• Yale Law School, J.D. 1980
• Yale College, B.A. 1977

• International investment law and investor-state arbitration
• International commercial arbitration
• Public international law
• Joint venture and shareholder disputes
• Energy disputes
• Business and human rights and other ESG issues

• New York

• Member of Arbitration Chambers (1 January 2023 – present)
• Partner of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (Associate 1982 – 1988; Partner 1988 – 2022): Co-Chair, International Dispute Resolution Group, for more than 20 years; also Co-Chair, Global Markets Initiative, and Co-Chair, Business Integrity/ ESG Group
• Law Clerk for Hon. Luther M. Swygert, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (September 1980 – September 1981)

Mr. Rivkin has sat as an arbitrator in more than 100 cases, serving as Chair, co-arbitrator and sole arbitrator in arbitrations administered by virtually every major arbitration institution.  The cases have been governed by many different common law, civil law and Islamic law systems.

He has also acted as a mediator in multiple disputes and has served as a court-appointed mediator.

An illustrative list of arbitration cases follows:

• Co-arbitrator, ICSID arbitration between US investor and Central American company
• Chair, ICC arbitration involving investment in biotechnology company
• Chair, ICC arbitration regarding LNG purchase agreement
• Chair, ICC arbitration involving the sale of a South American chemicals company
• Sole arbitrator, ad hoc arbitration of a joint venture dispute
• Co-arbitrator, AAA arbitration involving investment fund creation
• Co-arbitrator, AAA/ICDR arbitration involving renewable energy project
• Co-arbitrator, ICC arbitration involving investments in aviation technology
• Co-arbitrator, ICC arbitration between energy companies
• Co-arbitrator, four related UNCITRAL arbitrations between European investor and Central Asian government and state owned enterprises
• Chair, ICC arbitration involving a biotech merger agreement
• Co-arbitrator, IACAC arbitration by a mining company against a state
• Co-Arbitrator, ICSID arbitration involving contract claims by an investor against a state
• Co-arbitrator, ICC arbitration regarding a contract dispute in the chemicals industry
• Sole arbitrator, SIAC arbitration involving a private equity investment
• Chair, ICC arbitration involving the sale of military technology
• Chair, ICC arbitration of an M&A dispute in an agricultural industry
• Chair, HKIAC arbitration involving a solar energy project
• Chair, SIAC arbitration regarding a telecommunications industry investment agreement
• Chair, AAA/ICDR arbitration of a technology dispute
• Chair, AAA/ICDR arbitration of a distribution agreement of imaging technology
• Co-arbitrator, ICC arbitration of a technology dispute in the chemicals industry
• Chair, ICC arbitration involving royalties for a patent license
• Chair, ICC arbitration regarding a joint venture in the steel industry
• Chair, UNCITRAL arbitration regarding a telecommunications industry investment
• Co-arbitrator, Swiss Arbitration Association case regarding an oil refining joint venture
• Chair, CPR arbitration of a construction dispute
• Chair, LCIA arbitration of an investment agreement
• Chair, LCIA arbitration regarding a mobile offshore drilling unit
• Co-arbitrator, AAA/ICDR arbitration involving medical devices
• Co-arbitrator, AAA/ICDR arbitration of a shareholder dispute in the securities industry
• Chair, AAA/ICDR arbitration of an M&A dispute involving brake technology
• Chair, ICC arbitration of a joint venture in the automobile industry
• Chair, ICC arbitration regarding a hotel joint venture
• Chair, ICC arbitration of a dispute in the defense industry
• Sole arbitrator, LCIA arbitration involving data storage
• Co-arbitrator, AAA/ICDR arbitration involving financial technology
• Chair, AAA/ICDR arbitration of a political risk insurance dispute
• Co-arbitrator, AAA arbitration regarding royalties under a mining agreement
• Chair, ICC arbitration regarding a joint venture for an undersea cable
• Chair, AAA/ICDR arbitration of a film distribution agreement     
• Co-arbitrator, AAA/ICDR arbitration of a joint venture in the steel industry
• Sole arbitrator, AAA/ICDR arbitration of a communications technology agreement
• Chair, AAA/ICDR arbitration involving communications technology
• Chair, AAA/ICDR arbitration of a textile industry joint venture
• Sole arbitrator, AAA/ICDR arbitration regarding a publishing agreement
• Chair, AAA/ICDR arbitration involving laser technology

He has been selected to decide various challenges to arbitrators under LCIA and other rules.

