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Christopher Bloch
Senior Associate
Christopher Bloch is a senior associate in the International Dispute Resolution Practice Group, based in our Singapore office. He represents parties in international commercial and investment arbitration proceedings across a range of sectors, including the energy, natural resources and telecommunications industries, and has significant experience in the Asia Pacific region.
Before joining the firm, Christopher was a member of the Secretariat of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). At SIAC, he oversaw the administration of approximately 250 international arbitrations proceeding under the SIAC and UNCITRAL Rules related to a broad spectrum of industries, including energy, construction, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and shipping/shipbuilding. He assisted the SIAC Court in the drafting of the 2016 revision to the SIAC Rules, as well as the 2017 SIAC Investment Arbitration Rules.
Prior to his time in the SIAC Secretariat, Christopher worked as an associate in the international arbitration group of a leading US law firm in Singapore and in the physical oil and gas trading group at an investment bank in New York. He has also served as a tribunal secretary in the chambers of an independent arbitrator in Singapore and is a member of the Young ICCA Task Force on the Appointment and Use of Arbitral Secretaries and co-author of the Young ICCA Guide on the Use and Appointment of Arbitral Secretaries.
During law school, he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Pace Law Review, the President of the Student Bar Association, practiced pro bono securities arbitration at the Pace Investor Rights Clinic, and worked as a research scholar at the Institute of International Commercial Law.
- Acted for a production sharing contractor in an ICC arbitration in Paris involving more than a dozen other parties concerning LNG sales and supply agreements in Indonesia. Amount in dispute well over US$100 million.
- Acted for a software developer in an SIAC arbitration in Singapore against an energy trading company arising out of the development and implementation of a customised trading platform (ETRM). Amount in dispute over US$10 million.
- Acted in an ICC arbitration in Singapore against an Asian telecommunications company concerning a dispute arising over the design of a satellite communications project.
- Represented the local subsidiary of an Australian mining services company in an SIAC arbitration worth more than US$30 million over the improper termination of a services contract and issues of force majeure concerning an Indian mining project, obtaining a successful settlement for our client.
- Acted for the joint venture EPC contractors delivering the onshore LNG liquefaction facilities in a complex construction dispute in a multibillion-US dollar ICC dispute involving various claims, including delay and defects.
- Acting for the claimant, an Asian LNG buyer, in one of the first major Asia-based LNG price reviews known to proceed to arbitration in the region, administered under the SIAC Rules and worth hundreds of millions of US dollars.
- Acting for the claimant, the local subsidiary of a US renewable energy company, in an ICC arbitration in which our client is seeking damages for the improper termination of a power purchase agreement related to the development of a large-scale, grid-tied solar power plant in South Asia valued at several hundred million US dollars involving issues of force majeure.
- Representing a North American satellite company in a series of parallel arbitrations arising out of a project for the design, engineering, and production of a national telecommunications satellite for a national space programme in Europe disrupted by issues of force majeure and international sanctions, successfully defending our client against claims of over US$230 million and pursuing parallel claims against various sub-contractors, including a national space agency.
- Acting for an investment company pursuing claims in an SIAC arising out of non-disclosure and non-circumvention agreements related to the exploration of a Russian coal mine.
- Defending the owner-operator of one of the largest copper and gold mines in Mongolia in an ICC arbitration over the purported revocation of a licence agreement and disputed royalties related to a large mining project in North East Asia.
- Acting for the local subsidiary of a Japanese medical services company in an SIAC arbitration against a Mongolian SOE for damages for the wrongful termination of a long-term hospital management contract.
- Acting as counsel in several investor-state arbitrations under various arbitral rules, including the ICSID, UNCITRAL and ICC Rules.
Education
- Pace University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2010
- Loyola College in Maryland, B.A., 2006
Admissions
- New York, 2011
- Singapore (Registered Foreign Lawyer)
- Recognized in Asian Legal Business Singapore Rising Stars, 2022
Publications
- Co-Author, “The Entry into Force of International Investment Agreements: More Than Meets the Eye?” (Ch. 10), in The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties in Investor-State Disputes: History, Evolution and Future (2022, Kluwer Law International).
- Author, “The Institutional Perspective: Invaluable Lessons from Inside an Arbitral Institution”, Singapore Law Gazette, August 2020.
- Co-author, “The Third-Party Funding Framework: The Ever-Evolving Singapore,” Asia-Pacific Forum for International Arbitration Blog, March 2017.
- Co-author, Young ICCA Guide on Arbitral Secretaries, ICCA Reports No. 1, 2014.
- Co-author, “ICC Hybrid Arbitrations Here to Stay: Singapore Courts’ Treatment of the ICC Rules Revisions in Articles 1(2) & 6(2),” 31 Journal of International Arbitration 393, 2014.
- Co-author, “Drafting Step Clauses: An Empirical Look at Practicality & Legality,” Institute of International Commercial Law, 2010.
- Co-author, “Cross-Border Commerce and Online Dispute Resolution: Emerging International Legislative & Systemic Developments,” N.Y. Dispute Resolution Lawyer, 2010.
- Co-author, “Arbitration Case Law Update 2011,” Securities Arbitration, Practicing Law Institute, 2011.
Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, International Colloquium on “Dispute Resolution: Understanding Challenges, Approaches and Opportunities in India and Singapore”, Maharashtra National Law University, Centre for Advanced Legal Studies, Training and Research, 25 April 2022.
- Presenter, “The Launch of the Omani Centre of International Arbitration,” Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry, February 2019.
- Panelist, “Managing Investor Risks – International Arbitration,” Energy Council’s APAC Energy Assembly, January 2019.
- Panelist, “Hot Topics in International Arbitration,” HIALSA Seminar, Harvard Law School, November 2018.
- Guest Lecturer, “Institutional Perspective to International Arbitration: SIAC,” National University of Singapore, September 2018.
- Panelist, “SIAC-CIArb Workshop Series: Arbitration at the SIAC: The Inside Track,” CIArb Singapore, 2018.
- Panelist, “Document Management & Production in International Arbitration,” Young ICCA Skills Training Workshop, 2017.
- Panelist, “Introducing a New Framework for Selecting a Dispute Resolution Mechanism,” Corporate Counsel Forum, 2017.
- Panelist, “Ethical & Cultural Issues in International Arbitration,” AFIA’s 48th International Arbitration Symposium, 2017.
- Guest Lecturer, “Institutional & Ad Hoc Arbitration,” Pace University School of Law, 2017.
- Host, “Evolution and Innovation: Keeping Pace with the Future of Arbitration,” Young SIAC Conference, 2017.
- Panelist, “The Role of Arbitral Secretaries,” Georgetown Law Center International Arbitration Month, 2016.
- Panelist, “Perspectives on the Use of Arbitral Secretaries: A Debate and Discussion,” Freshfields London, 2015.