People

Charles Adams Partner

Geneva

Charles’s experience spans four decades at the highest levels of international dispute-resolution; he has acted in more than 300 arbitral proceedings under various governing laws and under the rules of almost all arbitral institutions in fora all over the world, most frequently as lead counsel, but also on occasion as chairman or co-arbitrator on tribunals in high-stakes cases.

His experience includes disputes in engineering and construction, energy and infrastructure, mining, transportation, telecommunications, life sciences and biotech, intellectual property and franchising and distribution, among many other fields of commercial or industrial endeavor. He has conducted commercial and investor-state arbitrations under the auspices of ICSID, the ICC, ICDR/AAA, LCIA, DIAC, SCC, SAC and SIAC. Charles also advises on export control regulations and economic sanctions administered by the U.S. and the European Union, including matters relating to customs regulations, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, anti-money laundering rules and anti-boycott requirements.

For more than 10 years Charles was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), and he has served on the Board of Advisors of the NGO End Human Trafficking Now and as a guest lecturer at the UN’s International Development Law Organization. Charles frequently appears on Francophone television channels (TF1, LCI, TV5 Monde, Télévision Suisse Romande), as a commentator on political, economic and cultural matters.

Ali Al-Khasawneh Of Counsel

Geneva; London

Ali has acted as counsel in arbitration proceedings under the ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, Swiss, ICSID and DIAC rules in arbitrations seated in London, Paris, The Hague, Dubai, Madrid, Geneva, Zurich and Muscat, and governed by English, UAE, German, New York, Omani, Swiss, Saudi and Libyan laws. 

Ali serves as a member of the ICC's Commission on Arbitration & ADR and acts as arbitrator. Ali has also acted as tribunal secretary in arbitral proceedings under the ICC rules and Permanent Court of Arbitration administered arbitrations under the UNCITRAL rules.

Prior to joining Orrick, Ali was previously legal counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Ali also worked at an investment treaty arbitration specialist law firm in Paris and at the Dubai office of a leading international law firm.

William Alderman Senior Counsel

San Francisco

Bill is additionally recognized for the results he has obtained in insurance coverage, employee benefits, and federal and state antitrust disputes. He commits a substantial part of his time to pro bono representation and to representation of the firm.

Representing clients in class and derivative actions, Bill's approach is to minimize his clients’ overall cost through careful strategic planning, dispositive motions and aggressive negotiation. Only three of the many securities class actions he has defended have resulted in any settlement payment by his client or its carrier. Of his nearly 100 motions to dismiss securities class, mass or derivative actions since 1996, more than 90 percent were granted in their entirety (most with prejudice), while others were granted in part or led to a successful motion for summary judgment.

John Ansbro Partner

New York

John litigates a wide range of commercial disputes, including financial services litigations involving RMBS, disputes in the wind and solar power industries across a host of contractual issues, construction disputes, long-term take-or-pay and liquidated damages disputes, force majeure, bankruptcy litigation, insurance recovery, and commercial real estate foreclosure. He was also an arbitrator on an ICC International Court of Arbitration panel in a cross-border industrial contract dispute.

COVID-19’s unprecedented global market impact has clients across an array of industries seeking John’s counsel on force majeure and related breach of contract disputes. These include force majeure matters across jurisdictions and industries, including Energy & Infrastructure, Pharmaceuticals, Financial Services, Real Estate, Hospitality, and Retail.

John litigates significant, high stakes matters. For example, in 2017 on behalf of his client Hemlock Semiconductor Corp., in a case of first impression in Michigan, on appeal John won the dismissal of an attempt by a Japanese conglomerate to avoid $1.4 billion in purchase obligations on the theory that alleged acts by the Chinese Government constituted an “act of government” under the parties’ force majeure provision. The Michigan Bar Journal declared it one of the top 10 business cases of 2010-2019. In 2019, one of the very few RMBS actions to be tried, John was trial counsel for Credit Suisse Securities USA in a $700 million dispute in the Supreme Court of New York. At trial he handled the defense expert in the critical area of loan underwriting.

Prior to joining Orrick, John was a Litigation Associate at Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine LLP.

Gregory Beaman Partner

New York

Mark Beeley Partner

London

Mark leads Orrick’s global international arbitration practice group, and acts as advocate and counsel whether in international arbitrations (both commercial and investor-state) or in litigation in the English and DIFC courts. He has particularly deep experience in energy disputes, but also regularly acts in construction, technology, insurance, shareholder and white-collar/civil fraud matters (including advising on sanctions and export controls).

