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COMING SOON

JOIN Moldova Arbitration Days May 7-8, 2024

We cordially invite you to the First Moldova Arbitration Days, event aimed at sharing valuable knowledge and extensive experience, from top-notch international and national legal practitioners in the field. The conference brings together leading arbitrators, counsels, experts, academics, business representatives, and other stakeholders, to foster discussions and exchange insights on international commercial and investment arbitration, as well as special aspects related to energy arbitration, technology arbitration and protection of foreign investments. Engaging presentations await as we explore the latest trends in arbitration, followed by a Q&A session in an interactive format. We expect this event to be a great opportunity for Moldovan legal practitioners to share the current legal environment in the arbitration field and discuss how arbitration could be useful for local businesses, the state and international investors in Moldova.

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Event Details

Date

May 7 -8, 2024

Location

Radisson Blue Leogrand Hotel

Opening hours

May 7th | 9:30 - 18:00

May 8th | 9:30 - 16:00

Conference Agenda | DAY 1 – 7 May

Take a moment to explore our comprehensive conference agenda, your roadmap to a day filled with knowledge, connections, and inspiration!

8:30 - 9:00

Registration

● Moderator, Ana Indoitu

9:00 - 10:00

Welcome Remarks

● Welcome words from Sorin Dolea, Managing Partner Dolea & Co ● Honorable speech of Prof. George Bermann, Professor Columbia Law School ● Welcome words from Roger Gladei, CACIC President ● Welcome words from Marina Zarija, Lawyer

10:00 – 11:15

Session 1: Arbitration in Moldova: Regulatory and Practical Aspects

Moderator: Marina Zarija ● Serghei Covali – Managing partner, Covali Litigation & Arbitration ● Oleg Efrim – Managing partner, Efrim Roșca & Asociații ● Ion Capățînă – Senior Associate, Vernon David ● Patricia Zghibarță – Legal consultant in dispute resolution, EBRD

11:20 – 13:00

Session 2: Energy Arbitration

Moderator: Sorin Dolea ● Rodica Turtoi - Senior Associate, Peter & Kim ● Sebastiano Nessi - Partner, Curtis Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP ● Andrei Bivol – Founding partner, Bivol & Asociații ● Florian Haugeneder – Partner, Knoetzl ● Pavlo Byelousov – Partner, Aequo Law Firm ● Maria Kostytska – Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP

13:00-14.00

Lunch break

14:00 - 14:15

Honorable speech of the US Ambassador to Moldova, Mr. Kent D. Logsdon

14:15 – 15:15

Session 3: Technology and Latest Developments in Arbitration

Moderator: Sorin Dolea ● Mladen Stojiljković – Partner, Nater Dallafior ● Pilar Colomés – Partner, GNCI Law ● Iuliana Iacob – Partner, Mușat & Asociații ● Ivan Philippov – Associate, White & Case

15:20 – 15:40

Coffee break

15.40 -16.50

Session 4: Investment arbitration and Protection of Foreign Investments in Moldova

Moderator George Teodorescu ● Andrea Menaker - Partner, White & Case ● Ioana Salajanu – Partner, SLV ● Ema Potocnik - VIAC CAN Director ● Eric Leikin - Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

17.00

Closing remarks and end of the Day 1

Conference Agenda | DAY 2– 8 May

Take a moment to explore our comprehensive conference agenda, your roadmap to a day filled with knowledge, connections, and inspiration!

9:30 - 10:00

Registration

● Moderator, Sorin Dolea

9:00 - 10:00

Opening speech

● Prof. George Bermann – Professor Columbia Law School

11:00 – 12:100

Panel Discussion

12:00 - 14:00

Panel - Moldova Young Arbitration Practitioners

● Gabriel Cojocaru ● Vlada Mangir ● Dumitru Lungu ● Liviana Frunze ● Cătălin Avxentiev ● Vlad Dovbenco

Meet the Organizational Team

Our team members are our greatest asset.

Sorin DOLEA

Managing Partner, Dolea & Co

Dr. Sorin Dolea is the managing partner at Dolea & Co, focusing on international disputes as well as projects & energy. He has practiced arbitration in Geneva, Vienna and Frankfurt am Main. He has been involved in ICSID investment arbitrations based on the ECT and BITs as well as commercial arbitrations under ICC, LCIA, VIAC, and UNCITRAL rules. He is regularly ranked by the most prestigious the world’s leading legal ranking and insights intelligence companies. Sorin Dolea is teaching private international law at Moldova State University, and he is the co-founder of Moldovan Arbitration Association. In 2023 he defended the PhD thesis at Moldova State University, entitled "Settlement of Contractual Disputes in Investment Arbitration". He is a member of the Europe-subcommittee of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations, the Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova of Vienna International Arbitration Center within Community Ambassador Network (CAN) Project, as well as the Rapporteur for Moldova for the ICCA Yearbook Commercial Arbitration.

