Eversheds Sutherland bolsters international arbitration offering with new Partner

Katia Finkel joins the International Arbitration Practice

Eversheds Sutherland has added to its International Arbitration Practice with the appointment of Partner, Katia Finkel.

Katia joins from global law firm Baker McKenzie where she was an integral part of its international arbitration team and co-lead its committee on investment treaty arbitration, with a particular focus on the energy sector.

Katia has significant experience in both commercial and investment disputes, and advises clients on global dispute resolution strategy and settlement negotiation, acting on their behalf in commercial and investment disputes, including under ICSID, ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.

Her practice covers complex multi-jurisdictional cases involving investor-state arbitration and public international law. Katia acts both for and against governments in investor-state disputes and for large multinationals in commercial disputes, and focuses mainly on the energy, mining and infrastructure sectors.

Katia acted for the State of Kuwait in its successful resolution of ICSID proceedings related to the development of the Champs-Elysees of Kuwait City. She also acted in a USD 1.5 billion investor-state arbitration arising out of the largest infrastructure project on the Black Sea, which involved separate ICSID and ICC proceedings and significant geopolitical ramifications.

Katia is regularly ranked by Legal 500 UK as a “Rising Star” while Chambers & Partners UK praises her “client service and commercial approach” in its category for International Arbitration. For the second year in a row, Katia has also been recognised in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the UK for Arbitration and Mediation.

Paul Worth, Co-Head of Global Litigation, Eversheds Sutherland, commented:

“It’s wonderful to welcome Katia to the team. The skills she brings to our international arbitration capability will not only enable us to maintain our high level of service excellence to existing clients, but will also strengthen our international offering, helping to meet increasing client demand across various key sectors such as energy.”

Jonathan Leach, Partner and Global Co-Chair of International Arbitration Practice, Eversheds Sutherland, commented:

“We are all very excited by Katia’s arrival. She is very well regarded and liked in the market, and brings a wealth of treaty and commercial arbitration experience, particularly in the energy sector. She will undoubtedly be a tremendous addition to our London and global teams.”

Katia Finkel, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, commented:

“I am thrilled to be joining such a fantastic team. Eversheds Sutherland has an unrivalled reputation for delivering excellent service to its clients while maintaining a culture of friendship, and the firm has been smart in its growth. I was drawn to its ambition and look forward to working with the team to develop and build on an already leading practice.”

Eversheds Sutherland’s International Arbitration Practice has continued to grow in key jurisdictions over the least year. The firm has welcomed a number of other new arrivals including Partner Marie-Hélène Berghuijs in Amsterdam and Principal Associate, Aseel Barghuthi, in Jordan.

In addition, Sarah Monnerville Smith in Paris and Richard Black in London were both made Partners as part of Eversheds Sutherland’s latest round of promotions. This builds on the senior lateral hires during the previous year of Of Counsel Rafael Gil Nievas in Madrid and Partner Manuel Arroyo in Zurich.

The team was also ranked in industry publication Global Arbitration Review’s (GAR) Top 30 international arbitration practices for 2023, the GAR 30. This is the fifth consecutive year that the global practice group has been ranked among the top 30.