Arbitration & International Disputes

A Premier International Dispute Resolution Practice


For over four decades, Debevoise’s International Dispute Resolution Group has offered winning advocacy, commercial judgment, and a ferocious client dedication unmatched by any other firm in the world.

The team is qualified in common law and civil law systems, speaks more than 30 languages, and works in nine offices across three continents. Recently Debevoise has worked on nearly 120 international matters involving 60 countries worth $65 billion.

Our team’s quality, tenacity, skill and experience has allowed us to achieve for our clients some of the largest and most significant awards in international arbitration and public international law. Indeed, Global Arbitration Review has remarked, “If any team has consistently brought home “the big results,” it seems to be Debevoise.”

Lawyers in the practice handle a broad range of matters, including international commercial and treaty arbitration, public international law and complex commercial litigation. Just as diverse is its industry experience, which spans energy, mining, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and many others.

Our team invests in each other to encourage an extraordinary degree of teamwork, mentorship, and support for diversity. This investment produces excellence today, and the diverse thought leaders and innovators of tomorrow.  It means our team members across generations are recognized as leaders in the major legal directories.

Debevoise lawyers also hold leadership roles with virtually every major arbitration body in the world. They do not just know today’s law; they are shaping tomorrow’s.

Flexible in approach, cost-effective and readily able to adjust resources to changing circumstances, the practice can efficiently meet the full range of client needs in high-stakes matters. Debevoise’s Protocol to Promote Efficiency in International Arbitration, first issued in 2010, has now become an industry benchmark.

Debevoise’s collaborative culture gives clients the benefit of the full firm’s resources. Partners in the International Dispute Resolution Group work closely together on disputes, and seamlessly among offices and other practices inside the firm. In addition, the firm’s network of external contacts includes leading local counsel and other experts in North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.