Maria COSTIN VIZDOAGA

Managing Partner, Vizdoaga Law Office

Maria Costin Vizdoaga is a New York admitted attorney who founded Vizdoaga Law Office based in Manhattan. Her practice focuses on investment-based immigration (E-2 visas), as well as corporate formation and contract negotiation. Maria graduated from Columbia Law School with an LLM degree, where she was awarded the Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar distinction. She also holds a Masters degree in European Union Studies and Law from Leiden University, the Netherlands and a Bachelors in Law from the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova. Previously, Maria worked for the Office of Legal Affairs and the Conduct and Discipline Unit at the United Nations in New York, where she conducted research and drafted reports on criminal liability of UN officials and experts in peacekeeping missions. In addition, Maria was a Legal Fellow with the Public Interest Law Network (PILnet) in New York, where she coordinated pro bono projects. She also served as a Research Fellow with the Center for United Nations Constitutional Reform in Brussels, focusing on advocating for Security Council reform. In Moldova, Maria worked for the East Europe Foundation, where she supported the implementation of gender equality projects that aimed at increasing women’s participation in political decision-making. In addition to practicing law in New York, Maria is on the Board of Directors of the American Foreign Law Association. She is an active member of the New York Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Marina ZARIJA

Lawyer

Marina is a lawyer, working in the past for ACI Partners and Schoenherr Moldova law firms. Her area of expertise is business operations and commerce, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and restructuring, also dispute resolution. Marina advised previously on projects related to infrastructure, energy field and other sectors, as well as contributed to different publications on the Moldovan regulatory, doing business and justice reform. Currently she is working for the EU High Level Advisers’ Mission to Moldova, in the field of Justice and Prosecution. She provides assistance related to EU accession and implementation of recommendations from Commission’s Opinion on Moldova’s EU membership application, Commission’s Analytical Report on Moldova’s alignment with the EU acquis and Enlargement reports. Also, Marina is a PhD student, conducting research on peculiarities of settling commercial disputes by means of arbitration, with special focus on rules of procedure. The scope of her PhD dissertation is to contribute to assessing Moldova’s in force legal framework, drawing relevant conclusions and proposing necessary regulatory amendments in order to update with the latest trends.

Ana INDOITU

Director, INVENTO

Lawyer with extensive experience in the IT sector and active involvement in civil society.. With an experience of nine years within the civil society sector, Ana Indoitu has substantial expertise in strategic planning, social justice, community development, public policy, advocacy and democratic participation. Previously, she acted as vice president of the National Youth Council of Moldova, where she advocated and engaged in the development of national youth policy in the country for three years. She runs INVENTO, a non-profit dedicated to social justice and citizens empowerment. She serves as an expert in IT Law, public policy, strategic planning and project management. She has three years’ teaching experience in a national college and university.

Meet the Volunteers Team

Frunză Liviana

Popa Valeria

Garbuz Daniel

Sîlnic Mădălina Camelia

Chirilă Daniela

Mazarenco Camelia

Osipov Anda

Mangîr Vlada

Meet the Keynote Speaker

George BERMANN

Walter Gellhorn Professor of Law and Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law, Columbia Law School

The director of the Center for International Commercial & Investment Arbitration at Columbia Law School, George A. Bermann ’75 LL.M. is a world-renowned authority on comparative law, EU law, international trade contracts, WTO dispute resolution, and transnational litigation and arbitration. For more than four decades, he has been an active international arbitrator in commercial and investment disputes in all sectors, including general commercial contract, construction, intellectual property, energy, oil and gas, competition law, insurance, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, distributorship and franchising, transportation, and employment. He also serves regularly as an expert witness before international arbitral tribunals as well as before courts in arbitral-related cases. Bermann joined the Columbia Law School faculty in 1975. He founded both the Columbia Journal of European Law and the European Legal Studies Center, where he serves as the director. In addition to teaching full-time at the Law School, he is an affiliated faculty member of the School of Law of Sciences Po in Paris and the MIDS Masters Program in International Dispute Settlement in Geneva. Bermann was the chief reporter for the American Law Institute (ALI) for its Restatement of the Law, The U.S. Law of International Commercial and Investor-State Arbitration, a 12-year project that was completed in 2019; it was the first ALI Restatement on this area of the law. Bermann is also co-author of the UNCITRAL Guide to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, chair of the Global Advisory Board of the New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC), co-editor in chief of the American Review of International Arbitration, and founding member of the governing body of the ICC Court of Arbitration and a member of its standing committee.

