Yasmine Lahlou

Partner

Direct
+1 212 257 6958
Mobile
+1 917 213 2534
Fax
+1 212 257 6950
Where Advocacy Meets Business

“Yasmine Lahlou is a highly regarded practitioner with ‘an exceptional ability to read a situation and understand her client’s needs. She is intelligent, skilled and client-friendly.’”

The Who’s Who Legal 2018: Future Leaders – Arbitration

Fluent in English, French and Italian, Yasmine Lahlou has over 20 years of experience in international arbitration and litigation and has been with Chaffetz Lindsey since 2009. Initially trained in Paris and admitted in New York, Yasmine is experienced in civil and common law systems. Yasmine has represented clients in arbitration proceedings conducted under the ICC, ICDR, LCIA, UNCITRAL and ad hoc rules. She has acted as a presiding, sole and co‐arbitrator in ICC, SCC, CRCICA (in Cairo) and LCIA arbitrations.

 

Experience

Yasmine practiced in Paris for over four years at Castaldi Mourre & Partners, before joining Clifford Chance in New York in 2005.

Yasmine has been named one of 23 “Global Elite Thought Leaders” in North America— a title reserved for the top 2.5% of ranked practitioners considered the “very best by peers and clients, achieving the highest number of recommendations in the research”— by Who’s Who Legal 2024 Arbitration report.

Additionally, she has been named number one on the Who’s Who Legal 2019: Future Leaders – Arbitration list for the Americas, and has been recognized in Chambers, Legal 500 and Super Lawyers. Yasmine is co-chair of the ICC’s Task Force on Expedited Procedure Provisions s and co-editor-in-chief of the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Bulletin Editorial Board. Member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, member of the Advisory Council of Africa Arbitration, and retiring member of the board of directors of ArbitralWomen, she is also a Peer Review Board member of the American Review of International Arbitration (ARIA) at Columbia Law School.

Representative Matters

  • Represent a Brazilian State-owned energy company against Chinese contractor in dispute arising out of client’s billion dollar losses due to defects in power plant delivered by contractor (SCC Stockholm)
  • Represent a Norwegian engineering subcontractor in dispute arising out of main contractor’s breaches of drilling rig equipment supply contracts (SIAC New York)
  • Represent the operator of a consortium responsible for operating an oil & gas field off the coast of Brazil in a dispute between the consortium members arising out of alleged violations of a joint operating agreement (UNCITRAL, LCIA-administered Paris).
  • Represent Brazilian companies in ICC arbitrations regarding the construction of a floating production unit and modules (ICC New York)
  • Represent Polish packager in dispute against multinational brewer arising out of alleged breaches of production agreement to (ICDR-AAA New York)
  • Represent Arab Sovereign in proceedings to enforce an investment arbitration award in Washington DC.
  • Represent a European sovereign against claims for breach of a bilateral investment treaty arising out of alleged violation of an investor’s legitimate expectations in their real estate investment (UNCITRAL The Hague).
  • Advise an African state on the procedure for accession and ratification of the New York Convention and the Convention for the International Sale of Goods.
  • Advise a Brazilian construction company in managing and resolving its claims arising out of an ongoing contract for the construction of two floating production storage and offloading units.
  • Advise a French engineering company in managing disputes arising out of its construction projects in the United States.
  • Represent an insurance carrier in a Bermuda Form arbitration in an insurance coverage dispute.
  • Represent a Korean construction company in an ICDR arbitration arising out of a road construction project in Afghanistan.
  • Represent a global pharmaceutical company in an ICDR arbitration against a competitor concerning a manufacturing agreement.
  • Represent a leading Brazilian private equity firm in an ICC arbitration seated in Sao Paulo against one of the world’s largest hedge funds.
  • Advise a French company on setting up an online arbitration institution.
  • Represent a satellite manufacturer in an ICC arbitration against an insurer to recover losses arising out of satellite launch delay.

