Sergey Alekhin
Counsel, Litigation
Sergey Alekhin is counsel in Willkie’s Litigation Department in Paris. He focuses on international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration, with a particular emphasis on the post-Soviet region. He has acted in proceedings conducted under the rules of major arbitration forums worldwide (ICC, ICSID, LCIA, etc.), as well as in ad hoc proceedings, including under the UNCITRAL Rules. Prior to joining Willkie, Sergey worked for five years at a Paris-based arbitration boutique firm.
In addition to counsel work, Sergey accepts arbitrator appointments. He is featured in the following arbitrator lists: (i) roster of Russian arbitrators compiled by the ICC Russia Commission on Arbitration; (ii) International Arbitration Database of the Russian Arbitration Centre (RAC) at the Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration; and (iii) International and Investment Disputes Panel of the Arbitration Centre at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP).
In 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, Sergey was ranked among the ‘Top 10 Young Arbitration Practitioners’ by the RAA40, the Russian Arbitration Association’s under 40 division.
In 2022, Sergey was appointed by the Kyrgyz Republic to the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
Experience
Sergey frequently publishes and speaks on international arbitration and relates issues, including cybersecurity, blockchain technology and e-sports. He formerly served as Co-Chairman of the Young Institute of Modern Arbitration (Young IMA, Russia).
- Grégoire Bertrou and Sergey Alekhin, “The Admissibility of Unlawfully Obtained Evidence in International Arbitration: Does the End Justify the Means?,” Les Cahiers de l'Arbitrage / The Paris Journal of International Arbitration, Vol. 4 (2018)
- Sergey Alekhin and Valeria Starikova, “Smart Contracts meet Arbitration” [working title, forthcoming]
- Sergey Alekhin and Dmitry Bayandin, “Cherry-picking or cherry-biting? The res judicata doctrine and the limits of permissible parallel and consecutive proceedings in investment arbitration,” New Horizons of International Arbitration, Vol. 5 (2019)
- Sergey Alekhin, Alexis Foucard and Greg Lourie, “Cybersecurity, International Arbitration and the Ethical Rules and Obligations Governing the Conduct of Lawyers: A Comparative Analysis,” TDM 2019 Special Issue on Cybersecurity in International Arbitration
- Sergey Alekhin and Leonid Shmatenko, “Corruption in Investor-State Arbitration – It Takes Two to Tango,” New Horizons of International Arbitration, Vol. 4 (2018), pp. 150-179
- Sergey Alekhin, “Capital Financial Holdings Luxembourg SA v Republic of Cameroon, ICSID Case No. ARB/15/18, Award of the Tribunal, dated June 22, 2017 – Case Report,” IACL/TDM (April 2018)
- Sergey Alekhin, “Recofi SA v. Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Ruling No. 4A_616/2015 of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, dated September 2016 – Case Report,” IACL/TDM (May 2017)
- Young ICCA Skills Training Workshop, Moderating the “Practical tips and considerations on drafting arbitration clauses” session (Bishkek, May 2019);
- Tashkent Law Spring 2019, Presentation on Blockchain and Smart Contracts (Tashkent, April 2019)
- Arbitrate IT! (ICC YAF – Young ADR Belarus Joint Conference), Presentation on Artificial Intelligence in International Arbitration (Minsk, March 2019)
- Russian Arbitration Day 2019, Presentation on Res Judicata in Investment Arbitration (Moscow, March 2019)
- 10th Moscow Premoot Workshop & Conference, Presentation on Admissibility of Unlawfully Obtained Evidence (Moscow, March 2019)
- Pertinent Issues of International Investment Law Arising in FIAMC 2019 case, Presentation on Admissibility of Unlawfully Obtained Evidence (Moscow, February 2019)
- GIAC Arbitration Days 2018, “Innovations: Technology meets Arbitration” Panel, Presentation on Blockchain and Smart Contracts (Tbilisi, October 2018)
- Kyiv Arbitration Days 2018, “The science or fiction of legal technology – time to adjust?” Session, Presentation on Blockchain Contracts, Arbitration Agreements, and Procedure (Kyiv, September 2018)
- New York Convention: Present Achievements and Future Challenges, Presentation entitled “The Trans-Siberian leg of the ‘Annulment/Enforcement’ World Trip” (Kyiv, September 2018)
- Online Dispute Resolution: Justice Re-Imagined, “What are Smart Contracts?” Session, Presentation on Smart Arbitration for Smart Contracts (Liverpool, June 2018)
- Russian Arbitration Day 2018, Presentation on Corruption in Investor-State Arbitration (Moscow, March 2018)
- ICC Russia’s 10th International Arbitration Conference, “Proving corruption in international arbitration” Session, Presentation on Arbitrator’s Duty to Investigate Corruption Sua Sponte and the Duty to Report on Corruption (Moscow, December 2017)
- Arbitration Technopolis: Tips, Tools and Technology to Support a Modern Arbitration Practice, “Cybersecurity Solutions: Defensive Measures for All” Session (New York, November 2017)
- Kazan Legal 2017, “Gathering Evidence for Foreign Trials” Roundtable, Presentation on Expert Evidence in International Arbitration (Kazan, September 2017)
- Four related ICC arbitration proceedings between three Hong Kong companies (on one side) and a Thai and a BVI company (on the other side) relating to the sale of a wind energy business in Asia (claims in excess of USD 1 billion)
- The Kyrgyz Republic in Penwell Business v. Kyrgyz Republic (PCA Case No. 2017-31), a London-seated UNCITRAL arbitration initiated by Penwell, a British Virgin Islands-based company, based on the Kyrgyz Foreign Investment Law.