Meet the Conference Speakers

Ema POTOČNIK

Director of Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC) Community Ambassador Network

Ema Potočnik initially joined VIAC as a legal counsel where she was responsible for the administration of commercial arbitration and mediation cases. She later transitioned into the role of VIAC CAN Director. She runs this initiative alongside Niamh Leinwather, Secretary General of VIAC and Vladyslava Donchyk, VIAC CAN Coordinator, which has grown from strength to strength since its’ launch in 2023. It now boasts over 34 Ambassadors in 25 countries. Ema also co-created VIAC’s ADR Wellbeing Toolbox with ArbBalance and R.E.A.L., which was also launched in 2023. Originally from Slovenia, her work has always had a strong CEE/SEE focus. She previously worked in diplomacy at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Vienna, at the Energy Community Secretariat within the Dispute Resolution and Negotiation Centre and served as the IBA – VIAC CDRC Mediation & Negotiation Competition Deputy Director. Ema holds a law degree from the University of Ljubljana and is a certified mediator, actively supporting ADR and dialogue facilitation.

Sebastiano NESSI

Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP

With a dual civil and common law background, and 15 years of experience working in Paris, London, Dubai and Geneva, Sebastiano Nessi is an International Disputes Partner with Curtis. Ranked as a world "Global Elite Thought Leader" by Who's Who Legal, he specializes in international arbitration (commercial and investor-state), cross-border litigation, international asset recovery, public international law and international sanctions. He has appeared as counsel in some of the largest international arbitration and litigation cases of the last decade. He has secured a series of multi-million/billion dollar awards and court decisions for his clients, and defended others in claims arising in a number of different business sectors. He has a broad range of expertise with a particular focus on infrastructure and construction, energy (including nuclear and renewables), oil & gas, mining, insurance, banking, commodities, real estate, aerospace and transportation, telecommunication, healthcare and maritime. Sebastiano also sits regularly as an arbitrator and taught for several years international arbitration at the University of Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne. He is a lecturer at several academic institutions in Switzerland and overseas, and he is the author of some 50 book chapters and articles. Sebastiano is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London, and he currently serves as a Member of the Council of YSIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Center). He is a former Vice-Chair of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators YMG, and a former ICC YAF representative for Europe & Russia.

Florian HAUGENEDER

Partner, KNOETZL

Florian Haugeneder is a founding partner and co-head of the International Arbitration Practice of KNOETZL in Vienna. He has more than 20 years’ extensive experience as counsel and arbitrator under the rules of the major arbitral institutions, including the ICC, DIA, DIS, ICSID, KCAB, LCIA, SCC and VIAC, as well as in ad hoc arbitration such as UNCITRAL. Florian specialises in engineering and construction, energy, joint ventures, and commercial and corporate disputes. He has successfully represented clients in major engineering and construction disputes in some of the largest and most complex projects in the CEE and SEE regions. His experience includes, inter alia, road and railway construction disputes, thermal, wind and hydropower plants, airports, a sewer system and the construction and operation of a major fibre-optic cable infrastructure.A special focus of his practice is the international law on the protection of foreign investments. Florian has advised on a large number of FIDIC contracts.

Sorin Dolea

Managing partner, Dolea & Co

Iuliana IACOB

Partner, Mușat & Asociații

Iuliana specialises in international arbitration. She acted as counsel in multiple high-stake arbitral disputes under the rules of almost all major arbitral institutions across a wide range of sectors, as well as in complex cases involving applications for provisional measures, annulment of Arbitral Awards or recognition and enforcement proceedings. She regularly advises clients in connection with complex investment protection matters. Iuliana assisted and represented clients in relation to complex domestic litigations arising out of major infrastructure projects and in high-stake proceedings before international courts (the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights). Iuliana is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and of the ICC Institute of World Business Law. She is listed on the panel of multiple arbitration institutions including the Bucharest Court of Arbitration, the Court of Arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova, the Court of Arbitration of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the Romanian-German Chamber of Industry.

