International Commercial Arbitration Lawyers
The clause, the seat and the tribunal decide more than the merits.
Counsel in cross-border commercial disputes before institutional and ad hoc tribunals — supply, distribution, joint-venture, M&A and shareholder disputes with an international dimension.
Cross-border contracts,
decided before the right tribunal.
ME Law acts as counsel and advocate in international commercial arbitration for companies, investors, boards, lenders and institutional clients whose contracts, ventures and supply chains cross borders. We act for claimants and respondents under the ICC, LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC and ICDR rules, before ad hoc tribunals under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, and in the court proceedings that support or supervise an arbitration.
We do not treat arbitration as private litigation with different paperwork. The arbitration agreement, the seat, the governing law, the institutional rules and the make-up of the tribunal shape the outcome long before the merits are argued — and decide whether the award can be enforced where the counterparty’s assets are. Every mandate is led personally by senior counsel, from the first reading of the clause to the final award and its enforcement.
- Claimant and respondent mandates
- Institutional and ad hoc proceedings
- Emergency and interim relief
- Enforcement planned from the first filing
In international arbitration, the clause, the seat and the tribunal often decide more than the merits. We treat each of them as a decision, not a default.
International arbitrations
are engineered
before they are argued.
By the time a cross-border dispute surfaces, the range of outcomes has usually been narrowed by a clause drafted years earlier. Our work starts there — and is built backwards from an award that will hold, and be paid.
The agreement comes first
Every mandate begins with the arbitration agreement: its scope, the parties and disputes it covers, any preconditions, the seat and the law that governs it — and whether the tribunal’s jurisdiction can be established or challenged.
The legal architecture
We assess the institutional rules and the arbitration law of the seat together. They govern procedure, disclosure, interim relief and court supervision, and they fix where and how the award can be challenged.
Choosing who decides
An arbitration is only as good as its arbitrators. We identify, vet and nominate candidates with the expertise, availability and independence the dispute requires — and challenge appointments where independence or impartiality is in doubt.
Built for the tribunal
Written submissions, document production and witness and expert evidence are prepared for the tribunal and the rules that apply — concise, well supported and calibrated to persuade, not copied from court practice by default.
Enforcement in view
We plan for enforcement from the first filing: where the counterparty’s assets are, which courts will be asked to recognise the award, and what interim protection the recovery may need.
Commercial arbitration,
by type of dispute.
Commercial arbitrations turn on the contract, the evidence and the procedure the parties agreed. Below are the disputes we act on most often. Select a category to see the typical matters and the related services.
Cross-Border Contract & Supply Disputes
Disputes over long-term supply, distribution, agency, sale-of-goods, services and procurement contracts — termination rights, price adjustment, exclusivity and damages for lost profits.
- Supply and distribution agreements
- Agency and exclusivity disputes
- International sale of goods (CISG)
- Termination and lost-profit claims
- Price review and adjustment clauses
Joint-Venture & Shareholder Arbitration
Disputes between joint-venture partners and shareholders under agreements with arbitration clauses — deadlock, breach of reserved matters, buy-out and exit mechanisms, valuation, and claims for diverted value.
- Deadlock and governance disputes
- Put, call and drag-along rights
- Valuation and buy-out disputes
- Diverted opportunities and value
- Related-party transactions
M&A, Earn-Out & Warranty Claims
Post-acquisition disputes referred to arbitration: completion accounts and price adjustments, earn-out calculations, warranty and indemnity claims, and misrepresentation in the sale process.
- Completion accounts and price adjustment
- Earn-out disputes
- Warranty and indemnity claims
- Pre-contractual misrepresentation
- Interfaces with expert determination
Technology, Licensing & Life Sciences
Licensing, development, software, distribution and collaboration disputes where confidentiality and technical evidence matter — royalties, milestones, scope of licence, ownership of results and termination.
- Licence scope and royalty disputes
- Development and milestone claims
- Software and SaaS agreements
- Collaboration and co-development
- Confidential information and trade secrets
Construction, Energy & Infrastructure
Disputes on international projects under FIDIC and other standard forms, and energy disputes under production-sharing, joint-operating, offtake and price-review provisions.
- Delay and disruption claims
- Variations and payment
- FIDIC and other standard forms
- Offtake and price-review disputes
- Dispute-board and adjudication interfaces
Multi-Party & Multi-Contract Proceedings
Disputes spread across several contracts and parties — joinder, consolidation and coordinated proceedings, and the jurisdictional questions that arise when related agreements contain different dispute-resolution clauses.
