John is admitted as a Solicitor in England & Wales and the Republic of Ireland. He has assisted clients in relation to disputes concerning construction, corporate/commercial, development, energy, investment treaty, IP, and telecommunications matters.

John has worked with the international arbitration practices of international firms in both London and Paris, including King & Spalding, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Skadden, Arps Slate Meagher & Flom. He has served as a legal officer with the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) in Geneva, a subsidiary organ of the United Nations Security Council, as well as working as a partner with a top-tier commercial law firm in his native Ireland.

In addition to his work as counsel, John is a member of a number of international and domestic arbitration panels and sits as an arbitrator in DIAC disputes, WIPO domain name disputes, and as an Expert in ICC Expertise proceedings.

John has published and spoken widely on international dispute resolution, including contributions to a number of leading textbooks.

John has advised in matters seated around the world under a variety of rules, including the DIAC, ADCCAC, ICC, UNCITRAL, and LCIA rules, as well as ad hoc proceedings. He is ranked as “Gold” as an Arbitrator on the Newton Arbitration platform, listed in the Euromoney Guide to Leading Commercial Arbitration Experts (10th ed.) and Who’s Who Legal (2016).

• Leading Abu Dhabi master developer in numerous ADCCAC arbitrations
• Abu Dhabi government entity in a dispute with a UAE company concerning the construction of a photovoltaic plant (ADCCAC arbitration, Abu Dhabi seat)
• International industrial service provider in a dispute with a Korean contractor on major infrastructure project in Abu Dhabi (ICC arbitration, Abu Dhabi seat)
• Subsidiary of Abu Dhabi industrial group in a franchise-related arbitration (Ad hoc, Montreal seat);
• Abu Dhabi investment bank and asset manager in a BCDR-AAA arbitration

Honours:

• Nominated for the 2018 Global Arbitration Review (GAR) Award for Innovation
• Member of the Sounding Board, Business and Human Rights Arbitration Project
• Member, ICC Commission for Arbitration and ADR
• Country Reporter for the UAE, ITA Board of Reporters
• Visiting Lecturer, International Commercial Arbitration, Paris Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi
• Editorial Board, Law Update (Al Tamimi & Company publication)
• ICCA Ambassador – ICCA Congress, Mauritius, May 2016
• Reporter for European Parliament Study on Arbitration
• Rapporteur for the popular OGEMID Listserv, and Associate Editor, TDM
• Former Case Notes Editor of the European International Arbitration Review
• Member of the Drafting Committee for the 2011, 2015 Skadden, Arps FDI Moot
• Listed in Who’s Who Legal (for Arbitration, Construction), Roster of International Arbitrators, and Euromoney Guide to Leading Commercial Arbitration Experts.

Publications:

Books:

• Part V (Court Decisions) of Yearbook Commercial Arbitration Volume XLII (2017)(with M. Nasreddine)
• UAE Chapter in Commercial Arbitration, Global Arbitration Review (2018)(co-author with T Snider and D Al Houti)
• Chapter entitled ‘Overview of Recent EU-Related Developments in Commercial and Investor-State Arbitration’, in Contemporary Issues in International Arbitration and Mediation: The Fordham Papers 2015 (ed. Rovine)(2016)
• Co-Editor, “Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the European Union and Canada (CETA)”, TDM 1 (2016)
• National Report on Ireland in World Arbitration Reporter (2018)(with E. Crowley)
• Chapter entitled ‘European Bilateral Approaches’ in International Investment Law: A Handbook (ed. Bungenberg, Griebel et al) (2015) (with Z. Akcay)
• Chapter entitled ‘How Important Is It To Develop A Coherent Case Law?: The Role Of Judicial Dialogue In Investment Arbitration’ in Droit européen (Le) et l’investissement, Colloque (2011)
• Chapter entitled ‘Going to Pieces without Falling Apart: Wälde’s Defence of ‘Specialisation’ in the Interpretation of Investment Treaties’ in Liber Amicorum: Thomas Walde, Law Beyond Conventional Thought, edited by Thomas Wälde, Jacques Werner and Arif Hyder Ali (2009)
• Chapter on ‘Enforcement’ in Practical Aspects Of Arbitrating EC Competition Law (Schulthess, Zurich) (with S. Wade) (2007)
• Chapter on ‘Ireland’ in Transnational Litigation: A Practitioner’s Guide, (ed. John Fellas) (co-author with A. Collins and P.A. McDermott) (2006).