Mr. Rivkin also sat as a Chair, co-arbitrator and sole arbitrator in more than 50 sports arbitrations under the rules of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the AAA.  As a member of the International Council for Arbitration in Sport, he currently serves as Deputy President of the Anti-Doping Division of CAS. These disputes involved doping, Olympics selection, eligibility, corruption and other issues.  He served as an arbitrator at the 2002 Salt Lake City, 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics.  His cases included the following:

• Oscar Pistorius v. International Association of Athletics Federation, CAS 2008/A/1480
• Tyler Hamilton v United States Anti-Doping Agency (“USADA”) & Union Cycliste Internationale, CAS 2005/A/884
• Floyd Landis v USADA, CAS 2007/A/1394
• Maria Sharapova v International Tennis Federation (“ITF”), CAS 2016/A/4643
• ITF v Richard Gasquet; World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) v ITF & Gasquet, CAS 2009/A/1926&1930
• United States Olympic Committee v International Olympic Committee (“IOC”), CAS 2011/O/2422
• British Olympic Association v WADA, CAS 2011/A/2658
• Alain Baxter v IOC, CAS 2002/A/376

Mr. Rivkin acted as counsel for parties in international arbitrations throughout his 41-year practice at Debevoise & Plimpton. Subjects of these arbitrations included long-term energy concessions, investment treaties (acting both for investors and states), joint venture agreements, insurance coverage, construction contracts, distribution agreements and intellectual property, among others, and they involved common law, civil law, Islamic law and other systems. He also regulalrly represented parties in international litigations in U.S. courts.

Investment Treaty Arbitrations and other Public International Law

• Lead counsel to Qatar Airways as claimant in four separate investment arbitrations against the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt
• Lead counsel to Francesco Becchetti and five other Italian investors in ICSID proceedings against Albania, including original, annulment and revision proceedings.  Hydro S.r.l and others v Republic of Albania (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/28)
• Lead counsel to Occidental Petroleum Company and Occidental Exploration and Production Company (“Occidental”) in an ICSID arbitration against Ecuador, including original and annulment proceedings.  Occidental Petroleum Company v Republic of Ecuador (ICSID Case No. ARB/06/11)
• Lead counsel to the Republic of Korea in an ICSID arbitration filed by IPICI and Hanocal. Hanocal Holding B.V. and IPIC International B.V. v. Republic of Korea (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/17)
• Counsel to the State of Qatar and Qatari entities and individuals in proceedings before the International Court of Justice and the International Civil Aeronautics Organization (ICAO) against the United Arab Emirates, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt
• Lead counsel to ExxonMobil and Murphy Oil in a NAFTA claim against the Government of Canada. Mobil Investments Canada v. Canada (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/6)
• Lead counsel to Poštová Banka of Slovakia in investment treaty claims against Greece, including original and annulment proceedings. Postova Banka a.s.et al. v Hellenic Republic (ICSID Case No. ARB/13/8)
• Lead counsel to Occidental Petroleum Corporation in an UNCITRAL arbitration against the Republic of Ecuador
• Lead counsel to the Republic of Korea in claims brought against it by various investors
• Lead counsel to Lao Holdings and Sanum Investments in multiple arbitrations against Laos.  Sanum Investments Ltd. v. Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PCA Case No. 2013-13); Lao Holdings N.V. v. Lao PDR (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/12/6); Government of the Lao PDR v. Lao Holdings NV and Sanum Investments Ltd (SIAC Arb. No. 143-14)
• Lead counsel to the Government of Uzbekistan in an ICSID arbitration brought by Newmont Mining. Newmont USA Limited et al v The Republic of Uzbekistan (ICSID Case No. ARB/06/20)
• Lead counsel to Adel al Tamimi in an ICSID arbitration against the Sultanate of Oman. Al Tamimi v. Oman (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/33)
• Lead counsel to a major U.S. oil company regarding issues arising with respect to its offshore concession as a result of a border dispute between two neighboring countries.
• Lead counsel to African Holding Company in an ICSID arbitration against the Republic of Congo. African Holding Company et al v. Democratic Republic of the Congo (ICSID Case No. ARB/05/21)     
• Lead counsel to Parkerings AG in an ICSID arbitration brought against the Government of Lithuania. Parkerings-Compagniet AS v Republic of Lithuania (ICSID Case No. ARB/05/8)
• Lead counsel to an Asian telecommunications company in claims against the Republic of Indonesia
• Counsel to a multinational oil company in claims against an Asian government
• Counsel to a Turkish construction company in claims against a Gulf state

