Arbitrators

Mubarak Waseem


Mubarak acts as in high-value litigation and arbitration disputes both as sole counsel and led. His practice spans all core areas of commercial, public international, insurance, civil fraud and employment law.

Mubarak is particularly experienced in handling disputes with an international element, including disputes for and against sovereign States. He is called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands and in the Dubai International Financial Centre.

What others say

Legal 500 2025: Insurance and reinsurance

‘Mubarak is a real upcoming star of the insurance Bar. He inspires confidence in clients, has a great intellect and is extremely personable with it.’

Legal 500 2025: International arbitration: counsel

‘Mubarak forensically probes every aspect of a case. He anticipates issues in the roadmap of a dispute well before they arise and works closely with instructing solicitors to find commercial and strategic solutions for the client.’

Arbitration & related court applications

Mubarak regularly acts as both sole counsel and as junior counsel in high-profile international arbitrations under a variety of institutional rules, including commercial and investor-State arbitrations. He is also regularly instructed in Court applications in support of arbitration. He has regularly made oral submissions before arbitration tribunals in high-value disputes.

Areas of expertise

  • Arbitration & related court applications
  • Civil Fraud & Asset Tracing
  • Commercial dispute resolution
  • Company & Insolvency Law
  • Confidential Information & Data Protection
  • Employment
  • Energy, Natural Resources & Commodities
  • Injunctions, interim relief
  • Insurance & reinsurance
  • Investment treaty disputes
  • Public & administrative law
  • Public international law
  • Shipping & admiralty

Career

2021: Called to The British Virgin Islands Bar

2019: Tenancy at Essex Court Chambers

2017: Called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn)

2016: Stagiaire at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Hamburg

2015: Research Intern, British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL)

Education

2016-2017: BPTC (City Law School) –  Very Competent

2015-2016: LLM in International Dispute Resolution (King’s College London) – First Class (top mark in year)

2011-2014: LLB (King’s College London) – First Class

2011-2014: Associateship of King’s College London (AKC)

Awards

2016: Lord Mansfield Award – Lincoln’s Inn (highest tier scholarship)

2016: Hardwicke Entrance Award – Lincoln’s Inn

2016: City Law School Postgraduate Scholarship – City University

2016: Dickson Poon Prize for best student on the LLM (International Dispute Resolution) – King’s College London

2015: Yeoh Tiong Lay Award (one of four merit-based scholarships covering LLM fees and living expenses) – King’s College London

2014: World semi-finalist and fourth best speaker at the international rounds of the Jessup Moot competition, Washington DC 

2014: LLB leaving scholarship for combined academics and contribution to the Law School – King’s College London

Publications

Chapters in Edited Volumes

  • ‘Citing Religious Texts in Individual Opinions of Judgments of the International Court of Justice’, in Who is the Judge? Identity and Diversity on the International Bench (OUP 2021 forthcoming)
  • ‘ITLOS at 20: Provisional Measures and the Precautionary Approach’, in Diamond and Minas (eds), Stress Testing the Law of the Sea: Dispute Resolution, Disasters & Emerging Challenges (Brill 2018)
  • ‘Article 28’ in da Silva, Haeck and Wood (eds), Weapons and International Law: The Arms Trade Treaty (2015 Larcier) (with Penelope Nevill)

Conference Papers

  • ‘The Citation of Religious Texts in the International Court of Justice’, at Religion and Ethnicity on the International Bench (4 October 2018, Leiden University, Den Haag Campus)
  • ‘Provisional Measures at ITLOS: Looking Back and Looking Ahead’ at The Law of the Sea—Beyond Sovereignty? (1 October 2016), King’s College London

Papers, Briefing Notes and Case Summaries Published On Chambers’ Website