Mark has acted in arbitrations under all the major arbitration rules in disputes seated around the globe involving a wide range of governing laws and sits as arbitrator (including both as chairman and sole arbitrator). He previously practiced in Dubai as a Registered Foreign Lawyer and maintains a practice as advocate (and solicitor) in both the English and DIFC Courts (along with supervising cross-border litigation in multiple other jurisdictions). He is recognised in the leading directories for arbitration, litigation and natural resources disputes (including Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, GAR and Who’s Who). In addition, he has been recognised as a foreign expert in disputes in both the UAE and India by Chambers.

He has a particular interest in energy sector disputes, including those in the upstream and LNG areas  he knows “oil and gas inside out” and is “as knowledgeable as anyone about international arbitration in the energy sector, specifically oil, gas and renewables” (Chambers & Partners UK ) and is recognised in Who's Who Legal for Energy, Chambers UK for Energy & Natural Resource Disputes and Legal 500 for Oil & Gas), but has dealt with matters across the industry, running the gamut from seismic acquisition agreements through to IP disputes involving refined products, carbon trading agreements and the construction and licencing of renewable projects. He recently led the AIEN Model Form Revision sub-committee focusing on the dispute resolution aspects of the model form JOA.

As illustrated below, beyond energy, Mark has acted in the infrastructure/construction, technology, insurance, fintech, pharmaceutical, telecoms, insurance and finance sectors (amongst others) and also advises extensively (both in the advisory context and in leading investigations/claims) in relation to white-collar/fraud matters, including money laundering, bribery, sanctions and export control issues.

Originally called to the English Bar and now practicing as a solicitor-advocate, Mark frequently publishes and speaks on arbitration and energy matters, including on questions of sovereign immunity, res judicata, arbitration procedure, the award of interest and other questions on damages. Mark serves as a member of the ICC's Commission on Arbitration & ADR, as well as on the ICC UK's Arbitration & ADR Committee. He also leads Orrick's London Office.

Luigi Colombo Senior Counsel

Milan

He has assisted some of the most important Italian groups in a judicial and extra-judicial advisory capacity, including general corporate and corporate governance.

Prior to joining Orrick, Luigi was a partner at Studio Legale Tributario in Milan, a law firm associated with Ernst & Young International.

Mike Delikat Partner

New York

He is also the founder of the firm’s Whistleblower Task Force. He previously served as the Managing Director of Orrick’s Litigation Division. The practice group under Mike’s leadership was chosen as one of the top national employment law practices by Law 360.

Chambers USA and Chambers Global has ranked him in Band 1 since it began publishing its rankings, noting he is "a giant of the employment bar, widely regarded as an expert in whistleblowing matters and sex harassment claims,” “sought out by premier clients to handle high-stakes employment litigation and investigations,” and "one of the best lawyers on the East Coast for financial institutions."

Mike has an active trial, arbitration, and appellate practice and handles a number of high-visibility class action and impact cases. He is regularly retained by boards of directors and audit committees to conduct high exposure internal investigations of corporate wrongdoing.

Leon Diederichs Associate

Düsseldorf

He focuses in particular on disputes in antitrust law. His work includes representing a client from the petrochemical industry in the enforcement of antitrust claims for damages against companies involved in cartels.

Already as a trainee lawyer at Orrick, he contributed to the successful action for annulment of an investment control prohibition decision before the Berlin Administrative Court.

Before becoming a lawyer, Leon Diederichs completed a stage at the German Federal Cartel Office and worked for several international law firms including Orrick.

Nicole Dolenz Partner

Paris

Nicole has more than 20 years’ experience representing clients in international arbitration and all forms of dispute resolution. Dual trained in both civil and common law jurisdictions, Nicole has conducted arbitrations under all the main international arbitration rules including the ICC, AAA, SCC, UNCITRAL, ICDR and ICSID as well as local European arbitration institutions such as the Vienna Chamber (VIAC), CEPANI, Swiss Chamber and DIS. Her cases have spanned a variety of industries including oil and gas, nuclear energy, aviation, construction, technology, food and beverages, transportation, and insurance.

