Arbitrators

Lucas Bastin KC

Lucas is a King’s Counsel with extensive experience in all forms of international disputes.  He regularly takes instructions in very large and complex commercial litigation, typically involving numerous jurisdictions (in several of which he appears directly).  In the UK, he has acted and appeared in all levels of English courts, including before the Supreme Court.  He is also admitted in Australia, British Virgin Islands, and in the process of being registered before the Singapore International Commercial Court.  Lucas also advises in litigation before the courts of Sweden, France, the US, Switzerland, Malaysia, Kenya and Ukraine.

Lucas is vastly experienced in international arbitrations, having acted in several dozen international commercial arbitrations, often with very large and complex claims. Lucas has extensive experience of all major rules, including ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, SCC, SIAC, HKIAC, IACAC, ICSID, ICSID Additional Facility, AAA, and others.  He has worked with applicable law from across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.  His practice has included a wide coverage of sectors in which these disputes arise, including telecommunications, oil and gas, mining, construction, power, entertainment and leisure, information technology, financial services, real estate, aircraft, airline and airport services, media, manufacturing, advertising, taxation, and others.

Lucas is also among the most experienced barristers in investment arbitration.  He has again acted in several dozen investment arbitrations, again involving very large and complex claims, and including some of the largest investment arbitration claims ever.  He regularly appears as lead counsel in investment arbitrations under the leading rules, including ICSID and UNCITRAL.  He is instructed from a wide range of regions for both the claimants and respondents in claims arising in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.  Again, he has acted across a wide coverage of sectors.

Further, an important part of Lucas’ commercial litigation experience is arbitration-related court proceedings.  Lucas has been involved in some of the large set aside and enforcement proceedings in the UK, as well as advising on the same in other jurisdictions.  Lucas is regularly asked to coordinate strategy (for claimants and defendants) across multi-jurisdictional set aside/enforcement proceedings.  This draws on Lucas’ experience not only in arbitration-related matters, but also in disputes involving asset tracing, service, sovereign immunity and interlocutory relief.

Lucas’ practice also entails significant work and expertise in public international law.  This includes instructions to appear in international courts, tribunals and other fora involving public international law, such as the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization, the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, and the INTERPOL Commission.  Lucas is regularly instructed on litigation in the UK (both before commercial and administrative courts) that involves elements of public international law, such as issues of sovereign immunity, susceptibility of State assets to enforcement, WTO law, and other matters.

Lucas graduated Bachelor of Laws (Syd), Bachelor of Arts (Syd), Bachelor of Laws (Oxon), all with first class honours and several awards, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Oxon). He is Adjunct Professor of International Arbitration at Pepperdine University and Lecturer at King’s College London in Investment Arbitration.

Lucas has been described as “highly impressive in action, he is excellent with clients and a formidable advocate”, “a go-to barrister for complex quantum cases”, “one of the most agile and strategic minds in the game”, “extremely smart, commercially-minded and very good at explaining complex situations in a simple way”, and “simply superb, with vast experience in the field of arbitration; with a brilliant mind, and commercially astute”.  He has been marked out for his advocacy as well, with clients and peers noting he is “great on his feet and brutal in cross-examination”, “a superb advocate”, “a formidable advocate and brilliant strategist”, “a top cross-examiner” and a silk who “got to grips with some spectacularly difficult material, simplified it and hammered the other side”.