International Commercial Arbitration

• Lead counsel to a global biopharmaceutical company in a contractual dispute with a commercial counterparty in a major Asian market
• Lead counsel to an Indian conglomerate in an ICC arbitration related to a shareholder dispute arising out of a mining project
• Lead counsel to a leading steel company in the Americas in a dispute arising from an acquisition and related supply agreements
• Lead counsel to an Indian crypto exchange in a dispute involving a purchase and sale agreement and related technology agreements
• Lead counsel to a US pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration against an Italian pharmaceutical company arising from a supply agreement
• Lead counsel to a Japanese trading company in a multi-party ICC arbitration arising from a terminated sales agreement
• Lead counsel to Hyundai Heavy Industries in an ICC arbitration involving disputes between the shareholders of Hyundai Oilbank Ltd. (HDO), South Korea’s fourth largest oil refining and marketing company
• Lead counsel to a leading global engineering and project management company in an UNCITRAL arbitration arising out of the construction of a multibillion-dollar LNG plant and in various other disputes
• Lead counsel to an energy company in a gas pipeline pricing arbitration
• Lead counsel to Occidental Exploration and Production Company in an AAA/ICDR arbitration brought by a Chinese company
• Lead counsel to GlaxoSmithKline in multiple arbitrations arising from joint development agreements, other joint venture agreements, patent and other licensing agreements, royalty agreements and other contracts.
• Lead counsel to a U.S. construction company in an ICC arbitration
• Lead counsel to an Asian steel manufacturer in an ICC arbitration arising from a failed M&A transaction
• Lead counsel to General Electric in resolving disputes with multiple customers whose contracts involving sanctioned countries were cancelled when GE acquired a subsidiary
• Lead counsel to a large United States consulting firm in an arbitration brought by an Italian company in Milan under the rules of the Milan Chamber of Arbitration
• Lead counsel to CIMC Raffles in an AAA arbitration brought against a Brazilian company arising from investment agreements
• Lead counsel to Overseas Private Investment Corporation in many different political risk insurance coverage arbitrations
• Lead counsel to a U.S. telecommunications company in an AAA/ICDR arbitration against a European telecommunications company relating to an undersea cable in Latin America
• Lead counsel to a U.S. insurance company in an arbitration in Hong Kong arising from the sale of a business to a Chinese entity
• Lead counsel to a U.S. commodities trading company in an LCIA arbitration and in a related litigation in the Dubai International Financial Center Court
• Lead counsel to a tire manufacturing company in an AAA/ICDR arbitration involving a contract to provide tires for a mining equipment manufacturer
• Lead counsel to a Hong Kong-based oil and gas exploration company in a dispute arising out of a Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) to develop and explore an Indonesian oil and gas block
• Lead counsel to the Bank of New York in an arbitration arising from a financial services joint venture
• Lead counsel to a U.S. chemical manufacturer in an LCIA arbitration against its liability insurer

Selected Recognitions and Rankings

• Chambers Global, Arbitration (International) – Band 1
• Chambers USA, Arbitration (International) – Band 1
• Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration – Global Elite Thought Leader
• Legal 500 US, International Arbitration – Hall of Fame
• Legal 500 US, International Litigation – Hall of Fame
• Equivalent rankings in similar guides and publications
• Named Litigation Trailblazer by the National Law Journal (2015)
• Named one of two Global Lawyers of the Year by the American Lawyer’s Am Law Litigation Daily (2012)
• Named one of the US’s “Most Influential Attorneys” by the National Law Journal (2011)
• Chambers Award for Excellence in International Arbitration (2006) (inaugural co-recipient with Donald Francis Donovan)

