CHANCERY HOUSE, 53-64 CHANCERY LANE, LONDON, WC2A 1QS, ENGLAND
- Tel:
- Work 020 7312 1000
- Fax:
- Fax 020 7404 9473
- Web:
- www.zaiwalla.co.uk
- Email:
This London-based international arbitration practice has been established for nearly 30 years and continues to hold its niche market position of handling top-quality international work while ensuring clients receive high-calibre services at a reasonable cost.
The firm: Since the firm’s inception in 1982, the team has been involved in over 1,200 arbitrations and is headed by senior partner Sarosh Zaiwalla, who is a former a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris, and often sits as the sole arbitrator appointed by the ICC or the Law Society.
The firm’s expertise lies in handling commercial litigations and arbitrations arising from all sectors of the industry such as oi, gas, aviation and property to banking and finance. The firm also specialises in handling court applications arising from arbitrations.
The firm has associate offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Beijing, alongside a strong worldwide network of professional and commercial contracts. Members of the team have expert knowledge of other legal systems, notably in India, China, Iran and the Middle East.
The firm has a proven track record of success for international clients, notably in turning around difficult cases through an innovative perspective. Clients range from state-owned companies and multinationals to high-net-worth individuals. The team is modest in size and therefore manages to keep costs low for the client. Notably, Zaiwalla’s opponent solicitors are nearly always from the ‘Big City’ set.
Zaiwalla & Co recently acted for both the Fortune 500 Indian Oil Corporation in a US$100m arbitration and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board in a US$180m arbitration. Zaiwalla & Co also represented property tycoons Robert and Vincent Tchenguiz of the Consensus Business Group in four separate litigations involving banking, property and family disputes. The firm represented the Tchenguiz brothers in the highly publicised Court of Appeal case, Imeman v Tchenguiz before the Master of the Rolls.
The firm was also in the news for representing a Zimbabwe-based business man in his US$330m claim against HSBC Private Bank, a case which has now reached the Supreme Court and will set a precedent as the courts look, for the first time, at the conduct of banks in reporting customers for suspected money laundering.
Another case on the way to setting a new legal precedent is that of Hashwani v Jivraj where the Supreme Court is considering whether, under the European Convention for Human Rights, the religion of an arbitrator can be legitimate criteria for his appointment.
Some of the firm’s prominent clients include the President of the Union of India; the Greek shipping family of Andreas Lemos, in a US$100m partnership dispute; Mount Banking Corporation (a Kenyan-owned bank); the Oil and Natural Gas Commission of India (INGC); Shipping Corporation of India; Cavn Venezuela; Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines; the leader of the Indian Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi; the late former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ms Benazir Bhutto; Bollywood film star Amitabh Bachchan (in a libel case); and Abdulla Rostamani, of Rostamani Thomas-Cook, Dubai.
The firm also acted for China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China Petroleum Technology and Development Corporation (CPTDC) and China Petroleum Engineering Construction Corporation (CPECC) in the only three Chinese government arbitrations ever to be held in London.
Types of work undertaken: The firm is most active in international commercial arbitration and litigation. Areas of expertise are:
Energy: oil and gas, electricity, project development and finance construction, engineering contracts, environmental law and other regulations.
Shipping: dry (charter parties, bills of lading and maritime insurance) and wet (collisions, salvages and towage) shipping.
Company commercial: company formation, partnership and shareholder agreements, and sale and purchase of all commercial interests, including companies. The firm specialises in advising international companies that are entering into joint ventures with businesses in the UK.
Banking and finance: all types of substantive contentious and non-contentious legal matters for overseas banks in London; and advice to companies and government entities seeking project finance.
Breakdown of work %
Arbitration 60
Commercial/civil litigation 10
Shipping 10
Banking 10
Company and commercial 5
Immigration 5
Number of UK partners 2
Number of other UK fee-earners 7
Above material supplied by Zaiwalla & Co.