Debevoise & Plimpton LLP was named a top-10 firm in the GAR 30, Global Arbitration Review’s annual ranking of the world’s leading international arbitration practices, announced at the 2026 GAR Awards in Paris.

The firm also contributed to the matter recognized as “Most Important Decision of the Year” at the GAR Awards: the International Court of Justice advisory proceedings on states’ obligations in respect of climate change. Debevoise represented several countries and international organizations in the proceedings, including Tuvalu, the Republic of Bangladesh, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, as well as the Commission of Small Island States (COSIS) and the World Health Organization.

In a landmark advisory opinion delivered in July 2025, the International Court of Justice established that states have legal obligations to protect the environment from climate change, including stringent due diligence obligations to prevent significant harm to the climate system. This work builds on the firm’s prior role representing the Commission of Small Island States in obtaining an advisory opinion on climate change from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The Debevoise team involved in the advisory proceedings included partners Catherine Amirfar, Conway Blake, Natalie Reid, Samantha Rowe and Laura Sinisterra and associates Janine Godbehere, Sara Kaufhardt, Nicole Marton, Duncan Pickard, Christel Tham, Beatrice Walton and Federico Wynter.