Publications

Speaking Engagements

  • VII Oxford Arbitration Day, Speaker (November 2023).
  • “Obtaining Evidence from Non-parties to an International Arbitration in a Post Section 1782 World,” New York Arbitration Week, Mock Arbitrator (New York, November 2023).
  • “Roundtable Discussing the Use of Mechanisms for the Early Production of Evidence in Complex Disputes,” Sao Paolo, Speaker (May 2023).
  • “Navigating Belt-and-Road Disputes,” Colombia Arbitration Day, Panelist (April 2023).
  • “Effective Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in Africa: Achievements and Challenges,” Annual Conference of the African Arbitration Association, Speaker (January 2023).
  • “Views from the Frontlines: Hot Topics in International Arbitration for 2021” CIArb (Virtual, March 2021).
  • “International versus domestic standards under the New York Convention: due process and public policy limitations for the production of evidence in online arbitrations,” NYU (Virtual, September 2020).
  • “Navigating International Courts and Tribunals During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” ABA International Law Section (Virtual, April 2020).
  • “From Promise to Practice: How to Raise the Bar for Diversity in International Arbitration,” Columbia Arbitration Day (New York, March 2020).
  • “Multi-tier dispute clauses: Yay or Nay?” YConstruction (New York, February 2020).
  • “Construction Adjudication: How to Keep Things Moving,” Annual Arbitration and Investment Summit (Nassau, January 2020).
  • “International Commercial Arbitration in an Era of Retreating Globalism,” BVI International Arbitration Conference (British Virgin Islands, November 2019).
  • “The Intersection Between Arbitration & Mediation as Dispute Resolution Methods,” Perlman Vidigal Godoy Advogados (Sao Paulo, October 2019).
  • “Non-traditional issue in investor-state arbitration,” 9th Investment Treaty Arbitration Conference (Prague, October 2019).
  • “Protecting legal privileges and commercial confidences,” ICC New York (New York, October 2019).
  • XV Rio de Janeiro Conference on International Arbitration (Rio de Janeiro, May 2019).
  • GAR Live Stockholm (Stockholm, May 2019).
  • Third Annual International Arbitration Conference at Penn Law (Philadelphia, March 2019).
  • 3rd CARDS’ Tour de Arbitration Conference (Paris, January 2019).
  • V Annual CAM-CCBC Pan-American Arbitration Conference (São Paulo, October 2018).
  • American Society of International Law Annual Conference on International Law (Washington, D.C., April 2018).
  • Faculty Member at the Annual Certificate on International Commercial and Investment Arbitration since 2016 (organized by the University of Roma III).
  • Business BVI’s second BVI International Arbitration Conference (Tortola, May 2017).
  • Inaugural Latin Lawyer–Global Arbitration Review Live Arbitration Summit (Miami, April 2017).
  • “Looking Ahead: Effectively Arbitrating Complex Disputes in the Global Energy Sector,” ICDR Conference, Moderator, (Houston, April 2017).
  • Fifth Annual ICC Middle East-North Africa (MENA) Conference on Arbitration (Dubai, April 2017).

Professional Affiliations

  • ICC Task Force on Expedited Procedure Provisions, Co-chair (October 2023-present);
  • ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin, Co-editor in chief

Credentials

Education

  • Graduate Legal Studies, University of Texas Austin Law School
  • Maîtrise en Droit, Paris X – Nanterre University

Bar Admissions

  • New York
  • Paris (Inactive)

Directorships

  • ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR
  • International Senior Lawyers Project

Languages

English, French, Italian, Portuguese

Recognition

Chambers Global

  • Band 5 for International Arbitration

Chambers USA

  • Band 4 for International Arbitration

Chambers Latin America

  • Band 4 for International Arbitration

Chambers Brazil

  • Band 3 for International Arbitration

Legal 500 USA

  • “Next Generation Partner” for International Arbitration

Legal 500 Latin America

  • “Recommended” for International Arbitration

Who’s Who Legal

  • Named one of 17 “Global Elite Thought Leaders” in North America by the 2024 Who’s Who Legal Arbitration report
  • Ranked number 1 on the Who’s Who Legal 2018 and 2019 : Most Highly Regarded Future Leaders (Partners) – Arbitration list for the Americas.  Based on feedback from international general counsel and attorneys, the publication highlighted her “exceptional ability to read a situation and understand her client’s needs” and described her as “intelligent, skilled and client-friendly.
  • Global Leader (Partner) in Arbitration

Latinvex

  • One of Latin America’s Top 100 Female Lawyers

ABA International Law Section

  • Outstanding Collaboration Between Committees for Middle East Committee’s “The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Perspectives from the US, UN, and Civil Society” roundtable, July 2013

Subscribe to Updates

Stay informed of Chaffetz Lindsey’s updates, new articles, and events invitations by subscribing to our mailing list.

Subscribe