Chambers publications have described him as “the best arbitration practitioner anywhere,”  “a true giant in the field, whose depth of knowledge is incredible,” “an accomplished arbitrator” who has demonstrated “aptitude for complex, high-stakes disputes,” and “an extraordinarily bright, thoughtful and clear advocate.” Mr. Rivkin has also routinely received the top recognition in Legal 500, which has praised him as “a brilliant lawyer and tactician” whose “oral advocacy was the best I have ever seen,”  and in other publications such as Who’s Who Legal and Euromoney.

• Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), Co-Chair since 2020
• International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS), Deputy President of Anti-Doping Division since 2019; member of its Panel of Arbitrators from 1998 – 2019; appointed as an arbitrator for the Beijing Summer Olympics (2008), Athens Summer Olympics (2004), and Salt Lake City Winter Olympics (2002)
• Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA), former Council Member
• Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA), Council Member since 2016
• MCCI Mauritius Arbitration and Mediation Centre (MARC), Court Member since 2017
• ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, Task Force on ADR and Arbitration, Member; past member of the Commission and the Task Force on E-Discovery
• Stockholm Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Institute (SCC), Vice Chair from 2012 – 2017 and Member of the Board of Directors from 2006 – 2017
• Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC), Former Member of the Board of Directors
• American Arbitration Association (AAA), Former member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and at various times Chair of the Law Committee, the International Section of the Arbitration Committee, Task Forces on Revisions of International and Commercial Arbitration Rules, and of the Board of Advisors of ADR Currents, and a member of the Task Force on Guidelines for Disclosure of Documents
• London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), former member of the LCIA Court, including as Vice President of the Court; Past President of North American Users’ Council
• Fédération International de l’Automobile (FIA), Former Judge of the International Tribunal
• International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), Member of the Arbitration Committee and past member of the Task Force on Disclosure of Documents and Presentation of Witnesses
• Center for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), former consultant on the Independent Accountability Mechanism Rules for business and human rights disputes; past member of the Commission on Settlement in International Arbitration, which issued a report to provide mechanisms to encourage settlements; current adviser
• Centro Internacional de Arbitraje, Mediacion y Negociacion of the Instituto Universitario de Estudios Europeos, Universidad de San Pablo (Madrid), former member of the Advisory Committee, and presented its first Grotius Lecture in 2007
• College of Commercial Arbitrators, Founding Fellow
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, (CIArb), Fellow and formerly member of the International Committee
• Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA), Past member of the Advisory Board of Directors
• Swiss Arbitration Association, member

Mr. Rivkin serves on many arbitration panels, including some of the institutions listed above, as well as the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, Shanghai International Arbitration Centre, Chinese International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, and the Cairo Regional Arbitration Centre.

