Noted International Arbitration Partner Amir Ghaffari Joins Vinson & Elkins

LONDON, Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Highly-regarded international arbitration lawyer Amir Ghaffari joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner today in London. Ghaffari, who brings years of experience in Middle East and construction disputes, often sits as an arbitrator and will also work from the firm's Dubai office.

He represents energy, financial services, private equity, construction and engineering clients, among others, and has handled arbitrations administered under the rules of all the major arbitral institutions, as well as in ad hoc proceedings.

"Amir brings the experience that comes with having been based in the past in the key arbitration centres of London, Dubai and Paris," said Vinson & Elkins' Managing Partner Scott N. Wulfe. "He's known as a client-focused and driven lawyer who will fit well in our international disputes practice. His strong links in the Middle East, knowledge of the region and his adeptness at handling construction matters, make him a solid addition to our practice."

Ghaffari joins from Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP. He recently served as a co-chair of the London Court of International Arbitration's Young International Arbitration Group. Chambers UK cited Ghaffari as "Up-and-Coming" in its 2014 guide with one source saying he is a lawyer who "cuts to the chase." Clients commented to the directory's researchers that Ghaffari "has the capacity to assimilate and analyze large amounts of complex information and relay his findings in a straightforward manner."

Ghaffari's recent work includes an ICC arbitration for an Austrian construction company in a dispute with its Saudi project owner, three consolidated ICC arbitrations representing a global private equity fund in major real estate projects and an LCIA arbitration involving various distributorship agreements. Ghaffari also handles investor state and state-to-state arbitrations, including boundary disputes.

"V&E's international dispute resolution practitioners always have impressed me and I'm thrilled to be part of a team that is handling some of the most important disputes in the energy and infrastructure space," Ghaffari said. "V&E offers a vast global reach and depth of knowledge in handling disputes, especially in key international markets and industries, such as energy where the firm has a proven track record and offers deep, historical ties."

V&E's global International Dispute Resolution practice provides strong commercial and legal advice and representation to clients under all major arbitration rules throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Asia, Latin America and North America. Lawyers in the practice bring decades of experience of handling investor-state disputes, having advised clients in the vanguard of foreign investment. The group's extensive knowledge of the field of foreign investment is particularly focused on the energy industry and on other affiliated areas, such as construction, regulation, tariffs, finance, taxation and IP.

The head of V&E's International Dispute Resolution Practice, James Loftis, said Ghaffari helps build on the firm's strategic international dispute resolution strengths and has handled matters in a diverse array of countries, including Turkey, Ukraine, Bahrain, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea and Switzerland.

"Amir brings the right combination of legal skill, advocacy experience and diplomacy during a time when the importance and the complexity of international disputes has grown in recent years," Loftis said. "Amir has worked for several years with one of the best of the international arbitration bar and we are pleased to have him as part of a team that offers a unique understanding of the regions of the world where our clients operate, the work they do and the legal framework in the cross-border environment in which they operate."

Vinson & Elkins RLLP is an international law firm with approximately 700 lawyers across 15 offices worldwide. For more information, please contact Pam Easton at +1-713-758-2904.