Justin R. Rassi is an associate in the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Group, resident in New York. A versatile litigator, he has a broad-gauged practice spanning international arbitration and civil litigation.
Over the past ten years, Mr. Rassi has represented clients in disputes before arbitration tribunals and national courts on every continent except Antarctica. He has extensive experience in mining, natural resources, construction, and M&A disputes. Leveraging a degree in corporate finance, Mr. Rassi regularly advises clients on complex damages issues. Mr. Rassi is recognized in Lexology Index: Arbitration (2025) as a Future Leader for being a pre-eminent attorney of the next generation.
Mr. Rassi maintains an active pro bono constitutional and civil rights litigation practice in U.S. courts, with a particular emphasis on LGBTQ+ rights. He has led or worked on matters in Arizona, Colorado, New York, Ohio, and Oregon. In 2024, Mr. Rassi argued and successfully obtained a unanimous dismissal of an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a major civil rights case, Doe v. Horne.
Mr. Rassi is active in professional organizations. He served on the Young Singapore International Arbitration Centre (YSIAC) Committee from 2021-2024, including as the inaugural lead for the Americas subcommittee. He also served as rapporteur to the ICCA-ASIL Task Force on Damages in International Arbitration.
Before joining Debevoise in 2016, Mr. Rassi clerked for the Hon. Justice V.M. Bell AC of the High Court of Australia, practiced in a leading international law firm in Australia, and taught tort law at the Australian National University. The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in Australia.
Mr. Rassi received an LL.M. from the New York University School of Law in 2016, specializing in International Business Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration (“IBRLA”), where he held the Arthur T. Vanderbilt scholarship. Graduating at the top of his specialization, Mr. Rassi received the IBRLA Award for academic merit. Mr. Rassi received an LL.B. with First Class Honors and a B.Com degree in finance from the University of New South Wales in 2012, where he was an editor of the University of New South Wales Law Journal.
Mr. Rassi is admitted as an Attorney and Counselor-at-Law in the State of New York and as a Lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Mr. Rassi is also admitted to appear before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and for the District of Colorado, the High Court of Australia, and all courts exercising federal jurisdiction in Australia.