Emmanuel Gaillard is a practicing attorney

Attorney at law

An attorney at law in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients. Alternative terms include counselor and lawyer...

, is a leading authority on international commercial arbitration, a law professor, and frequently acts as an arbitrator in international commercial disputes.

Gaillard was born in Chambéry in 1952. He studied law at the University of Paris II (D.E.A. in Private Law, 1976; D.E.A. in Criminal Law, 1977) and completed his PhD in law at the University of Paris-II in 1981. He obtained the Agrégation des Facultés de Droit in 1982.

He was admitted to the Paris Bar in 1977. His practice focuses on international arbitration. He acts as counsel and arbitrator and is regularly ranked as a star performer in both categories. Heading the international arbitration practice of Shearman & Sterling

Shearman & Sterling

Shearman & Sterling LLP is a law firm headquartered in New York City with 20 offices located in major financial centers around the world founded in 1873. It is well known for both its litigation and transactional capabilities, especially in International Arbitration, Capital Markets, Finance, and...

, he is also a professor of law at the Université Paris XII Val de Marne and is the Chairman of the International Arbitration Institute (IAI), an organization he co-founded to promote international arbitration, situated in France. Professor Gaillard has further taught at a number of other universities: he was a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School in 1984 and teaches in the Geneva Master in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS), a program run by the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies is a highly selective postgraduate educational and research institute situated in Geneva, Switzerland...

.

Theory and writings

His work experience contributes to elaborate legal theory and research on international arbitration law, especially on the subjects related to Investment Law and Arbitration (ICSID

International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes , an institution of the World Bank Group based in Washington, D.C., was established in 1966 pursuant to the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States...

), Energy Charter Treaty

Energy Charter Treaty

The Energy Charter Treaty is an international agreement which provides a multilateral framework for energy trade, transit and investments...

 (ECT) and Anti-Suits Injunctions.
Many of his books and articles are cited as references on these topics (listed below).

He is also often referred to as a primary author having written in all fields of international arbitration. He has commented the ICSID case law since 1987 and published in 2004 the first book of commentary of ICSID case law. One of his most well-known works is his seminal treatise on international arbitration, 'Fouchard Gaillard Goldman on International Commercial Arbitration', published in 1999 and frequently referred to by practitioner academics and the national courts worldwide. He recently published the first work on the theory of international arbitration, based on the Course he taught in 2007 at The Hague Academy of International Law. The essay, published in French and in English under the title Legal Theory of International Arbitration, was greeted by the international arbitration community as a ground-breaking and landmark work, for both the well-versed and the newcomers to international arbitration. It is also available in Arabic, Chinese and Spanish languages.

Academic Activity

Professor of law at the University of Paris XII, where he teaches International Arbitration and Private International Law. He was also a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School in 1984 (International Commercial Treaties, Comparative Private International Law). He chairs the Arbitration Academy, which is an initiative of the Comité français de l’arbitrage (CFA).

Activity as an Arbitrator

He acts as a chairman, sole arbitrator or member of the tribunal in numerous international arbitration proceedings (under the rules of the ICSID, ICC, LCIA, AAA, IACAC, etc.) as well as in ad hoc arbitration proceedings (UNCITRAL).

He is a chairman in NAFTA proceedings under UNCITRAL Rules. Then, he is also co-arbitrator in other investment treaty arbitrations.

Activity as a Lawyer and Counsel

Gaillard acts as a counsel in numerous international arbitration proceedings (mainly oil & gas, construction, international investment, environment and mergers & acquisitions matters). In 2005, he drew the attention of the world's legal community when he began representing the majority shareholders in Yukos Oil Company against the Russian Federation, for compensation up to US$50billion, the largest international arbitration ever. An award on jurisdiction was issued on November 30, 2009 in those proceedings, according to which the tribunal accepted that it has jurisdiction to hear the case pursuant to the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty

Energy Charter Treaty

The Energy Charter Treaty is an international agreement which provides a multilateral framework for energy trade, transit and investments...

(ECT).