• Technology and Arbitration: Revisiting the Paradigms of Case Management, in 20^th ICC Institute Dossier  (ICC 2023), including the Town Elder Arbitration Rules
• How Can Investment Treaty Arbitration Best Serve Its Goals, in The Plurality and Synergies of Legal Traditions in International Arbitration (Kluwer 2024) (with Natalie L. Reid)
• International Commercial Arbitration: A Primer for US Litigators in International Litigation Strategies and Practice (3d ed. ABA 2023) (with Christopher K. Tahbaz, Dietmar W. Prager)
• The Role of the Courts Outside the Seat of Arbitration: Achieving the Proper Balance Between Support and Interference, 24(1) Asian Disp. Rev. 4 (2022) (with Cameron Sim)
• Chapter 28: Reconsidering the Role of Legal Experts as a Means to Greater Arbitral Efficiency, in Julie Bédard and Patrick W. Pearsall (eds.), Reflections on International Arbitration - Essays in Honour of Professor George Bermann (Juris 2022) (with Donald Francis Donovan, Catherine M. Amirfar, Natalie L. Reid)
• Chapter 3: Asia Leading the World into the Twenty-First Century: A Survey of Developments and Innovation in International Arbitration in Asia, in Neil Kaplan et al. (eds.), International Arbitration: When East Meets West: Liber Amicorum Michael Moser (Kluwer 2020) (with Donald Francis Donovan, Lord (Peter) Goldsmith, Christopher K. Tahbaz)
• In Conversation with… David Rivkin, IBA 2020 Virtually Together, https://www.ibanet.org/Conferences/480819963
• Foreword, in Sherlin Tung et al. (eds.), Finances in International Arbitration: Liber Amicorum Patricia Shaughnessy (Kluwer 2019)
• Chapter 7: Jurisdictional Findings on Provisional Measures Applications in International Arbitration, in Neil Kaplan CBE QC SBS and Michael Moser (eds.), Jurisdiction, Admissibility and Choice of Law in International Arbitration: Liber Amicorum Michael Pryles (Kluwer 2018) (with Donald Francis Donovan, Christopher K. Tahbaz)
• Foreword, in Patricia Shaughnessy and Sherlin Tung (eds.), The Powers and Duties of an Arbitrator: Liber Amicorum Pierre A. Karrer (Juris 2017) (with John Beechey)
• Arbitrating in the Middle East: The Taba Award, in Ulf Franke, Annette Magnusson and Joel Dahlquist (eds.), Arbitrating for Peace: How Arbitration Made a Difference (Kluwer 2016)
• Investor-State Arbitration (ISDS) and the New York Convention, 82(1) Int’l J. Arb., Mediation & Disp. Mgmt. 34 (2016)
• Keynote Address: A New Contract Between Arbitrators and Parties, 18(1) Asian Disp. Rev. 4 (2016)
• Special Issue: Climate Change Justice: Challenges and Opportunities: Introduction, 34 J. Energy & Nat. Resources L. 5 (2016)
• Foreword to the Second Edition, in Stefan Kröll et al. (eds), Arbitration in Germany: The Model Law in Practice (Kluwer 2015)
• The Role of the Tribunal in Controlling Arbitral Costs, 81(2). Int’l J. Arb., Mediation & Disp. Mgmt. 116 (2015) (with Samantha J. Rowe)
• Re-evaluating Provisional Measures through the Lens of Efficiency and Justice, in Andrea Carlevaris et al. (eds.), International Arbitration Under Review – Essays in Honour of John Beechey (ICC 2015)
• The Future of Investor-State Dispute Settlement in the Energy Sector: Engaging with Climate Change, Human Rights and the Rule of Law, 8(2) J. World Energy L. & Bus. 130 (Oxford 2015) (with Sophie J. Lamb, Nicola K. Leslie)
• Chapter 6: Determining Compensation for Expropriation in Treaty-Based Oil & Gas Arbitrations, in James M. Gaitis (ed.), The Leading Practitioners’ Guide to International Oil & Gas Arbitration (2015) (with Floriane Lavaud)
• IBA President David Rivkin’s Annual Conference Address, IBA Conference Vienna (2015), https://www.ibanet.org/article/6530118F-25B5-49F5-81FF-C2FE21ABDEFB   
• Ethics in International Arbitration, 2^nd Annual Seoul Arbitration Lecture (2014), www.debevoise.com/news/2014/12/david-rivkin-seoul-arbitration-lecture
• Arbitration and Enforcement in the United States, in Arbitration Review of the Americas (GAR Special Report 2014) (with Catherine M. Amirfar)
• Chapter 12: Recognition and Enforcement of Awards, in David Joseph KC and David Foxton KC (eds.), Singapore International Arbitration: Law & Practice (Lexis Nexis 2014) (with Christopher K. Tahbaz)
• Who Decides Arbitrability? A Resurgence of the Debate in the United States, in Arbitration Review of the Americas (GAR Special Report 2013) (with Catherine M. Amirfar)
• Chapter I.5: Procedural Issues to Consider, in Daniel M. Kolkey et al. (eds.), Practitioner's Handbook On International Arbitration And Mediation - 3rd Edn. (Juris 2012)