Mladen STOJILJKOVIĆ

Partner, Nater Dallafior

Dr. Iur. Mladen Stojiljković is representing clients in complex commercial disputes before arbitral tribunals (ICC, Swiss Rules, DIS, ad hoc, etc.) and all Swiss courts, in judgment and arbitral award enforcement, attachment and insolvency proceedings, and in cross-border evidence taking and other legal assistance matters. He is serving as arbitrator (sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator, chairman) in arbitration proceedings, particularly under the ICC Rules, Swiss Rules, and in ad hoc arbitration. Serving as expert witness on Swiss law in proceedings abroad. He is also an arbitrator at the International Chamber of Commerce (Swiss Arbitrators List); and an Author at Weblaw's digital case notes ("digitaler Rechtsprechungskommentar") for "Private International Law/International Civil Procedure and Arbitration" and "Civil Procedure"

Andrea MENAKER

Partner, White & Case LLP

Andrea Menaker is Head of the Public International Law Group at White & Case and specializes in investment arbitration, where she has represented respondent States and claimant investors in equal measure in some of the most ground-breaking investment arbitration cases. Andrea also has an active practice in relation to enforcement of arbitral awards and has coordinated such actions worldwide for clients, in addition to serving as arbitrator and expert witness on investor-State issues. After more than a decade in the Firm's Washington, DC office, Andrea transferred to London in 2019 to grow the Firm's investment arbitration practice in EMEA. Andrea is a senior member of many of the world’s most important arbitral institutions and associations. She is a Council Member of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), a member of its Appointments Committee and former member of its Proceedings Committee; a member of the Executive Committee of the Swedish Arbitration Association (SAA); a past, two-term Board Member of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC); a former, two-term Board Member of the Association Suisse de l’Arbitrage (ASA); a past Chair of the Programme Committee for ICCA’s Congress in Mauritius; and a past Executive Council Member for the American Society of International Law (ASIL). Andrea is also a former adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she taught international arbitration. Prior to joining White & Case, Andrea was Chief of the NAFTA Arbitration Division for the US State Department where she was lead counsel for the United States in investor-State arbitrations under the investment chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and participated in the drafting of investment and dispute resolution provisions in United States' bilateral investment treaties and investment chapters of free trade agreements.

Ivan PHILIPPOV

Associate, White & Case LLP

Ivan Philippov is a solicitor of England and Wales and associate of the White & Case International Arbitration Group, based in London. His experience includes representing sovereign States, companies and individuals in investor-State and commercial disputes under ICSID, ICSID Additional Facility, UNCITRAL, LCIA, SIAC and ICC rules, as well as ad hoc arbitration under domestic arbitration laws.

Eric LEIKIN

Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Eric Leikin is a partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, leading the international arbitration team in the Vienna office. Eric specialises in international arbitration, with a particular focus on investment arbitration and post-M&A commercial disputes, and is experienced in US civil litigation and cross-border compliance investigations, particularly in the former Soviet Union. Eric is admitted to practice and is a member of the bar in New York and Washington DC (attorney-at-law).

Serghei COVALI

Managing partner, Covali Litigation & Arbitration

Mr. Serghei Covali is a lawyer admitted for practice in the Republica of Moldova, and he has been trained in both civil law and common law traditions. He graduated from the Moldova State University Law School. Several years after that, he earned an LLM from BYU Law School. Later in his career, he pursued and graduated with an LLM degree from Queen Mary University of London in international commercial and investment arbitration. In the last 10 years, Mr. Covali represented clients in numerous international arbitration cases in the field of energy under German law (DIS), construction under FIDIC contracts, GAFTA & FOSFA under English law, maritime arbitration under English law (LMAA), etc. In the last two years, Mr. Covali was heavily involved in drafting the new Moldovan law on arbitration. The draft law is being analyzed and prepared for public debates by the Ministry of Justice.

Rodica TURTOI

Senior Associate, Peter & Kim

Rodica is a Senior Associate in the Zurich office of Peter & Kim specialized in commercial and investment disputes related to energy, construction and engineering, real estate, commodities, automotive and heavy industry, that frequently involve amounts in dispute ranging from tens of millions to multiple billions of euros. Rodica is trained and qualified in both civil and common law (member of the New York bar, passed the Paris bar examination) and acts as counsel in arbitration proceedings conducted under various rules, including ICSID, ICC, SCC, Swiss, and UNCITRAL, as well as related litigation. In the past 9 years, she worked in Paris, London, Geneva and Zurich. In 2024, Rodica was listed as a Rising Star in arbitration by Legal 500 EMEA

