Arbitrators

Professor Dan Sarooshi KC

Dan Sarooshi QC is an experienced advocate with a track record of success in high profile cases. He is a specialist in public international law, investment treaty arbitration, and constitutional and public law. He also has considerable experience in high value commercial litigation. He is a veteran of many cases in international courts (International Court of Justice, European Court of Human Rights, WTO, UN Tribunals); investment arbitrations (ICSID, ICSID AF, ECT, PCA, NAFTA, ICC, UNCITRAL, and LCIA) including Boundaries, State succession, Law of the Sea, Desalination and Environmental Law; and the highest domestic courts in the UK, Hong Kong, and Bahamas as well as in domestic employment tribunals. In the area of international law alone he has argued 20 cases in the past three years as advocate and counsel for States, international organisations, and corporations.

His clients include 18 States (e.g. UK and USA), 15 international organizations, and corporations (e.g. BAT, Hitachi, Roche, and Tesco). Before taking Silk, he was a member of both the UK Attorney General (AG) Panel of Counsel for Public International Law cases and the AG Panel of Counsel for Constitutional and Commercial Law cases.

The independent legal directories – Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 – and client quotes say he “has the well-earned reputation to be counted among the finest in London”, is “as good as they come”, “a precious commodity” “at the top of his game”, “combines immense intelligence” with “a wealth of experience of appearing before international and domestic courts, including the ICJ and the English High Court”. “His written and oral advocacy is exemplary. It was superb and won the day. He is a natural and easy leader of a team. Clients trust him with bet-the-country/company cases.” He has “superior skill and creativity as an elite advocate in the field of public law.” He is “clearly one of the leaders at the Bar for public international law”, an “extremely bright advocate with a keen sense of strategy and excellent litigation instincts”, and is “a dream to work with”. “He has an excellent record of representing governments, international organisations and FTSE 100 companies”. His “articulation of public international law is second to none” and as “a resourceful advocate, he offered answers and avenues of recourse in situations where other UK counsel could offer none”.

His standing in the field of international arbitration was recognised by his appointment by the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee in Dec. 2020 to serve on the list of arbitrators to hear Brexit-related disputes arising from the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. In the area of international trade, he was in 2006 appointed as a Member of the WTO Dispute Settlement list of Panellists (jointly nominated by the UK and EU).