• The Impact of International Arbitration on the Rule of Law: The 2012 Clayton Utz/University of Sydney International Arbitration Lecture, 29(3) Arb. Int’l 327 (2013) (adapted from the Clayton Utz/University of Sydney International Arbitration Lecture 2012, delivered on 13 November 2012)
• The Revised IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence, in Athur W. Rovine (ed.), Contemporary Issues in International Arbitration and Mediation: The Fordham Papers (Martinus Nijhoff 2012)
• A Survey of Transnational Legal Principles in the U.S. Courts, 5(2) World Arb. Mediation Rev. 24 (2011)
• Obtaining Evidence for Use in International Arbitrations Through United States Courts, in Arbitration Review of the Americas (GAR Special Report 2011) (with Catherine M. Amirfar and Donald Francis Donovan)
• Towards a Unified Approach to the Law Applicable to the Arbitration Agreement in United States Courts, in K. Hobér et. al (eds.), Between East and West: Essays in Honor of Ulf Franke (Juris 2010) (with Donald Francis Donovan)
• Chapter 6: Strategic Considerations in Developing an International Arbitration Case, in Doak Bishop and Edward G. Kehoe (eds.), The Art of Advocacy in International Arbitration – 2nd edn. (Juris 2010)
• The Application of New York Law to Contracts, in James H. Carter and John Fellas (eds.), International Commercial Arbitration in New York (Oxford 2010) (with Mark W. Friedman, and William H. Taft V)
• Promoting Efficiency in International Arbitration, Iberian Lawyer (2010)
• Chapter 7: Attachment and Execution on Commercial Assets, in Raymond Doak Bishop (ed.), Enforcement of Arbitral Awards Against Sovereigns (Juris 2009)
• Towards a New Paradigm in International Arbitration: The Town Elder Model Revisited, 24(3) Arb. Int’l 375 (2008)
• Chapter 4: The Role of Institutions in Investor-State Arbitration, in Michael Moser (ed.), Investor-State Arbitration – Lessons for Asia (Juris 2008)
• The Public Policy Exception to the Enforcement of International Arbitral Awards, 2 Stockholm Int'l Arb. Rev. (2008)
• Welcome Address for IBA International Arbitration Day, 2 Disp. Resol. Int’l. (2008)
• Protecting Both the FAA and Party Autonomy: The Hall Street Decision, 17(4) Am. Rev. Int’l Arb 8 (2006)
• The Impact of Parallel and Successive Proceedings on the Enforcement of Arbitral Awards, in Bernardo M. Cremades and Julian D.M. Lew (eds.), Parallel State and Arbitral procedures in International arbitration – Institute Dossier III (ICC 2005)
• A Growing Challenge for Ethics in International Arbitration, in Anne Marie Whitesell et al. (eds.), Global Reflections on International Law, Commerce and Dispute Resolution: Liber Amicorum in honour of Robert Briner (ICC 2005) (with Emilio Cardenas)
• Forum Non Conveniens: A Doctrine on the Move, 5 Bus. L. Int'l 1 (2004) (with Suzanne M. Grosso)
• Henri C. Alvarez, Neil Kaplan and David W. Rivkin, Model Law Decisions: Cases Applying UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (1985-2001) (Kluwer 2002)
• International Bar Association IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Commercial Arbitration, XXIVa Y.B. Com. Arb. (1999)
• Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in North American Jurisdictions, in Luis Miguel Diaz et al. (eds.), Commercial Mediation and Arbitration in the NAFTA Countries (Juris 1999)
• David W. Rivkin and Chares Platto (eds.), Litigation and Arbitration in Central and Eastern Europe (Kluwer 1998)
• Attempts to Use Section 1782 to Obtain US Discovery in Aid of Foreign Arbitrations, 14(2) Arb. Int’l 213 (1998) (with Barton Legum)
• International Arbitration Day, 26 Int'l Bus. Law. 28 (1998) (with Wolfgang Kühn)
• United States – A Special Report Prepared by David W Rivkin, Donald Francis Donovan and Barton Legum of Debevoise & Plimpton, New York, 1994 Int'l Fin. L. Rev. 47 (1994)
• Enforceability of Arbitral Awards Based on Lex Mercatoria, 9(1) Arb. Int’l 67 (1993)
• United States – A Special Report Prepared by David W Rivkin, Donald Francis Donovan and Frances L Kellner of Debevoise & Plimpton, New York, 12 Int'l Fin. L. Rev. 41 (1993)
• United States – A Special Report Prepared by Ralph C. Ferrara, Eric D Roiter, Michael E Wiles, and David W Rivkin of Debevoise & Plimpton, New York and Washington, 1991 Int’l. Fin L. Rev 34 (1991)
• Restrictions on Foreign Counsel in International Arbitrations, XVI Y.B. Com. Arb. (1991)
• In Support of the F.A.A.: An Argument Against U.S. Adoption of the UNCITRAL Model Law, 4(1) Am. Rev. Int’l Arb (1990)
• Keeping Lawyers Out of International Arbitrations, 9 Int’l. Fin L. Rev. 11 (1990)
• Contracts for the International Sale of Minerals, 2 J. Int'l Arb. 49 (1985) (with Robert B. von Mehren)

