'Jawad is an outstanding tactical thinker and client manager.' 'He's a superstar associate with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the field.'

‘Jawad Ahmad is a go-getter that nurtures relationships in this field. This serves him (and his clients) well, given how important individual personalities and track records can be among arbitrators and international arbitration practitioners.’

Chambers UK 2023 Associate to watch / Legal 500 2023 Rising Star

Overview

Jawad Ahmad is a New York-qualified lawyer and senior associate in the London office of Mayer Brown's International Arbitration practice.

He focuses on international commercial and investment treaty arbitration and public international law. Jawad has acted as counsel for claimants, respondents, and tribunal assistant in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations across a wide-range of industries, including energy and resources, renewable, oil & gas, nuclear power, mining, finance, hospitality and leisure, and retail. He has handled arbitrations under the ICSID, SIAC, ICC, LCIA, HKIAC, and UNCITRAL arbitration rules. Jawad regularly publishes on investment treaty and commercial arbitrations and public international law, having to date published over a dozen articles. He has presented at conferences and universities, such as, Harvard Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, University of Chicago Law School, George Washington University Law School, and Kings College London. He has acted as an Observer on behalf of the American Society of International Law to the UNCITRAL Working Group II (Arbitration & Conciliation), mandated to consider the issue of enforcement of international settlement agreements resulting from conciliation proceedings. He was one of the four selected to present at the "New Voices" Panel at the 24th International Council for Commercial Arbitration Congress in Sydney, Australia in April 2018.

He is an editor of Arbitration International and, in addition to his native English, Jawad speaks Danish and Urdu.

Jawad joined Mayer Brown in 2018. Prior to this, Jawad spent over two years clerking for The Honorable Charles N. Brower, a leading international arbitrator in investment arbitration, in Washington, DC and in The Hague at the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal. During this role, he worked on investment treaty and international commercial arbitrations and state-to-state disputes. Prior to his clerkship, he was a legal assistant to Dr. Michael Hwang SC, a leading international arbitrator and the Chief Justice of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts. He was also a member of the International Arbitration practice of one of Asia's leading law firms in Singapore.

Areas of Focus

Practices
Industries

Spoken Languages

  • English
  • Danish
  • Urdu

Experience

Represented a wide range of corporate and commercial and State clients in arbitral proceedings and arbitration-related litigation, including:

  • A state-owned entity in the power sector in a commercial arbitration under the LCIA Arbitration Rules (London seat) with respect to a dispute arising out of a power purchase agreement.
  • An owner of an LNG import facility in a commercial arbitration under the SIAC Arbitration Rules (Singapore seat) with respect to dispute arising out of a charter deal concerning a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU).
  • An owner of an LNG import facility in a commercial arbitration under the ICC Arbitration Rules (London seat) with respect to a dispute arising out of a contract for regasification services with respect to a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU).
  • Veolia Environment S.A. and others in an investment arbitration against The Republic of Lithuania in relation to district heating and power generation systems in Lithuania (ICSID Case No. ARB/16/3). The claims are brought under the Lithuania-France bilateral investment treaty and the ICSID Convention.
  • A European energy company in a multiparty commercial arbitration against the municipality of a European city under the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (a seat in Europe). The dispute arises from a long-term lease agreement.
  • Visor  and Gökhan Araslı in an investment arbitration under the Turkey-Turkmenistan BIT and the ICSID Convention against Turkmenistan (ICSID Case ARB/21/20).
  • Veolia Propreté SAS in an investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty and the ICSID Convention against the Italian Republic (ICSID Case No. ARB/18/20).
  • A renewable energy company in an arbitration under the LCIA Arbitration Rules (London seat) with respect to a dispute under a share purchase agreement.
  • Messrs Jak and Edward Sukyas in a pending arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules against Romania on the basis of the US and Canadian bilateral investment treaties. 
  • The Islamic Republic of Pakistan before the D.C. District Court in resisting the enforcement of the US$ 6 billion ICSID award rendered in Tethyan Copper Company Pty Limited v. Islamic Republic of Pakistan (ICSID Case No. ARB/12/1).
  • An Asian investor in an investor-State arbitration brought pursuant to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation treaty under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules in a dispute related to multiple major infrastructure projects throughout a North African State. (PCA case No. 2017-21).
  • Claimants in Fouad Alghanim & Sons Co. for General Trading & Contracting, W.L.L. and Fouad Mohammed Thunyan Alghanim v. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (ICSID Case No. ARB/13/38).
  • Respondent in Carnegie Minerals (Gambia) Limited v. Republic of The Gambia (ICSID Case No. ARB/09/19).
  • Asian state-owned entities in an UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (London seat) concerning claims brought against them under a production sharing contract.
  • An Asian company in a SIAC arbitration dispute (Singapore seat) concerning a media rights agreement.
  • A conglomerate in an ICC arbitration dispute (Paris seat) against another conglomerate concerning commercial agreements in the Middle East.