The main proceedings he worked or he is working on are the representation of the majority shareholders in Yukos Oil Company as Claimants in a series of three arbitrations against the Russian Federation, Wena Hotels against the Arab Republic of Egypt (ICSID Case No. ARB/98/4), The Slovak Republic as Respondent in an ICSID arbitration against Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka, A.S. (“CSOB”) (ICSID Case No. ARB/97/4), SGS Société Générale de Surveillance S.A. as Claimant in an ICSID arbitration against the Republic of the Philippines (ICSID Case No. ARB/02/6), SAUR International against the Argentine Republic (ICSID Case No. ARB/04/4), SGS Société Générale de Surveillance S.A. as Claimant in an ICSID arbitration in The Hague and Paris against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (ICSID Case No. ARB/01/13), Plama Consortium Limited as Claimant in an ICSID arbitration in Paris against the Republic of Bulgaria (ICSID Case No. ARB/03/24).

Books

• Author, Legal Theory of International Arbitration, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, May 2010, 202 pp.
• Author, La jurisprudence du CIRDI : Volume No. 2, Pedone, 2010
• Author, Aspects philosophiques du droit de l'arbitrage international, Martinus Nijhoff (Pocket Books of the Hague Academy of International Law / Les livres de poche de L'Académie de droit international de La Haye), 2008
• Author, La jurisprudence du CIRDI, Pedone, 2004.
• Co-author and co-editor, Fouchard Gaillard Goldman On International Commercial Arbitration, Kluwer, 1999 (and its French edition, Traité de l’arbitrage commercial international, Litec 1996).
• IAI Series
  • General editor, IAI International Arbitration Series No. 1, Annulment of ICSID Awards, JurisPublishing, 2004.
  • General editor, IAI International Arbitration Series No. 2, Anti-Suit Injunctions in International Arbitration, Juris Publishing, 2005.
  • General editor, IAI International Arbitration Series No. 3, Towards a Uniform International Arbitration Law?, Juris Publishing, 2005.
• Author, Le pouvoir en droit privé, Economica, 1985