Government Appointments

• U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy Subcommittee on Sanctions, Member (2010 – 2020)
• U.S. Secretary of State Advisory Committee on Private International Law, Member (1990 – 2022)
• NAFTA Advisory Committee on Private Commercial Disputes, one of eight initial private U.S. representatives on committee established by free trade agreement (1994 – 1999)
• U.S. Department of State Committee to negotiate through the Hague Conference on International Law a worldwide convention on jurisdiction and on enforcement of judgements, Member (1990s)
• Appellate Division, First Department (New York), Special Master to mediate appellate disputes (1990s and 2000s)

Bar Associations

• International Bar Association: President in 2015 and 2016 of the world’s largest international lawyers’ association, comprised of more than 100,000 lawyers from more than 170 countries and approximately 200 bar associations and law societies -- the first American to serve in that position in a quarter of a century. Mr. Rivkin served as its Secretary-General in 2011 – 2012 and Vice President in 2013 – 2014; he served as Chair of its Legal Practice Division (comprising more than 50 substantive committees) in 2007 – 2008, also the first American to serve in that position; member of the Council of the Human Rights Institute; President of the IBA Foundation; and Chair of the Arbitration Committee.  In these positions, Mr. Rivkin has led various law reform efforts and worked with leading lawyers, bar associations and government officials worldwide.
• American Bar Association: Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and served for more than 20 years in many leadership positions, such as the Presidential Task Force on Global Membership; Co-Managing Director of the Litigation Section; Chair of its International Litigation Committee; Chairs of meetings in London, Hong Kong and elsewhere; and a member of the Presidential Task Force on GATT Trade & Services Agreement Negotiations, Standing Committee on World Order Under Law, and Task Force on Broker-Dealer Supervision and Compliance
• Association of the Bar of the City of New York: past member of its Committee on the United States in a Global Economy, Committee on International Trade, and Task Force on International Commercial Arbitration Moot, among other activities
• International Law Association (American Branch): Served on its Executive Committee and as Co-Chair of the Committee on International Commercial Arbitration

Other non-governmental organisations

• Council on Foreign Relations: Member; served on the Advisory Committee for Deterring State Sponsorship of Nuclear Terrorism (published September 2008)
• American Law Institute: Member of the Council (composed of judges, academics and private practitioners, which is responsible for approving every ALI Restatement) from 2009-2024.  Served as one of eight Counselors to the Restatement Fourth on Foreign Relations Law, and as an Adviser to the Restatement of the Law of International Arbitration.  Previously acted as an Adviser on Transnational Rules of Civil Procedure
• BritishAmericanBusiness: Past Member of the Board of Directors
• Human Trafficking Legal Center: Member of Board of Directors of organization to fight human trafficking
• Eyewitness to Atrocities: Founding and continuing Board member of IBA-developed app to document war crimes and crimes against humanity in a manner that can be readily used as evidence in criminal proceedings
• Ikamva Labantu: Served on the Board of Directors of the U.S. arm of a South African NGO responsible for 1000+ education, economic and health empowerment projects  (2003 – 2008)
• James Beard Foundation: Trustee of foundation devoted to promoting culinary arts in United States and abroad
• Magna Carta Trust: Trustee on committee organizing celebrations for 800th anniversary of the Magna Carter in 2015
• Yale University, President’s Council on International Activities: Advises University President on developing, improving and promoting educational activities throughout the world

English

United States