Cedric specialises in investment treaty and commercial arbitrations as well as issues of public international law, and works closely with the New York and Paris offices of Herbert Smith Freehills.
Cedric has experience in handling both investment treaty arbitration proceedings and international commercial arbitrations involving an array of complex procedural, jurisdictional and substantive issues. He advises clients on all stages of arbitration proceedings, including setting aside and enforcement of arbitral awards, as well as in arbitration-related proceedings before the English High Court.
He has worked on arbitrations across various industry sectors including energy, financial services, mining, healthcare, telecommunications and hospitality, and has experience acting under the rules of various ad hoc and institutional arbitration rules (including the ICC, LCIA and ICSID).
Cedric also advises on bilateral and multilateral investment arbitrations, with particular experience dealing with disputes conducted under the Agreement on Promotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investments among Member States of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, as well as various bilateral investment treaties, and has supported clients on issues of public international law.
Cedric is trained in both civil and common law, and has spent, as part of his training contract, six months in the firm's Paris office working on arbitrations involving francophone African jurisdictions, and six months in the London's corporate energy team where he gained invaluable energy related know-how. He advises clients in English, French and Arabic.
Background
Cedric holds a First Class dual Bachelor's degree and Masters in English Law and French Law from King's College London and the Université of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Cedric is a French and Lebanese national, and is fluent in Arabic, English and French. He was previously involved in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
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private investors in an investor-state dispute against a North African state relating to the hospitality and tourism industry
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The Republic of Tunisia in an ICSID arbitration for the alleged expropriation of a bank in that country
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an oil & gas company in relation to a dispute arising out of its operations in a North-African state
- a Middle-Eastern telecommunication conglomerate in relation to a dispute arising out of the installation of a mobile telecommunication network in the Middle East
- a commodity trading company in an ICC arbitration regarding the performance of obligations under a Farmout Agreement in respect of an oil and gas exploration bloc offshore the Republic of Congo (ICC, Paris seat, English law)
- Brazilian entities with respect to a USD 5 billion London-seat ICC dispute between investors in a telecommunications operation in Brazil
- a confidential company on parallel arbitration proceedings started before a local institution in Africa and the ICC with respect to a dispute between shareholders
- a Middle-Eastern company in a potential ICSID arbitration against Iraq regarding its over USD 150 million investment
Sectors
