of Guyana through the Attorney General’s Chambers & Ministry of Legal Affairs, in collaboration with the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) and Winston & Strawn, which took place in Georgetown, Guyana from Monday, August 26 until Thursday, August 29.

Scheduled to take place on the heels of the adoption of the modern Guyana Arbitration Act 2024, the four-day workshop was designed to further enhance the expertise of the attendees, namely attorneys from the Attorney General’s Chambers, those employed in the public sector, as well as members of the Guyana and Berbice Bar Associations participated in the training.

At the opening of the workshop, the Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall SC MP, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs underscored the importance of the training, noting that arbitration is the preferred method to settle commercial disputes and will pair well with the transformation taking place across every sector of the country.

Yasmine is a board member of the ISLP.

Learn more about the event here.

About the International Senior Lawyers Project

The International Senior Lawyers Project provides pro bono legal assistance to governments and civil society organizations in the Global South and in countries transitioning to democracy and market-based economies, leveraging global legal resources in alignment with client needs to support just, accountable and inclusive development.

May Khoury Joins London International Disputes Week Panel on Saudi Awards and Judgements

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June 2024—Chaffetz Lindsey’s May Khoury will join the London International Disputes Week event “Saudi Arabia: A deep dive into enforcement under the NY Convention in Saudi Arabia and enforcement of Saudi Awards and Judgements in the U.S. and U.K.” on Thursday, June 6th.

The event will include deep-dive into enforcing U.K. and U.S. based Court judgments and international arbitral awards in Saudi Arabia and KSA based international arbitral awards in the U.K. and U.S. under the New York Convention, with a particular focus on issues that may arise and what in-house counsel and practitioners should be aware of in drafting arbitration agreements and enforcing or challenging arbitral awards.

May will be joined by Drew Holiner (Monckton Chambers), Dr. Ahmad Alkhamees (Harasani & Alkhamees Law Firm), Dr. Hamid Harasani  (Harasani & Alkhamees Law Firm), Christian P. Alberti (Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration) and Tatiana Minaeva (RPC).

Learn more about the event and London International Disputes Week here.

May Khoury to Speak on ICC YAAF Panel in Dubai

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February 2024—Chaffetz Lindsey’s May Khoury will join the upcoming the ICC Young Arbitration & ADR Forum (YAAF) event taking place in Dubai on February 28th. The event “Wrestling the Leviathan – Illegality and Corruption in Arbitration” takes place parallel to the 12th ICC MENA Conference on International Arbitration and will feature an interactive discussion on illegality and corruption issues in international arbitration.

Practitioners from diverse jurisdictions will address questions on the subject, such as the difference between illegality and corruption, the arbitrability of corruption allegations, the burden and standard to prove corruption in arbitral proceedings, public policy considerations, sua sponte investigation of corruption issues by arbitral tribunals, the sanctions available to arbitrators, and how practitioners can best address these issues in practice.

May will join the panel composed of Yacine Francis (Allen & Overy), Rami Chahine (Meltem Avocats), Salma Abdelaziz (Meysan Partners) and Fakhruddin Valika (ICC International Court of Arbitration).

The panel discussion will be followed by a networking reception to continue the dialogue. Learn more and register for the event here.

Chaffetz Lindsey is pleased to sponsor the event.

May Khoury to Speak at 2024 Riyadh International Disputes Week

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February 2024— May Khoury is set to speak during Riyadh International Disputes Week on Sunday, March 3rd. May will join the panel “International Arbitration: Enforcement under the NY Convention – theory vs reality: a Saudi, U.K., and U.S. perspective for GCC in-house counsel and practitioners”.

The discussion will present a deep-dive into enforcing GCC-based international arbitral awards in the U.K. and U.S. under the New York Convention, with a particular focus on issues that may arise and what in-house counsel and practitioners should be aware of in drafting arbitration agreements and enforcing or challenging arbitral awards.

Panelists include:

The event is presented by California Arbitration, in collaboration with Harasani & Alkamees Law Frim, Monckton Chambers and Musick Peeler.

Riyadh International Disputes Week will take place from March 3rd-March 7th bringing together key players in the dispute resolution market to explore ADR realities and opportunities in the Middle East’s largest economy. Learn more and register for the event here.

ArabArb Nominated for 2024 GAR Awards: Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge Award

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February 2024– ArabArb, co-founded by Chaffetz Lindsey’s May Khoury, has been nominated for the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge Award as part of the 2024 GAR Awards taking place during Paris Arbitration Week. ArabArb is an independent network that aims to unite, promote, and serve the global arbitration community with roots, affinity, or interest in the Arab World.  It also strives to increase the visibility of diverse and qualified counsel, arbitrators, and experts who are particularly suited to handle disputes relating to the Arab World.

ArabArb was founded last year by five Arab arbitration practitioners: Randa Adra of Crowell & Moring, Cherine Foty of Covington & Burling, Lillian Khoury of Steptoe & Johnson, May Khoury of Chaffetz Lindsey and Nour Nicolas of Foley Hoag. The group’s founders now constitute its all-female board. Chaffetz Lindsey’s Caline Mouawad and Yasmine Lahlou sit on the advisory committee of this women-led group, making three out of eleven members represented by the Chaffetz Lindsey team.

Voting for the 2024 GAR Awards will remain open until Monday, February 12th. To vote visit:  https://globalarbitrationreview.com/article/gar-awards-2024-voting-now-open

Learn more about ArabArb here.

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