Mr Piers Plumptre > Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
TELEPHONE HOUSE
2-4 TEMPLE AVENUE
LONDON
EC4Y 0HB
England
Piers Plumptre photo

Work Department

Dispute Resolution, International Arbitration

Position

Piers Plumptre is an English qualified partner working in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Piers is a member of the Dispute Resolution and International Arbitration Groups.

Piers’s practice includes international arbitration and enforcement, complex commercial litigation, financial services disputes, and international fraud and white collar crime. He has extensive experience of international litigation and arbitration matters, spanning multiple jurisdictions, and in a wide variety of sectors.

Piers’s recent commercial arbitration experience includes acting for a major international contractor in a US$ 4 billion dollar ICC arbitration arising out of a Middle Eastern infrastructure project, acting for an energy company in an ICC arbitration against an African State concerning a power project, and acting for a global mining company in a US$ 2 billion LCIA arbitration (and related English High Court proceedings) concerning a long-term supply contract.

Piers has significant investment treaty arbitration experience, including ongoing representation of the former shareholders in a major oil company in a long-running US$ 6 billion UNCITRAL arbitration against the Russian Federation. Piers has also represented an Egyptian telecoms company in an ICSID arbitration against Canada, and continues to act for a major personal care products company in an investment treaty arbitration against Venezuela.

Piers also regularly acts for clients seeking to enforce arbitral awards and judgments, both in the UK and elsewhere. Examples include recently seeking and obtaining a freezing injunction and related relief from the English High Court, in connection with a US$ 550 million ICC arbitration award arising out of a mining dispute. He has also appeared (as junior to Charlie Falconer) in the recent proceedings bought by Tethyan Copper Company in the BVI (where he is admitted to practice), seeking to enforce an ICSID award worth more than US$ 6 billion against the Government of Pakistan.

Piers’s experience of offshore litigation also includes acting for UBS in BVI proceedings brought by the liquidator of the largest Madoff feeder funds to recover monies paid out during the lives of the funds; including representing UBS before the BVI High Court, the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal and the Privy Council (sitting as the ultimate BVI appellate court).

Lawyer Rankings

London > Dispute resolution > International arbitration

With ‘deep international arbitration experience across the board‘, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is best known for large-scale, complex disputes. The London practice is jointly headed by ‘superb advocateCyrus Benson, who regularly appears before commercial and investment treaty tribunals in telecoms, mining, infrastructure, and oil and gas claims; and ‘superb arbitration practitionerPenny Madden KC, an expert in shareholder, telecoms, energy, international trade, and insurance disputes. The next line of experienced practitioners comprises former UK Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer KC, who focuses on commercial litigation, international arbitration and investigations; Osma Hudda, who maintains a broad disputes practice; and Doug Watson, who conducts arbitrations under a range of rules and arbitral institutions. In late 2022, former President of the European Court of Human Rights, Robert Spano, was recruited, while Piers Plumptre, who ‘takes a very commercial and practical approach‘, was made partner. Former partner Jeffrey Sullivan KC joined Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in July 2023.

London > Dispute resolution > Public international law

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher‘s ‘first-rate public international law practice‘ is routinely sought out to act in heavyweight investment treaty claims. The team is jointly headed by Penny Madden KC, whose international arbitration  expertise covers shareholder, telecoms energy, international trade, and insurance disputes; and Cyrus Benson, who ‘argues points of public international law with great skill‘. In late 2022, former President of the European Court of Human Rights, Robert Spano, joined the practice, while Piers Plumptre, who ‘has wide experience in public international law issues‘, was elevated to partner. Former partner Jeffrey Sullivan KC joined Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in July 2023.