- The Kyrgyz Republic in VIP Kyrgyzstan Holding and Menacrest v. Kyrgyz Republic (PCA Case No. 2018-21), a London-seated UNCITRAL arbitration initiated by VIP Kyrgyzstan Holding and Menacrest, two Switzerland-based investment companies, based on the Kyrgyz Foreign Investment Law on Investments and a regional investment treaty.
- The Kyrgyz Republic in RusHydro v. Kyrgyz Republic (PCA Case No. 2018-21), a Hong Kong-seated UNCITRAL arbitration initiated by RusHydro, Russian state-owned hydroelectricity company, based on an intra-state agreement, the Eurasian Investment Agreement and the EEU Treaty.
- The Kyrgyz Republic in National Center on Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan v. Kyrgyz Republic (PCA Case No. 2019-01), a London-seated UNCITRAL arbitration initiated by a Kazakh state-owned metallurgical company, based on the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan BIT.
- The Kyrgyz Republic in JSC QazaqGaz (f.k.a KazTransGaz) v. Kyrgyz Republic, a Paris-seated UNCITRAL arbitration initiated by a Kazakh state-owned energy company, based on the Kyrgyz Foreign Investment Law and the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan BIT.
- The Kyrgyz Republic in UAB Garsu Pasaulis v. Kyrgyz Republic, a Paris-seated UNCITRAL Arbitration initiated by a Lithuanian secure printing company, based on the Lithuania-Kyrgyzstan BIT.
- The Kyrgyz Republic in Valery Belokon v. Kyrgyz Republic annulment proceedings before the French Cour de Cassation.
- Two separate commercial arbitrations between an international organization and its contractors: (i) a Turkish construction company in connection to the construction of an airfield and (ii) and African logistics company in relation to a services contract
- Four separate PCA-administered ad hoc investment arbitrations between a Central Asian State and: (i) a foreign State-owned company regarding construction of a metallurgical plant, (ii) a Russian State-owned company regarding termination of an inter-State agreement pertaining to construction of a large infrastructure project, (iii) a BVI company regarding an alleged expropriation of a telecommunications business (claims in excess of USD 250 million); and (iv) a foreign company in connection with allegedly unlawful taxation measures with respect to a telecommunications business
- Enforcement, interim measures and discovery proceedings in support of ICC arbitration proceedings in Hong Kong, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, Belize, United States, United Kingdom and Thailand
- Investment arbitration between a British company and a Central Asian State in relation to an investment in the gold mining industry (UNCITRAL), and associated enforcement and set-aside proceedings before the French courts
- Four separate investment arbitrations (UNCITRAL and ICSID) between investors from the U.S. and the Middle East and a Central Asian state in relation to an investment in the agricultural industry, an investment in the oil industry, an investment in the pharmaceutical industry, and an investment in the air transport industry, and associated set-aside proceedings before the UK courts
- Investment arbitration between a group of Turkish companies and a Central Asian state in connection with an investment in the oil transshipment industry (ICSID)
- Investment arbitration between a Turkish investor and a Central Asian state in connection with multiple construction projects (ICSID)
- ICSID annulment proceedings (an arbitration between a U.S. investor and a Central Asian state and an arbitration between Turkish investor and another Central Asian state)
- Advising on international arbitration and dispute resolution aspects in an infrastructure public-private partnership project in the Central Asian region
- Advising several nationals and companies from the CIS region in connection with potential investment arbitration claims against states for alleged breaches of international law and in relation to certain extradition proceedings
- Advising international organizations in connection with investment climate and dispute resolution in the Central Asian Region
Credentials
Education
Université Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne, Master II, 2011