Articles:

• “The Arbitral Jurisdiction of the Abu Dhabi Global Market”, ICC Institute Newsletter – Issue 11, December 20, 2018
• Overview of the UAE Federal Arbitration Law No. 6 of 2018, (4 October 2018, Kluwer Arbitration ITA Arbitration Report, Volume No. XVI, Issue No. 9)
• “X v. Y, Court of First Instance of Dubai, 1289 of 2018, 19 September 2018”, (Kluwer Arbitration ITA Arbitration Report, Volume No. XVI, Issue No. 11-12)
• “Slovak Republic v. Achmea: A Disproportionate Judgment?”, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, Sep 14, 2018
• “Could BITs and BATs be combined to ensure access to human rights remedies?”, Columbia FDI Perspectives, No. 229, July 2, 2018
• “Has the Time come for Full and Frank Financial Disclosure in International Commercial Arbitration?,” ICC Institute Newsletter (2017) (nominated for GAR Award)
• “Should the European Union regulate commercial arbitration?”, Arbitration International (2017) 33 (1): 81-98
• “The revision of Article 257 of the UAE Penal Code”, ICC Institute Newsletter, No 8 (2017)
• “The Revision of Article 257 of the UAE Penal Code: Concerns, Context, and a call to Countermand”, International Journal of Arab Arbitration, Volume 8 – No. (2) (co-author with Hassan Arab & Malak Nasreddine)
• “The Revision of Article 257 of the UAE Penal Code: A problem also for Party-Appointed Experts?”, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, 10 March 2017
• “Banyan Tree Corporate Pte Ltd v. Meydan Group LLC and Meydan City Corporation, Court of First Instance of Dubai, Case No. 1619/2016, 15 February 2017”, (Kluwer Arbitration ITA Arbitration Report)
• “Arbitrating in Abu Dhabi’s commercial freezone – an overview”, Global Arbitration Review, February 06, 2017
• “State Courts and the Proposed New Investment First Instance and Appellate Decisions”, TDM 1 (2017)
• “The Rule of Law and Alternatives to Investment Arbitration”, European Investment Law and Arbitration Review (EILARev), 2016
• “The Enforceability of DIAC Arbitral Awards by the DIFC Courts in Confirmed: the DRA and DIAC join forces”, (28 October 2016, Kluwer Arbitration Blog)
• “Fluor Transworld Services v. Petrixo Oil, Court of Appeal of Dubai, Commercial Appeal No. 52-2016, 28 September 2016”, (Kluwer Arbitration ITA Arbitration Report)
• “How to navigate the UAE’s complex jurisdictions”, The Lawyer, Sept 2016 (with T. Shrayh)
• “The EU proposal for an Investment Court System: what lessons can be learned from the Arab Investment Court?“, Columbia FDI Perspectives, Aug. 29, 2016
• “Arbitration Awards as Works of Art”, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, June 1, 2016
• “X v. Y, Court of Cassation of Dubai, Commercial Appeal No. 38-2016, 29 May 2016”, (31 August 2016, Kluwer Arbitration ITA Arbitration Report, Volume No. XIV, Issue No. 8)
• “Gavin v. Gaynor, Court of First Instance of the DIFC, 03 April 2016”, (Kluwer Arbitration ITA Arbitration Report)
• “When is investor-state dispute settlement appropriate to resolve investment disputes? An idea for a rule-of-law ratings mechanism,” Columbia FDI Perspectives, June 8, 2015
• “International Commercial Arbitration – Procedural Approaches: Civil Law versus Common Law”, Transnational Dispute Management, January 2015 (with A. Ndong)
• “Appellant v. Respondent, Court of Cassation of Abu Dhabi, Judgment No. 708-2014, 29 October 2014”, (2 October 2017, Kluwer Arbitration ITA Arbitration Report, Volume No. XV, Issue No. 9)
• “Cost allocation in investment arbitration: Forward toward incentivization”, Columbia FDI Perspective No. 123 June 9, 2014 (with J. Nicholson)
• Achieving sustainable development objectives in international investment: Could future IIAs impose sustainable development-related obligations on investors?”, Columbia FDI Perspective (co-author with J. Sarvanantham)
