Arbitration Chambers Tras Street logo
“A ‘talented individual’ who enjoys a ‘prestigious reputation’ in the international arbitration field.”
  • J.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1986
            o Order of the Coif
            o Thelen-Marrin Prize at graduation for best published scholarship
  • M.A. Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 1986
  • B.A. History, Yale University, 1977
  • Energy Disputes
  • Investment Disputes
  • Construction Law
  • District of Columbia (1990)
  • New York (1987)
  • Paris (2013)
  • Member of Arbitration Chambers (October 2024 – present)
  • Partner, King & Spalding, Paris, France (2009 – 2024)
  • Senior Counsel, Leboeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae (subsequently Dewey & Leboeuf), Paris, France (2007 – 2009)
  • Counsel, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Vienna, Austria (2001 – 2006)
  • Attorney, Appellate Section of the Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. (2001)
  • Associate Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. (1998 – 2001)
  • Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. (1996 – 1997)
  • Deputy Counsel to the President, The White House, Washington, D.C. (1995 – 1996)
  • Associate, Shearman & Sterling LLP, Washington, D.C. (1992 – 1995)
  • Law Clerk to Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. and Justice Thurgood Marshall, The Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D.C. (1990 – 1991)
  • Legal Assistant to Judge Howard M. Holtzmann, Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, The Hague, The Netherlands (1988 – 1990)
  • Law Clerk, Judge Abner J. Mikva, U.S. Courts of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Washington, D.C. (1987 - 1988)
  • Associate, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York, New York (1986 – 1987)
  • Legislative Assistant to Congressman Stanley N. Lundine, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. (1979 – 1982)
  • Legislative Assistant to Congressman Michael J. Harrington, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. (1977 – 1979)
Over the last dozen years, James has served as both presiding arbitrator and co-arbitrator in proceedings covering a wide range of subject matters. Sample cases include:
 
  • Presiding arbitrator in an ICC proceeding involving exercise of stock buyback options in an Asian company;
  • Co-arbitrator in an ICC arbitration arising from a dispute between joint venture partners for the modernization and management of an oil refinery;
  • Presiding arbitrator in an LCIA proceeding involving disputed entitlement to management and performance fees in connection with a property development;
  • Presiding Arbitrator in an LCIA Arbitration arising from a dispute between joint venture partners as to the management of companies within a large conglomerate of enterprises;
  • Co-arbitrator in an SCC arbitration involving alleged breaches of a contract to sell equipment for manufacturing military materiel; and
  • Presiding arbitrator in an ICC proceeding involving claimed breaches of a regional distribution agreement for advanced energy technology.
The following are recent representative matters in which James served as counsel:
 
  • Representing a supplier of heavy machinery in an ICC arbitration arising from an African port development project;
  • Representing a respondent in a UNCITRAL arbitration brought under a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) arising from disputed control of an oil refinery;
  • Representing a European energy company in an ICSID arbitration arising from its failure to receive gas under a long-term supply contract;
  • Advising an international construction joint venture in arbitrations and dispute resolution board proceedings arising from construction of a high-speed rail project;
  • Representing a Middle-Eastern developer in an ICSID arbitration arising from a frustrated urban development project;
  • Representing a European gas company in an ICC arbitration arising from a gas price reopener dispute with an African gas producer;
  • Advising an international construction engineering firm during a dispute review board proceeding on issues arising from construction of a harbor tunnel;
  • Representing a European commodities trader in an ad hoc arbitration arising from a breached agreement for sale and delivery of goods in the CIS;
  • Representing an international construction firm in a dispute concerning asphalt specifications on a road project in Africa;
  • Representing the claimant in an ICC arbitration arising from an aborted geophysical study project in Africa;
  • Representing the owner of an LNG liquefaction facility in arbitrations arising from disputes under a gas supply agreement;
  • Representing a European gas distributor in an ICC arbitration involving operation of a gas price readjustment clause;
  • Representing an international construction engineering firm in arbitrations arising from delay and disruption of a road project in East Africa;
  • Representing a government in an ICC arbitration arising from an attempted privatization of a state-owned power plant;
  • Representing the manufacturer of precision equipment for an industrial glass factory in a Vienna Rules arbitration arising from a dispute with an installation subcontractor;
  • Representing an international construction engineering firm in ICC arbitration arising from its work as electro-mechanical subcontractor on a hydroelectric project in Southeast Asia;
  • Representing western European investors in an ICC arbitration arising from a shareholders' dispute following privatization of a cement plant in eastern Europe;
  • Representing an international construction engineering firm in ICC arbitration arising from construction of a steel tube plant in Europe.