Advised a range of clients, such as:

  • A sovereign State on its sovereign immunity defences with respect to potential enforcement action.
  • A credit agency on its ability to obtain foreign investment protection concerning its loan to a project in the Middle East.
  • An international organization on the ability of a company to enforce an ICSID award against a State.
  • A credit agency on the privileges and immunities of an international organization with respect to a guarantee.
  • A construction company concerning the pre-arbitral steps under its agreement with the employer.

Handled prior to joining Mayer Brown.

Represented a wide range of corporate and commercial clients in arbitral proceedings, including:

  • Claimants in Courts (Indian Ocean) Limited and Courts Madagascar S.A.R.L. v. Madagascar (ICSID Case No. ARB/13/34).
  • An employer in a SIAC arbitration (Singapore seat) dispute regarding a mining project in Vietnam arising from an engineering and procurement services agreement governed by English law
  • Respondent in set-aside proceedings in Singapore courts.
  • A company in an UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (Hong Kong seat) concerning claims under Singapore law.
  • A company in ICC arbitration (Singapore seat) concerning a Singapore-law joint venture agreement.
  • A company in a multi-party ICC arbitration (London seat) arising out of a hotel management agreement governed by Moroccan law.

Advised a range of clients, such as:

  • A Singapore investor in a potential treaty claim against an Asian state.
  • An NGO on filing an amicus brief in an ongoing inter-State arbitration.
  • Asian and European shareholders on breach of contract claims with respect to a Cambodian project.

Perspectives

View All Perspectives

Events

  • October 02
    2018

    Evidence in International Arbitration

Education

University of Kent, LLB, First Class Honors

University of California, Berkeley School of Law, LLM

Admissions

  • New York

Activities

  • Young ICCA
  • ICC YAF
  • Young SIAC
  • LCIA Young International Arbitration Group
  • Jawad Ahmad stands out in the international marketplace as “an excellent strategist with an eye for detail” and is known for his “thoroughness, diligence, and passion for every case”. Arbitration Future Leaders WWL 2023.
  • Listed as an Associate to watch with a broad practice which spans commercial and investment-treaty arbitrations. He's also adept at handling enforcement proceedings. "Jawad is an outstanding tactical thinker and client manager." "He's a superstar associate with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the field." - Chambers UK 2023: International Arbitration.
  • Listed as a 'Rising star' and under 'Other key lawyers' for International Arbitration. ‘Senior associate Jawad Ahmad is a go-getter that nurtures relationships in this field. This serves him (and his clients) well, given how important individual personalities and track records can be among arbitrators and international arbitration practitioners.’ - Legal 500 2023.
  • Listed on Private Practice Powerlist 2022 | Arbitration - UK Region by Legal 500.
  • Jawad Ahmad is “a very well-connected lawyer” who is “brimming with knowledge and passion”. He is hailed as “a leading voice in international arbitration” by peers - Who's Who Legal 2022.
  • Listed as a 'Rising star' and under 'Other key lawyers' for International Arbitration - Legal 500 2022.
  • Listed as a Future Leader in Arbitration 2021 and 2022 – Future Leaders – Non-Partners - Who's Who Legal.