• “Intra-EU BITs: Toothless Tigers Or Do They Still Bite?”, SchiedsVZ 2013, Heft 2, 68 (German Arbitration Journal) (co-author with J. Schaefer)
• “Should Investment Treaty Tribunals Be Permitted to Request Preliminary Rulings From the Court of Justice of the European Union?”, Transnational Dispute Management, Vol. 2 (2013)
• “EU Member State Defends Measures Adverse to Energy Sector Investments on the basis of EU law,” in King & Spalding Energy Newsletter (February 2013) (with C. Soule)
• “Case Comment – Slovak Republic v. Eureko B.V., OLF Frankfurt (10 May 2012),” in The Paris Journal of International Arbitration, Vol. 4, (2012) (with C. Soule)
• “Threats to Investment Protection in the EU Energy Sector,” in King & Spalding Energy Newsletter (August 2012)
• “Non-party Autonomy: Displacing the Negative effect of the Principle of ‘Competence-Competence’ in England?” in 1 Journal of International Arbitration (2012)
• “How Important is it to Develop a Coherent Case Law?: The Role of Judicial Dialogue in Investment Arbitration” in Le droit européen et l’arbitrage d’investissement (2011).
• “Tilting at Windmills?: The Quest for Independence of Party-Appointed Expert Witnesses in International Arbitration,” Asian Dispute Review, July 2011 (co-author with G. O’Leary).
• “EC Law and Intra-EU Investment Treaties: AES Summit Generation Limited and AES-Tisza Eromu Kft. v. Republic of Hungary,” KLRCA Newsletter, October 2010.
• “Counsel Must Ensure The Right Of Cross-Examination In Arbitration”, International Litigation Quarterly (Fall 2010)
• “Abuse of Process in Investment Treaty Arbitration”, Journal of World Investment & Trade, Vol. 11 No. 4 (August 2010)
• “West Tankers: Fuelling the Debate on the Position of Arbitration” (co-author with Colm P. McInerney), The International Litigation Quarterly, Vol. 25, Issue 3 (Summer 2009)
• “Is an investment treaty tribunal entitled to dismiss a claim where it amounts to an ‘abuse of process?”, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, August 4, 2009
• “The New York Convention: A Basis For The Enforcement By National Courts Of A Justiciable Liberty Of Decision Of The Arbitral Tribunal,” in The New York Convention: 50 Years Of Experience, Mealey’s Executive Summary (Oct. 2008)
• “Precedent in the United Nations Compensation Commission,” 5(3) TDM (May 2008)
• “The ‘Effective Ordinary Meaning’ of BITs and the Jurisdiction of Treaty-Based Tribunals to Hear Contract Claims,” Volume 8, No.1 Journal of World Investment & Trade5 (Mar. 2007)(with J. L. Loftis)
• “Jurisdiction ratione temporis of ICSID Tribunals: Lucchetti and Jan De Nul considered,” 3(5) Transnational Dispute Management (2006)
• “Immunity of arbitrators from suit,” IBA Committee D Newsletter, Vol. XI, No. 1, at 26 (Feb. 2006)(with P. Griffin)
• “European Community Law and International Arbitration: A recent OGEMID discussion,” Transnational Dispute Management, Vol. 2, No. 5 (Nov. 2005)
• “Salini v. Jordan – An Important Contribution To ICSID Jurisprudence on Jurisdictional Issues,” 20(4) Int’l Arb. Rep. 35 (2005)
• “Ireland- Scope of arbitration clause,” 9(2) Arb. & ADR 62 (2004)
• “The Group of Companies Doctrine and the Law Applicable to the Arbitration Agreement,” 19(6) Int’l Arb. Rep. 47 (2004)
• “Confidentiality in International Arbitration: A Recent English Decision,” 18(5) Int’l Arb. Rep. 18 (2003)
• “Ex Parte Measures in International Arbitration,” 17(11) Int’l Arb. Rep. 39 (2002)
• “Evidentiary privileges in international arbitration – Ireland,” 7(2) Arb. & ADR 36 (2002)
• “The Bay Hotel Case: Accommodating the Parties’ Wishes,” 17(1) Int’l Arb. Rep. 31 (2002)(with D. Rosenblum)
• ‘International, Foreign and Domestic Arbitrations and the Granting of Interim Relief in Ireland’, 16(9) Int’l Arb. Rep. 37 (2001) (with O. O’Sullivan).

