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Jérôme Lehucher
Partner
Jérôme Lehucher is a partner in the International Dispute Resolution Practice Group. His practice focuses on investment arbitration, international commercial arbitration and international oil and gas transactions.
Jérôme has acted as counsel for Central Asian, Latin American and African states and state-owned entities, as well as private sector companies in dozens of ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC and SCC arbitrations, in the energy, mining, agricultural, pharmaceutical, construction, telecommunication, automotive and technology sectors, with disputed amounts ranging from US$30 million to over US$30 billion. Jérôme has also advised clients in enforcement and annulment proceedings of international arbitral awards, in the negotiation and performance of their petroleum contracts, as well as in the structuration and protection of their foreign investments.
Prior to joining the firm in 2020, Jérôme practiced for more than 15 years at leading international arbitration law firms in Paris, New York and Buenos Aires. He is admitted to practice in both Paris and New York and is trilingual.
Jérôme has been ranked as a Future Leader in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration since 2020 and was ranked as one of the ten Next Generation Partners in France by The Legal 500 in 2022. He has been recognised by peers and clients as a “real fighter with expertise in investment arbitration”, a “hard working professional”, and a “star in the field (including treaty arbitration)”, with “specialist knowledge of public international law”, a “phenomenal”, capacity for work and “an unbeatable intellect”.
- Counsel for the Republic of Kazakhstan in a multibillion UNCITRAL arbitration arising out of a consortium of oil majors’ alleged failure to develop an oil field, recovery of costs in breach of their obligations under a production sharing agreement and multiple breaches of their environmental obligations.
- Counsel for the Republic of Kazakhstan in a US$2 billion ICSID arbitration initiated by a Kazakh oil company, under the US-Kazakhstan BIT, in connection with the termination of an oil exploration and production contract.
- Counsel for the Republic of Kazakhstan in a US$1 billion ICSID arbitration initiated by a Kazakh oil company and its majority shareholder in connection with the termination of an oil exploration and production contract, as well as in proceedings for the annulment of the award before ICSID.
- Counsel for the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kazakh NOC in two parallel US$2 billion UNCITRAL arbitrations against a consortium of oil majors in connection with the alleged breach of the cost recovery and tax stabilization provisions in a PSA.
- Counsel for the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kazakh NOC in a US$4 billion UNCITRAL arbitration against a consortium of oil majors in connection with the alleged breach by the consortium of the profit sharing provisions in a PSA.
- Counsel for the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kazakh NOC in an UNCITRAL arbitration against a consortium of oil majors in connection with the alleged breach by the consortium of the cost recovery provisions in a PSA.
- Counsel for the Republic of Kazakhstan in an ICSID arbitration initiated by US and UK nationals, under the US-Kazakhstan and the UK-Kazakhstan BITs, in connection with the alleged expropriation of their shares in a pharmaceutical company.
- Counsel for the Republic of Kazakhstan in an UNCITRAL arbitration initiated by a Kazakh company, in connection with the alleged expropriation of a poultry business, as well as in proceedings for the annulment of the international arbitral award before the London High Court.
- Counsel for Turkmenistan in a US$2 billion ICSID arbitration initiated by a Russian telecommunication company under the Russia-Turkmenistan BIT, in connection with the termination of various contracts.
- Counsel for Turkmenistan in a US$60 million ICSID arbitration initiated by a German national under the Germany-Turkmenistan BIT, in connection with the alleged expropriation of a poultry business, as well as in proceedings for the annulment of the award before ICSID.
- Counsel for Turkmenistan in ICSID arbitration initiated by a Turkish company under the Turkey-Turkmenistan BIT, in connection with the alleged expropriation of its rights under major construction contracts.
- Counsel for Turkmenistan in a US$40 million ICSID arbitration initiated by a German company under the Germany-Turkmenistan BIT, in connection with the alleged expropriation of its rights under major construction contracts.
- Counsel for a Turkmen state-owned mining company in a US$1.5 billion SCC arbitration initiated against a Belarus company, in connection with a turn-key contract for the design, construction and delivery of a mining facility.
- Counsel for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in several ICSID arbitrations initiated by oil majors in connection with different oil projects.
- Counsel for PDVSA, the Venezuelan NOC, in a US$265 million ICC arbitration against another NOC in connection with the alleged breach of a refinancing agreement.
- Counsel for the Republic of Benin in a US$35 million ICSID arbitration initiated by seven companies under Benin’s foreign investment laws, in connection with the construction of a hotel complex.
- Counsel for an oil company in an ICC arbitration and parallel proceedings before the London High Court initiated by an African state national oil company in connection with the payment for shares in an oil permit.
- Counsel for a Russian national in connection with a potential US$620 million UNCITRAL arbitration against a state arising out of the confiscation by the state of bonds and monies in violation of the state’s obligations under a BIT.
- Counsel for a multinational mining company in connection with potential billion ICSID and ICC arbitrations arising out of the violation by an African state of its obligations under a BIT following the adoption of new taxes immediately applicable to current mining projects.
- Counsel for a mining company in a dispute with an Eastern European state in connection with the granting by the state of two mining exploitation permits.
- Counsel for an oil company in a pre-arbitration dispute with a West African state arising out of the renewal of the exploration phase of an exploration and production sharing agreement.
- Counsel for a major engineering and construction company in connection with an ICC arbitration against an African state-owned consortium, arising out of the operation of a power plant.
- Counsel for a national oil and gas company in connection with the potential enforcement in France of a billion-award rendered against another national oil and gas company.
Education
- Northwestern University School of Law, LL.M., 2008
- Université Paris V – René Descartes, Master II (DESS) in International Business Law, 2003
- Université Paris II Panthéon - Assas, Master I (Maîtrise) in Private Law, 2002
Admissions
- Paris, 2018
- New York, 2008
Languages
- French
- English
- Spanish
- Recognised in The Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist: France 2023
- Recognised as a Future Leader in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration since 2020 in the Future Leaders – Partners category, France
- Recognised as Next Generation Partner in The Legal 500 2022, France
- Speaker, “State Representation”, African Arbitration Academy, London, June 2023.
- Moderator, “Arbitration in Africa and Africa in Arbitration”, Paris Arbitration Week, September 2021.
- Co-author, “Commercial Arbitration: France”, GAR Know-How, 2018-2020.
- Moderator, “Artificial Intelligence in International Arbitration”, Paris Arbitration Week, 2019.
- Speaker, “Party-Appointed Arbitrators: Has the Time Come to Rethink?” 3rd CARDS Tour de Arbitration, 2019.
- Co-author, “Mining Arbitration in Central Asia”, GAR Guide to Mining Arbitration, 2019.
- Speaker, “How to Promote Efficiency and Contain Costs in International Arbitration”, Kazakh National Chamber of Commerce, 2018.
- Lecturer, “Introduction to International Arbitration”, International Business Development MBA, ICD International Business School, 2018.
- Lecturer, training programs on international law, arbitration and investment treaties for the Libyan National Oil Corporation, 2016-2017.
- Regular speaker, CILS Biennial International Arbitration Symposium, Salzburg, since 2014.