Andrei BIVOL

Founding Partner at BIVOL & ASOCIATII

Andrei is an attorney, arbitrator, and legal expert. He has been actively practising law in Moldova and internationally since 2010. He has extensive experience in court disputes at all levels of jurisdiction having litigated well over 100 administrative, civil, and commercial cases. He represented international organisations, multinational corporations, local companies, and public figures. Many of his cases had a high profile and attracted broad interest from the media and society. Andrei’s legal practice at the national level is backed by consistent international experience. Over the years Andrei has represented applicants in over 40 cases before the European Court of Human Rights. He advised and represented the Moldovan Government, state entities and private companies before various arbitration institutions such as ICSID, PCA, ECA, and Moldovan Chamber of Commerce, as well as in ad-hoc arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Rules. His arbitration practice focuses on construction (FIDIC Contracts), services (World Bank, EBRD, EIB framework agreements), energy (renewables and natural gas), IT and IP. Andrei is listed as an arbitrator in several international arbitration institutions (AMCHAM, Moldovan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, AITA) where he arbitrates domestic and international disputes. Andrei also acted as a legal expert in various projects implemented in Moldova by international organisations and development partners such as the European Union, German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ), Swedish Government, USAID, KfW, etc. He contributed to legal and policy drafting in the financial and business fields contributing to major projects such as the “Prima Casa” Government Project, the Law on Crowdfunding Services, the legal framework for the Moldovan SMEs Support Fund (FACEM/ODA), etc. Since June 2023 Andrei Bivol has been the Vice-chairperson of the Judicial Vetting Commission set up to evaluate the financial and ethical integrity of the Moldovan judicial system.

Ioana SALAJANU

Attorney, Partner, SLV Legal

Attorney Ioana Salajanu, 50, is a mother of three boys and community leader, currently residing in Geneva, Switzerland. Ioana was born in Oradea, Romania. She immigrated to the United States in 1983. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in 1996 and earned Dean’s List honors. In 2000, she earned her J.D. degree in Law from the Loyola University School of Law, where she served on the International Law Review. She was admitted to the Illinois Bar as a practicing lawyer in 2000. She has over 24 years of experience as an attorney in federal courts, mostly in Washington DC. As of 2000, she is a member of the various federal bar associations in the United States and of the Geneva Bar Association in Switzerland since 2022. In 2022 she also passed the QLTS in the United Kingdom. Ioana’s forte is sovereign immunity defense in post award enforcement and investment-based arbitration. Her practice involves the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act (“FSIA”); State Aid matters, European Union laws, directives, orders, opinions, injunctions issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”), Bilateral Investment Treaties (“IBTs”), Treaty on the European Union (“TEU”), Treaty on the Functioning of The European Union (“TFEU”), United Nations The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (“UNCITRAL”), United Nations Convention on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration (New York, 2014) (the “Mauritius Convention on Transparency”); Hague Convention; assessment of negotiations of default of sovereign state on investment loans; defense of governments based personal and subject jurisdiction, immunity defenses, imposition of sanctions against sovereign state, permissible attachment of foreign assets; viability and enforceability of ex parte judgment and default judgments against sovereign states. Beyond her role as an attorney, Ioana has been at the forefront on charitable activities. She founded Children’s International, a not-for-profit organization that has developed an educational partnership between Chicago land schools with Romanian schools. Ioana is also established for the Chicagoland community free monthly legal clinics. She has established the Romanian American Business Club, to create and expand business opportunities for businesses with Romanian descent and align them with American companies. Finally, Ioana sits on the Board of Advisors for the Romanian United Foundation, which raises funds for start-up business of Romanian descent.

Oleg EFRIM

Managing Partner, Efrim, Roșca & Asociații

Oleg Efrim is one of ERA’s co-founders and Managing Partner. Oleg holds a Bachelor degree and a LL.M. from the State University of Moldova. Oleg’s legal career began in 1997. Since Oleg has been practicing in the commercial, non-profit, and in the public sectors. As of 1997 Oleg also holds the position of Professor of Civil Law at the State University of Moldova. Over the years, Oleg has been involved in large, high profile investment projects and successfully representing the interests of numerous national and international clients in the law courts of Republic of Moldova. Oleg’s career in the public sector – in his capacity of Ombudsman for the Republic of Moldova, Vice Minister and then Minister of Justice – includes extensive experience in the regulatory, public procurement, and other public domain fields. Since 2008, Oleg Efrim was nominated by Best Lawyers, Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500 and IFRL 1000. Oleg’s areas of expertise are: investment, corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, legal due diligence, and commercial and civil litigation.

