Patrick Taylor is a partner in the London office of Debevoise & Plimpton, and is part of the firm’s France Desk. He is Co-Chair of the firm’s Africa practice, focusing on commercial and investment treaty arbitration, with particular experience in the upstream oil & gas, energy, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications sectors.

Qualified in England & Wales and Ireland as a solicitor-advocate, Mr. Taylor has advised and represented clients in disputes throughout the world for more than 20 years.

Mr. Taylor’s practice is geared towards advising clients in the most high-stakes, complex and valuable disputes, and he regularly advises clients on investment protection and investment dispute settlements in high-risk jurisdictions, tax-related disputes, fiscal and legislative stabilisation rights, shareholder, joint venture, distribution, post-M&A and general contractual disputes and complex damages analysis. Mr. Taylor also frequently sits as an arbitrator.

Mr. Taylor is recommended as a leading lawyer for arbitration in Chambers Global (2024) and Chambers UK (2024), where he is described as “tenacious and very committed to his clients.” He is said to be “a highly effective and commercially minded lawyer” with “exceptional advocacy skills” and “a fantastic strategic mind” who is “extremely hands-on, practical and smart when handling very complex cases.” He receives further praise for his “superb knowledge of international dispute resolution mechanisms,” and is said to be “incredibly thorough and detail-focused, with the ability to provide advice in a pragmatic and comprehensible way.” The guide has also described him as “a class act” whose “tenacity is absolutely loved by clients,” and “a fantastic advocate, and a well-rounded lawyer for international arbitration.” He is listed as a Litigation Star in Benchmark Litigation Europe (2021), which has described him as “excellent.” He is included in The Legal 500’s inaugural International Arbitration Powerlist, and he is also noted as a leading individual for International Arbitration in The Legal 500 UK (2024). The guide also recommends him for his public international law practice and for his work in emerging markets. He is described as “business savvy, extremely smart, and very responsive.” Sources also say he is “very focused and sharp,” “an outstanding lawyer with a very clear mind and strategic skills in all kinds of situations,” “incredibly driven,” “incredibly hardworking, detail-orientated in his analysis, and a powerful and impressive advocate.” He is also recommended by The Legal 500 Latin America (2024) for international arbitration, and listed by Who’s Who Legal (2024) as a Thought Leader for arbitration. 

Mr. Taylor is a member of the IBA Arbitration Subcommittee on Investor State Arbitration and past-member of the IBA Arbitration Subcommittee on Arbitration and Insolvency of the IBA Arb 40 Subcommittee. He is a regular speaker at conferences on arbitration-related topics. His recent speaking engagements have included presentations on effectively proving quantum arguments; arbitration and private equity; the art of cross-examination; the implications of Brexit; managing tax-related investment disputes; enforcement of arbitral awards; the rise of AI in arbitration; extension of arbitration clauses to third parties and the scope of the right to regulate under international investment law. His recent articles include “A Duty to Disclose, a Duty to Inquire: French and European Courts Address an Arbitrator’s Independence and Impartiality,” LexisPSL (September, 2021); “The Intersection of Arbitration and Insolvency in England & Wales,” IBA Toolkit on Insolvency (March, 2021); “Harmonising Cultural Differences in International Arbitration: The Role of Parties’ Reasonable Expectations and Counsel’s Ethical Rules,” Stockholm Arbitration Yearbook (November, 2020); “Court of Appeal Confirms Sanctions Provision Operates to Bar Recovery of Interest on Arbitral Award (Ministry of Defence & Support for Armed Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran v International Military Services Ltd),” LexisNexis Corporate Crime News (February, 2020); the France chapter in The European Arbitration Review 2020 (October, 2019); “Tactics and procedures used in international arbitration to promote efficiency,” Experiencias y Retos del Ecuador en el Arbitraje de Inversión y Comercial (September, 2018); “High Court reiterates high hurdle to enforce foreign award annulled by the court of the seat,” LexisNexis (August, 2017); “The Opportunities for Post-Brexit International Arbitration in London,” NLUJ Law Review” (Spring, 2017); “State’s right to regulate under international investment law,” Warsaw Investment Arbitration Day (October, 2016); and “The Poland Risk,” Private Funds Management (March, 2015).

Mr. Taylor graduated with an LL.B. honours law degree from Cambridge University in 2001 and was admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales in 2005 and in Ireland in 2017. He is fluent in English/ French and fluent in Spanish.