Articles

• Masochisme français - Le Tribunal des conflits torpille le droit français de l'arbitrage, JCP la Semaine Juridique, édition générale, n.21, 24 mai 2010
• Le Traité sur la Charte de l’énergie reste un outil juridique essentiel, Les Echos, 25 février 2010
• “The Urgency of Not Revising the New York Convention” in ICCA Congress Series No 14, 50 Years of the New York Convention. ICCA International Arbitration Conference, 689 (2009)
• “Russia cannot walk away from its legal obligations”, Financial Times, August 18, 2009
• “Identify or define? Reflections on the evolution of the concept of investment in ICSID practice”, in International Investment Law for the 21st Century. Essays in Honour of Christoph Schreuer, Oxford University Press, 403 (2009)
• “Rencontre avec Emmanuel Gaillard autour de la sortie de son ouvrage : « Aspects philosophiques du droit de l'arbitrage international »”, Juriste d’Entreprise Magazine (Entretien Philippe Coen), 3 (juillet 2009), P.14-15
• “’Biwater’, Classic Investment Bases: Input Risk, Duration”, New York Law Journal, December 31, 2008.
• “Negative Effect of Competence-Competence: The Rule of Priority in Favor of the Arbitrators” in Enforcement of Arbitration Agreements and International Arbitral Awards: The New York Convention in Practice (E. Gaillard, D. Di Pietro, Editors) Cameron May, 257 (2008)
• “Effectiveness of Arbitral Awards, State Immunity from Execution and Autonomy of State Entities: Three Incompatible Principles”, in IAI Series on International Arbitration No. 4, State Entities in International Arbitration, 179 (2008).
• “Anti-Arbitration Trends in Latin America”, New York Law Journal, June 5, 2008.
• “Centre international pour le règlement des différends relatifs aux investissements (CIRDI), Chronique des sentences arbitrales”, J.D.I., 2008.311.
• “La jurisprudence de la Cour de cassation en matière d’arbitrage international”, Rev. arb., 2007.697.
• “Souveraineté et autonomie : réflexions sur les représentations de l’arbitrage international”, J.D.I., 2007.1163.
• “La reconnaissance, en droit suisse, de la seconde moitié du principe d’effet négatif de la compétence-compétence ”, in Global Reflections on International Law, Commerce and Dispute Resolution, Liber Amicorum in Honour of Robert Briner, ICC Publishing, 2005, p. 311.
• “Il est interdit d’interdire: réflexions sur l’utilisation des anti-suit injunctions dans l’arbitrage commercial international”, Rev. arb., 2004.47.
• “L’interférence des juridictions du siège dans le déroulement de l’arbitrage”, in Liber Amicorum Claude Reymond, 2004, p. 83.
• “L’arbitrage sur le fondement des traités de protection des investissements”, Rev.arb., 2003.853.
• “L’arbitrage international : la valeur patrimoniale de la clause d’arbitrage”, Réalités industrielles (Annales des mines), août 1999, p. 36.
• “L’effet négatif de la compétence-compétence”, in Etudes de procédure et d’arbitrage en l’honneur de Jean-François Poudret, 1999, p. 387.
• “L’exécution des sentences annulées dans leur pays d’origine”, J.D.I., 1998.645.
• “Trente ans de Lex mercatoria. Pour une application sélective de la méthode des principes généraux du droit”, J.D.I., 1995.5.
• “La distinction des principes généraux du droit et des usages du commerce international”, in Etudes offertes à Pierre Bellet, 1991, p. 203.
• “The Representations of International Arbitration”, New York Law Journal, October 4, 2007.
• “The denunciation of the ICSID Convention”, New York Law Journal, June 26, 2007.
• “Extent of Court Review of Public Policy”, New York Law Journal, April 5, 2007.
• “ICC Pre-Arbitral Referee: A Procedure Into Its Stride”, New York Law Journal, October 5, 2006.
• “Prima Facie Review of Existence, Validity of Arbitration Agreement”, New York Law Journal, December 1, 2005.
• “Anti-Suit Injunctions Issued by Arbitrators” in ICCA Congress Series No 13, International Arbitration 2006: Back to Basics? Kluwer 2007.235.
• “Reflections on the Use of Anti-Suit Injunctions in International Arbitration” in Pervasive Problems in International Arbitration (Kluwer, 2006, Loukas A. Mistelis and Julian D.M. Lew eds.), p. 201.
• “Investment and Investors Covered by the Energy Charter Treaty” in Investment Arbitration and the Energy Charter Treaty (Juris Publishing, 2006C. Ribeiro ed., 2006), p. 54.
• “Investment Treaty Arbitration and Jurisdiction over Contractual Claims. The SGS Cases Considered” in International Investment Law and Arbitration: Leading cases from the ICSID, NAFTA, Bilateral Treaties and Customary International Law (Cameron May: London, 2005, T. Weiler, ed.), p. 325.
• “The Extent of Review of the Applicable Law in Investment Treaty Arbitration”, in IAI Series on International Arbitration No. 1, Annulment of ICSID Awards 223 (2004).
• “The Meaning of ‘and’ in Article 42 (1), Second Sentence, of the Washington Convention: The Role of International Law in the ICSID Choice of Law Process”, 18 ICSID Review 375 (2003) (co-author).
• “The ICC Pre-Arbitral Referee. First Practical Experiences”, Arbitration International, volume 20, No. 1, 2004, p. 13.
• “The Role of the Arbitrator in Determining the Applicable Law”, in The Leading Arbitrators’ Guide to International Arbitration (L.-W. Newman, R.D. Hill, Editors), Juris Publishing, 2004, p. 185.
• “International Organisations and Immunity From Jurisdiction: To Restrict or To Bypass”, 51 International Comparative Law Quarterly 1 (2002) (co-author).
• “Transnational Law: A Legal System or a Method of Decision Making?”, 17 Arbitration International 59 (2001). (Also published in K.P. Berger (ed.), The Practice of Transnational Law, 53-65, Kluwer, 2001).
• “Use of General Principles of International Law in International Long-Term Contracts”, International Business Lawyer, May 1999, vol. 27, n°5, p. 214.
• “The Enforcement of Awards Set Aside in the Country of Origin”, 14 ICSID Review 16 (1999).
• “Thirty Years of Lex Mercatoria: Towards the Selective Application of Transnational Rules”, 10 ICSID Review 208 (1995).