 Nicole has worked on multi-billion dollar gas price review arbitrations for major European producers and several bet the company construction arbitrations, including an US$8 billion ICC arbitration for the world’s largest shipbuilder. She is frequently nominated to act as arbitrator and speaks and publishes regularly on questions of international commercial and investment arbitration, including The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Investor-State Arbitration 2019 – Country Questions and Answers: France. Nicole is a former member of the Executive Board and Global Boards of ICDR Y&I and practices in English, German, French and has a working knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese.  

 Prior to joining Orrick, Nicole practiced in one of the biggest law firms in the world in New York for six years, an Austrian firm in Vienna for five years and a major U.S. firm in Paris for seven years.

Deena O. Dulgerian Senior Associate

Los Angeles

Deena works on matters for a diverse range of clients, from international tech and utility construction companies, and pharmaceutical companies to the National Collegiate Athletic Association. From day one, she was an integral member of the winning trial team for the first collegiate football concussion and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy case to reach a jury trial for the NCAA, as well as managing the discovery process for several other of the NCAA’s football concussion cases. She is also active in multi-language international arbitration matters, working with clients and experts across the globe.

Recently, Deena has represented a number of technology companies, working on matters involving cryptocurrency investments and international service issues, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and other copyright and data access issues, and disputes related to disgruntled employees and stock options.

Deena has consistently maintained an active pro bono case load, having secured asylum for six individuals in the last three years. She currently represents an inmate through the the United States District Court for the Central District of California’s Pro Bono Civil Rights Panel and represented a tenant in an eviction action alongside Public Counsel.

Deena is a respected leader at Orrick. Since joining the firm, she has served as Co-Chair of the Middle Eastern and North African inclusion network and Co-Chair of the Los Angeles Office’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for several years, currently sits on the firmwide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and was a featured speaker for Kōrero, Orrick’s Women’s Initiative’s monthly firmwide community conversations. In 2022, Deena received the firm’s Community Responsibility Award for her humanitarian work with the Armenian Bar Association in connection with the war by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabagh.

Deena is an active member of the Armenian community, serving as Co-Vice Chair of the Armenian Woman’s Bar Association. While in law school, Deena was the Co-Founder and President of the Armenian Law Students Association. She was also a member of Georgetown’s Barrister’s Council’s Alternate Dispute Resolution division, winning Georgetown’s Bellamy Negotiation Competition and securing an honorable mention for Georgetown’s brief at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong, a student attorney with Georgetown's Juvenile Justice Clinic, the Executive Editor for the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, and wrote for the Georgetown Law Technology Review.

Siegfried Elsing, Prof. Dr. LL.M. (Yale) Partner

Düsseldorf

He has acted as counsel, presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator, or chairman in more than 300 arbitration proceedings, including ad hoc proceedings and arbitrations under the rules of the leading arbitration institutions.

As counsel, he represents private investors, international corporations, sovereign states, and state-owned enterprises in a range of significant, complex, and often cross-border disputes.

In addition to counsel work and acting as an arbitrator, Siegfried also acts as an expert witness before German courts as well as courts in the United States and the United Kingdom and before regulatory institutions.

His experience includes disputes in the areas of M&A, energy, investment protection, engineering and construction, financing, joint ventures, and intellectual property.

He is admitted to practice as an attorney-at-law in both Germany and New York.

Chambers Global 2024 describes Siegfried as a "star individual" who is "often appointed as arbitrator in complex international arbitrations" and is also "a leading practitioner in the field of investment arbitration" with "extensive experience as an arbitrator in investment law cases".

Siegfried was a member of the Advisory Board of the American Arbitration Association (2009 to 2020) and a member of the Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) (2011 to 2017). He was a member of the Board of the German Arbitration Institute (DIS) (2012 to 2022) and has been a member of the DIS Council (since 2022). He was also Chairman of the Mediation Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) (2007-2008).

He is co-editor of the German Arbitration Journal (Zeitschrift für Schiedsverfahren (SchiedsVZ)). He regularly lectures and publishes on international arbitration and comparative law. Siegfried is also honorary professor at the Faculty of Law at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, where he has been teaching international commercial arbitration and international civil procedure law for 25 years. Since 2013, he represents the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as Honorary Consul in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Siegfried Elsing co-founded the German law firm Hölters & Elsing in 1989 and has overseen the merger with Orrick in 2008.