Ion CAPATINA

Associate, Vernon & David

Mr. Capatina specializes in commercial, civil and administrative litigation, as well as in international commercial arbitration. Recognized as one of Moldova’s leading arbitrators and litigators, he has worked on numerous arbitrations cases in Moldova and throughout Europe, both as a litigator as well as a member of various arbitration panels. Over the last few years, he has acted as an arbitrator for dozens of cases, including under the International Chamber of Commerce (Paris) rules as well as part of the International Commercial Arbitration Court attached to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova. Besides acting as an arbitrator in Moldova, Ion has arbitrated cases in Geneva, Rome and Berlin. Ion is a leader and expert in sports disputes, telecommunication issues, civil engineering cases and transportation arbitration. He is the Deputy President of the International Commercial Arbitration Court attached to Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Republic of Moldova (CICA) and Chairman of the Law and Arbitration Commission of the National Olympic Committee. In addition, Ion is also a permanent listed arbitrator for the Chisinau International Court of Commercial Arbitration attached to the American Chamber of Commerce in Moldova (CACIC), for the International Commercial Arbitration Court attached to the International Association of Road Transporters (AITA) and for the International Court of Arbitration at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kyrgyzstan. In addition to his litigation and arbitration practice, Ion has a strong academic background and is currently a Lecturer of International Private Law and of International Commercial Arbitration at the Moldovan State University Law School. From 1998 to 2002, Ion was a Researcher and Interim Director of the Institute of Scientific Research for Law at Moldova State University.

Pilar COLOMES

Partner, GNCI Law

With extensive experience representing investors and States in investment arbitration cases, Pilar is a qualified attorney in Spain and New York where she has practiced law in multiple jurisdictions (Spain, New York, London, the Netherlands). During her 5-year experience in New York (Kirkland & Ellis LLP) she represented investors in complex investment arbitration under both ICSID and UNCITRAL rules involving multiple arbitration-related proceedings such as cross-border discovery proceedings before courts of New York (Southern District of New York)) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782, parallel proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Spanish courts and consolidation of proceedings. In the past, Pilar successfully acted in the defence of the Kingdom of Spain in the first two investment arbitrations related to the photovoltaic sector before the Spanish State Attorney's Office decided to assume the representation and defense of the following investment arbitrations. Pilar frequently leads complex commercial arbitration cases and transnational litigation proceedings, where complex issues of public and private international law such as conflict of law and conflict of forum, interim measures, recognition and opposition to the recognition of foreign arbitral awards and judgments, and annulment proceedings are involved. Pilar holds a Master's Degree in Law from Columbia University and is Professor of Public International Law at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in Madrid and of International Arbitration at the Universidad de la Rioja. She has been recognized for consecutive years as a recommended lawyer in international arbitration in several rankings (Leaders League, Iberian Lawyer). Pilar is a member of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrator Task Force and constantly provides advice on public international law and ESG-related arbitration matters.

Pavlo BYELOUSOV

Partner, Aequo Law Firm, Kyiv, Ukraine

For over the past fifteen years, Pavlo has been specialized in international arbitration and litigation, with a special focus on investment, commercial and energy-related disputes. As a practising advocate, Pavlo has represented the clients before arbitral tribunals in Ukraine and abroad under variety of arbitration rules (LCIA, ICC, SCC; ICAC Ukraine, ICAC at Moldavian CCI, GAFTA, UNCITRAL, etc.) and before courts, including the Ukraine’s Supreme Court. He has also served as arbitrator in over 50 intentional arbitration proceedings as a party/institution-appointed arbitrator and chair. For his considerable experience and expertise in foreign investment protection, Pavlo has been frequently instructed to advise and represent investors in their investment disputes with states and state authorities and related settlement negotiations under respective investment contracts, bilateral investment treaties, the Energy Charter Treaty, ICSID Convention”.

Maria KOSTYTSKA

Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP

Maria Kostytska is a partner and head of international arbitration of the Paris office of Winston & Strawn LLP. With a strong focus in the energy sector, Maria leads the international arbitration and post-arbitral litigation practice with a focus on Eastern and Western Europe, the Baltics, Central Asia and Latin America. She practices law in English, French, Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian, and is admitted to the bars of Washington D.C., New York, England and Wales (barrister) and Paris. Maria has handled high-profile energy disputes in the oil and gas and renewable energy sectors. She serves as an arbitrator and acts as lead counsel representing clients in investor-state and commercial arbitrations under the UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, SCC, ICSID and other rules.