Law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP has strengthened its international arbitration capabilities with the arrival of Chris Bailey as partner. Bailey will initially be based in the firm’s London office, it being intended that he relocate to Singapore in due course.
Bailey, a highly ranked lawyer, has twenty years of private practice expertise in arbitration, mediation, litigation, and criminal and regulatory investigations; he has spent the past 15 years in Asia. He represents clients in a wide variety of complex, high-value, cross-border commercial disputes submitted to arbitral institutions around the world, including: the ICC, ICDR-AAA, JCAA, LCIA and SIAC; the national courts of, amongst others, Australia, England & Wales, Japan, Thailand and the U.S.; and, on the regulatory front, the U.S. Department of Justice and Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.K. Serious Fraud Office, the Japanese Financial Services Authority, the Thai Office of the Attorney General, and the Nigerian Economic & Financial Crimes Commission. These matters, which have regularly included claims in excess of a US$ billion, predominantly arise out of the energy, resource, transport, infrastructure, financial services, media and IT sectors, with Bailey having a particular expertise in oil and gas, construction and investment treaty cases.
He is also a Solicitor Advocate, All Higher Courts of England & Wales, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a panel arbitrator of the JCAA, KCAB and SIAC institutions, and a member of the JIDRC Operation Subcommittee, AIPN Japan Sub-Chapter Committee and SIAC Users Council.
“We’ve seen an increased demand for advice relating to arbitration across Southeast Asia, and expect to see this trend continue, particularly given Singapore’s growing status as a major international arbitration hub,” said Martin Green, Singapore office managing partner, Stephenson Harwood. “The addition of a lawyer of Chris’ calibre, who has the international experience advising on disputes across the world, will not only complement our existing arbitration and litigation offering, but will also provide new opportunities for the firm to expand into other markets.”
“Growing the firm’s international arbitration practice is a key focus for us, and the arrival of Chris reflects our ambitions in this area,” said Rovine Chandrasekera, global head of international arbitration, Stephenson Harwood. “His reputation as a leading disputes lawyer, and his experience working in the Japanese, Korean and Singaporean markets, are valuable assets to the firm and our clients, and I look forward to working with him.”
Stephenson Harwood has a recognised market-leading international arbitration practice, known for its expertise in managing complex and substantial arbitrations worldwide. In the past decade, it has handled some of the most high-profile arbitrations, as well as proceedings to enforce, or resist the enforcement of, arbitral awards in various jurisdictions, including before the English, Dubai, Hong Kong and, through its formal alliance partner Virtus Law LLP, the Singapore courts.