Publications
  • Enforcement of Interim Measures, Chapter 10 in GAR’S GUIDE TO CHALLENGING AND ENFORCING ARBITRATION AWARDS 112 (Law Business Research 2021) (co-authored with R. Chahine).
  • Commentary on the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, Chapter 17 in THE PRACTITIONER'S HANDBOOK ON COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION (3rd ed. Oxford 2019).
  • Party Representation: Does Article 21 Mark a Trend?, vol. 4(2) International Arbitration Review of the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution 329-348 (2018).
  • Interim Measures: The Slow Evolution of Quick Arbitral Relief, vol. 10(4) World Arbitration and Mediation Review 454 (Juris 2016).
  • UNICTRAL Arbitration Rules, Chapter 3 in CONCISE INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION (2nd ed. Kluwer 2015).
  • UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (2010) and UNCITRAL Transparency Rules (2013), chapter in vol. 4 of World Arbitration Reporter (Juris 2014).
  • Interim Measures Under UNCITRAL's Model Law, 7 World Arbitration & Mediation Review 119 (2013).
  • Maximizing Possibilities for Joinder in International Arbitration, in A. Rovine, ed. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION (The Fordham Papers 2011) 104 (2012) (co-author with R. Digon).
  • Generalizing About the Virtues of Specificity: The Surprising Evolution of the Longest Article in the UNCITRAL Model Law, 6 World Arbitration & Mediation Review 7 (2012).
  • 'Manifest Disregard of the Law,' 'Minimum Contacts,' and Forum Non Conveniens: Recent Developments in Judicially-Created Doctrines that May Defeat Enforcement of Arbltral Awards in the U.S. (co-author with B. Love), 2010(3) Paris Arbitration Journal / Les Cahiers de l'Arbitrage 653-696.
  • Plus Ça Change, Plus C'est la Même Chose - Eight Revisions Not Adopted in the 2010 UNCITRAL Rules, 28(4) ASA Bulletin 855
Speaking Engagements
  • Speaker, Rome Arbitration Conference (2024).
  • Co-chair of the conference, CILS’ biennial Salzburg Arbitration Symposium (2024).
  • Speaker, Paris Arbitration Week Conference (2024).
  • Speaker, XVI Belgrade International Arbitration Conference (2024).
  • Speaker, Program on Sanctions and Arbitration organized by the FIDE Foundation, Madrid (2024).
  • Speaker, Swiss Arbitration Summit (2024).
  • Speaker, Roundtable on Reform of Investor-State Dispute Resolution (2024).
  • Speaker, 31st Annual Croatian Arbitration Days (2024).
  • Speaker, London Energy Arbitration Conference (2023).
  • Speaker, 12th Edition of Le Café des Arbitres (“The Arbitrators’ Café”) (2023).
  • Speaker, ITA’s 35th Annual Arbitration Workshop (2023).
  • Speaker, Dutch Arbitration Day (2023).
  • Speaker, Bocconi University Conference About International Investment Arbitration Law and Policy (2023).
  • Speaker, International Arbitration Colloquium (2023).
  • Speaker, London Court of International Arbitration Symposium (2022).
  • Speaker, 37th Annual Symposium of Arbitrators (2022).
  • Speaker, Arbitration Colloquium in Paris (2022).
  • Co-chair of the conference, CILS’ biennial Salzburg Arbitration Symposium (2022).
  • Speaker, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law’s Colloquium (2022).
  • Member, Advisory Board of the Vienna International Arbitration Center
  • Executive Committee Vice Chair and Member, Rule of Law Task Force of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration
  • Deputy Chair, Board of Directors for LCIA
  • English and French 
  • United States 
XS
SM
MD
LG