- Joinder of additional parties
- Consolidation of arbitrations
- Conflicting dispute-resolution clauses
- Non-signatories and group companies
- Parallel court proceedings
Emergency & Interim Relief
Emergency arbitrator applications, interim measures from the tribunal and court relief in support of the arbitration — preserving assets, evidence and the status quo while the case is decided.
- Emergency arbitrator applications
- Tribunal-ordered interim measures
- Court injunctions in aid of arbitration
- Security for costs and for the claim
Arbitration Clause Drafting & Review
Drafting and reviewing arbitration agreements in new and existing contracts — scope, seat, governing law, institutional or ad hoc rules, tribunal composition, multi-tier steps and emergency relief — so the clause works when it is needed.
- New arbitration clauses
- Review of existing agreements
- Negotiation and mediation steps
- Consistency across related contracts
- Enforcement planning at drafting stage
How international commercial
arbitration works.
The arbitration agreement
An international arbitration exists because the parties agreed to it. The agreement — usually a clause in the main contract — decides which disputes must be arbitrated, between whom, where and under which rules. Courts in the major commercial jurisdictions give it effect: under the New York Convention and the many arbitration laws based on the UNCITRAL Model Law, a court asked to decide a dispute covered by a valid arbitration agreement refers the parties to arbitration unless the agreement is null and void, inoperative or incapable of being performed.
Two principles follow. The arbitration clause is treated as separate from the main contract, so an allegation that the contract is void does not by itself defeat the clause. And the tribunal can rule on its own jurisdiction, subject to review by the courts of the seat.
Institutional or ad hoc
Institutional arbitration — under the ICC, LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, ICDR or another institution — gives the proceeding an administrator, a set of rules and a mechanism for appointing and replacing arbitrators and handling fees; the ICC Court also scrutinises draft awards. Ad hoc arbitration, often under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, has no administering institution: the parties and the tribunal run the procedure, with an appointing authority to break deadlocks. The choice affects cost, speed and how much the proceeding can be steered.
The seat and its law
The seat is the arbitration’s legal home, not simply the place where hearings are held. Its arbitration law governs the tribunal’s powers, the support the courts can give — interim relief, evidence, appointments — and the only place where the award can be set aside. Under the Model Law, an application to set aside must generally be made within three months of receiving the award, and only on limited grounds.
The law that governs the arbitration agreement can differ from the law of the main contract and from the law of the seat. In England and Wales, for example, the Arbitration Act 2025 provides that in arbitrations commenced on or after 1 August 2025 the arbitration agreement is governed by the law of the seat unless the parties expressly agree otherwise. Clauses should settle the question rather than leave it to be argued.
Evidence and procedure
International arbitration has no single code of evidence. Tribunals set the procedure in consultation with the parties, often drawing on the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration: document production is narrower and more targeted than common-law discovery, witness evidence is usually given by written statement followed by cross-examination, and expert evidence on quantum and technical issues is often decisive. Procedure should be designed around the dispute — deliberately, not by default.
Costs, time and confidentiality
Arbitration is not automatically faster or cheaper than litigation, but it can be made proportionate: expedited procedures for smaller or simpler disputes, early determination of manifestly unmeritorious claims under several institutions’ rules, and a timetable fixed at the outset. Proceedings are private; whether they are also confidential depends on the rules, the law of the seat and what the parties agree. Tribunals generally have power to award costs, and many rules allow security for costs.
From award to recovery
An arbitral award is final and binding, with narrow grounds of challenge and, in most systems, no appeal on the merits. Under the New York Convention it can be recognised and enforced in more than 170 States. But an award is a promise of payment, not payment: see enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and cross-border asset recovery.
Counsel for parties
with borders to cross.
We act for claimants and respondents whose commercial relationships are governed by an international arbitration agreement — and for those deciding what that agreement should say.
Multinational & Cross-Border Companies
Supply, distribution, services and joint-venture disputes under international arbitration agreements.
Investors, Funds & Family Offices
Claims arising from cross-border investments, shareholdings and financing arrangements.
Boards & Executives
Shareholder, governance and post-acquisition disputes referred to arbitration.
General Counsel & In-House Teams
Arbitration strategy, clause drafting, and lead counsel working alongside internal legal teams.
Contractors, Developers & Energy Parties
Project, construction and energy disputes under institutional and ad hoc rules.
Technology & Life Sciences Companies
Licensing, development and collaboration disputes that call for confidential resolution.
An award you cannot enforce is a paper victory. We arbitrate with the enforcement in view from the first filing.
Discuss a cross-border
dispute in confidence.
If your dispute is governed by an arbitration clause — or you are deciding what the clause should say — speak with senior counsel before the first procedural step is taken.
Consultations are held in person or by video, wherever you are. Describe the matter briefly — no confidential details are needed until a conflict check is complete.