Ian Laird, co-chair of Crowell & Moring LLP's international dispute resolution group, is recognized for representing Fortune 500 corporations in major investment and commercial arbitrations under the provisions of NAFTA, CAFTA-DR and the Energy Charter Treaty, often under the ICSID and UNCRITRAL arbitration rules. He is especially experienced representing clients in the energy and natural resources industries, as well as acting in arbitration proceedings between corporations and foreign sovereign governments. Laird is also a highly regarded adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center.
L’éditorial du Legal 500
Distinctions
Washington DC Elite
Profil
Département de travail
International Dispute Resolution
Rôle
Partner; Co-Chair, International Dispute Resolution Group
Carrière
When geopolitics leads to disputes, Ian A. Laird’s clients trust him for his extensive experience in international arbitration and under different treaty rules. Ian represents clients who are dealing with sensitive commercial and international disputes around the globe. With a keen eye for political risk, clients rely on him for his ability to respond quickly and efficiently when needs arise.
Ian is co-chair of the firm’s International Dispute Resolution Group. He frequently advises Fortune 500 corporations on geopolitical concerns when their investments face challenges overseas. He has worked extensively with clients involving issues in the energy and natural resources sector — such as power generation, oil and gas, and mining. As a former chief of staff to a Canadian cabinet minister and a senior political aide to the Ontario Minister of Energy, Ian has run political campaigns and understands the intimate workings of government and politics as well as their impact on industry.
Ian represents a range of clients and acts as an arbitrator in international arbitration proceedings, primarily involving disputes between corporations and foreign sovereign governments. For 25 years, Ian has counseled parties in investment arbitrations under the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Canada United States Mexico Agreement, the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement, the Energy Charter Treaty, and other international investment agreements, typically applying the arbitration rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and under the major international commercial arbitration rules. He is currently acting as counsel and arbitrator on numerous international arbitrations and disputes, most recently involving the United States, Canada, Egypt, Kuwait, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Turkey.
Ian is a D.C.-licensed Special Legal Consultant based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office.
Langues
French
Membre de
- Law Society of Ontario—Called to the Ontario Bar, and enrolled as a Solicitor of the Court of Appeal of Ontario
- District of Columbia—Licensed to practice as a Special Legal Consultant
- Ontario Bar Association (OBA)—International Law Section, Past-Chair, Section Executive Committee
- Canadian Bar Association (CBA)—International Law Section, Past-Co-Chair, Trade and Investment Committee
- American Bar Association (ABA)—International Law Section, Member
- Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC)—Arbitration Committee and ICC Canada Roster of Arbitrators
- Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners (YCAP)—Founder and former Executive Committee Member
- International Investment Law Center (International Law Institute, Washington, D.C.) (IILC)—Co-Director of Center
- ILI Series on International Law, Arbitration and Practice (Juris Publishing)—Co-General Editor
- American Review of International Arbitration (ARIA), Term 2019 – 2024—Advisory Board Member
- UNCITRAL, Working Group III—Observer delegate representing the International Law Institute
- Co-founder and co-chair of World Arbitration Update
- Co-founder and co-chair of Washington Arbitration Week
Éducation
McGill University, B.A., joint honors, philosophy and political science, 1987
University of Windsor, Faculty of Law, Windsor, Canada, LL.B., 1993
University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law, Cambridge, U.K. (St. Edmund's College), LL.M., 1998
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