Lauren Friedman

Lauren is praised in leading industry publications as “a favorite among international commentators,” “the first person [to] call with a difficult question of law,” and she is commended for her “outstanding capacity to generate and execute well defined and complex arguments,” her “great energy,” and her “very technical, thorough and professional” approach. According to feedback collected by Chambers USA, “Lauren provides smart advice, ready on demand.” Clients further note that she is “very quick on her feet and is a very good oral advocate” and “she’s done a great job getting key decisions for us as a company.”

She is ranked in Chambers USA, Chambers Global, Legal 500 Latin America, Benchmark Litigation, and Who’s Who Legal.

In addition to her work as counsel, Lauren is active in numerous leadership positions and committees, including the IBA Taskforce for Conflicts of Interest, the IBA Taskforce on Third Party Funding, the CPR Annual Steering Committee, the ROAP Americas Faculty, and the Law360 Editorial Board for International Arbitration. She accepts arbitrator appointments, serves on the ICDR panel of arbitrators, and is a member of the SIAC Reserve Panel.

As a complement to her broad investor-state and commercial arbitration work, Lauren tracks the legal challenges arising from the energy transition. She has represented and advised clients on unique challenges in this context, including exit strategies and stranded assets. She also works pro bono with the Sabin Center for Climate Change at Columbia University to address barriers to renewable energy development in the United States.

• Won the dismissal of a three-hundred-million-dollar case on behalf of the Republic of Guatemala in an ICSID arbitration brought pursuant to the Spain-Guatemala BIT arising from a dispute regarding the calculation of electricity tariffs, resulting in outright dismissal of a $300 million claim.
• Represented Mexican shareholders and bondholders in an UNCITRAL arbitration arising from the first-ever resolution of a bank pursuant to the European Commissioner's regulations, which involved the fifth largest bank in Spain, as well as parallel proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union and related discovery proceedings.
• Defended the Republic of Guatemala in an ICSID arbitration arising under the CAFTA-DR related to investments in the electricity sector.
• Represented Westmoreland Coal Company in a legacy NAFTA dispute applying the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules involving the unequal treatment of companies in the phase-out of coal-fired power plants.
• Won an award worth hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of GDF Suez, AWG and Aguas de Barcelona in an arbitration against the Republic of Argentina conducted pursuant to the ICSID Convention and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules under three bilateral investment treaties in connection with investments in water concessions, resulting in a $400 million award in favor of the client.
• Won a multimillion-dollar award in favor of Serafín García Armas in an arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules arising from the expropriation of a food distribution company in Venezuela, resulting in a sizable award in favor of the client.

Commercial Arbitration

• Secured dismissal of two of three contract claims on jurisdictional grounds on behalf of an oilfield services operator in a major dispute related to construction of LNG facilities in Nigeria, leading to the settlement of the remaining claim on highly favorable terms.
• Settled a CPR arbitration on behalf of a major oil company in a dispute worth more than half a billion dollars related to the termination of a long-term hydrogen supply contract.
• Won a multi-billion-dollar award for one of the world’s largest oil companies in a multibillion-dollar ICC arbitration against a state-owned oil company arising from a breach of a concession contract.
• Represented a major petrochemical company in an ICC arbitration related to the cost-sharing principles contained in a series of seven contracts following a corporate spin-off.
• Lead counsel to a major petrochemical company in an ICC arbitration related to its accounting systems, specifically the cost allocation methodology of indirect costs.
• Settled a dispute on behalf of a private equity company in an ICC arbitration related to the definition of the term EBITDA as used to define the Exercise Price in a Put/Call Agreement, including mediation of the dispute prior to the final hearing.
• Settled a dispute on behalf of a third-party funder in an LCIA arbitration arising out of an alleged breach of a non-disclosure agreement, including parallel discovery issues in the US courts.
• Represented a manufacturer of technology in a SIAC dispute arising from the early termination of an M&A agreement.
• Represented a publicly traded medical device company in a multi-million-dollar ICDR arbitration arising from a breach of supply agreement in Brazil resulting in a settlement favorable to the client.
• Won award on behalf of a major technology company in a JAMS arbitration regarding violation of forum selection clauses in defense of enforcement of Russian court judgments exceeding billions of dollars.
• Defended a technology company in a SIAC arbitration arising out of termination of a merger agreement in response to a material adverse effect.
• Represented a global investor regarding enforcement of a $200 million arbitration award.
• Represented a manufacturer in an ICC mediation arising from the alleged termination of a distribution agreement resulting in a settlement favorable to the client.
• Represented a Purchaser Representative in an AAA arbitration regarding a post-M&A dispute over release of pending litigation, leading to withdrawal of the punitive litigation lodged against client.