Speaking Engagements:

• Commentator on Keynote Speech: Constructing a multilateral investment court: the path ahead, EFILA Conference, London, Jan. 2019
• Panelist, Conduct within the arbitration process, Dublin International Arbitration Day (Nov 2018)
• Presentation on UAE Law to the DIFC Courts’ Annual Judges Meeting, DIFC (Nov 2018)
• Visiting Lecturer, International Commercial Arbitration, Paris Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi (March 2018)(with Michael Hwang SC)
• Panelist, “Rethinking the Role of Courts and Judges in Supporting Arbitration in Africa”, Lagos Court of Arbitration Centre, 2016
• Speaker, International Arbitration Symposium, CILS, Salzburg, Jun. 2016
• Speaker, EFILA Conference, Paris, Feb. 2016
• Moderator, “Queen Mary School of International Arbitration – Inaugural Working Seminar on Group Claims in Arbitration”, Nov. 2015
• Moderator & Speaker, “The Confluence of EU Law And International Arbitration—Both Commercial and Investor-State”, 10th Annual Conference on International Arbitration and Mediation, Fordham Law School, New York, Nov. 2015
• Speaker, Energy Disputes, CIArb Centenary Conference, Dublin, Oct. 2015
• Speaker ICC PIDA conference, Dubai, 2014
• Speaker, McGill University & QMUL, CETA Conference, Montreal, 2014
• Speaker, Eighth Dublin Forum on Resolution of International Commercial Disputes, 2014
• Keynote speaker, CIArb European Branch AGM and Conference, Warsaw, 2014
• Panelist, “Non-enforcement of Arbitration Awards as Breaches of Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) obligations”, ICC YAF Conference, Bangalore, 2014
• Panelist, Inaugural Conference of the CIArb Young Members Group in Dublin on “Investment Arbitration: Fit for purpose?’, Dublin, 2012
• Speaker, Journée d’étude/Seminar, Le droit européen et l’arbitrage d’investissement, European Law and Investment Arbitration, Paris, 2010
• Speaker, UCC Annual Law Conference, Cork, Ireland, on “The Impact of European Community Law in Irish Litigation”, November 2008
• Panelist, Arbitration and ADR Section, International Bar Association Annual Meeting, Singapore, 2007
• Panelist, International Arbitration Seminar, Association International de Jeunes Avocats (AIJA) Congress, Geneva, 2006.

• English
• French
• Italian

2002 – Diploma in International Arbitration, National University of Ireland

1999 – International Arbitration Course, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

1998 – Masters of Laws (LL.M.) with distinction in EU & International Trade Law, University of Amsterdam

1991 – Completing LL.B. dissertation on an EEC Law issue, Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

1990 – Diploma Dublin Institute on International & Comparative law, University of San Diego at Trinity College

1990 – Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL), University of Ireland

2007 – Solicitor in England & Wales

1994 – Solicitor in Ireland