Dr Yas Banifatemi > Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes > Paris, France > Lawyer Profile
Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes Offices
46 rue Copernic
78116 Paris
France
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Dr Yas Banifatemi
Position
Founding Partner, Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes
Career
- Founding Partner, Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes (Feb 2021–Present)
- Partner, Shearman & Sterling LLP (Jan 2006–Feb 2021)
- Associate, Shearman & Sterling LLP (Oct 1997–Dec 2005)
- Visiting Lecturer, Harvard Law School (2018–Present)
- Visiting Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School (2014–Present)
- Lecturer, Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (Sep 2006–Present)
- Lecturer on International Arbitration, Sciences Po Law School (2022–Present)
- Lecturer, The Hague Academy of International Law, Private International Law Session (Summer 2019; Summer 2022)
- Director of Studies, The Hague Academy of International Law, Public International Law Session (Summer 2004)
- Lecturer on Public International Law, Panthéon-Assas University (Paris II) (1994–1996 and 1999–2000)
Languages
French, English, Farsi
Memberships
- President of the International Arbitration Institute (IAI) (2021–Present)
- Member, Court of Arbitration of the Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC) (2019–2024)
- Member, SIAC Users Council (2017–2024)
- Member, Arbitration Council of the Georgian International Arbitration Center (GIAC) (2020–Present)
- Member, Advisory Board of the Mauritius International Arbitration Center (MIAC) (2021–Present)
- Vice-President, ICC International Court of Arbitration (2015–2021)
- Member, ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR (2015–2021)
- Member, LCIA Court (2015–2020)
- Listed, ICSID Panel of Arbitrators (2017–2023), appointed by the Chairman of ICSID’s Administrative Council
- Listed, HKIAC Panel of Arbitrators (2016–2021); SHIAC Panel of Arbitrators (2018–2021); CIETAC Panel of International Investment Arbitrators (2018–2020); ADGMAC Panel of Arbitrators (2020–)
- Listed, Panel of Experts of the Recognised International Market Experts in Finance (P.R.I.M.E. Finance)
- Founding member and Co-Secretary-General, International Academy for Arbitration Law (2011–2013)
- Member, Advisory Board, Journal of International Economic Law (2023–2026)
- Member, Editorial Board, ICSID Review, Foreign Investment Law Journal (2012–2014)
- Member, Editorial Board, Yearbook on International Investment Law and Policy
- Member, SIAC Drafting Sub-Committee on Arbitral Procedure and Powers of the Tribunal (including Early Dismissal) (2020–2021)
- Member, P.R.I.M.E. Finance Arbitration Rules Drafting Committee (2020–2021)
- Member, Editorial Board for the Revision of the Uruguayan Conciliation and Arbitration Center Rules (2018–Present)
- Member, SCC Rules Revision Committee (2017)
- Chair, Georgian International Arbitration Center (GIAC) Commission for Final Revision of the GIAC Arbitration Rules (2014–Present)
- Member, World Bank’s Investing Across Borders (IAB)
- Member, ILA Study Group on the Soft Law Instruments in Foreign Investment Law (2010–2014)
- Member, ILA Study Group on the Use of Private Law Principles for the Development of International Law
- Member, IBA Investment Treaty Sub-Committee
- Member, IBA Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards Sub-Committee
- Member, Advisory Board, Africa International Legal Awareness (AILA)
- Member, Advisory Board, Association of Young Arbitrators (AYA), Nigeria
- Member, Advisory Board, Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)
- Expert, joint UNCITRAL-CIDS Expert Group meeting on possible reforms of investor-State dispute settlement
- Member, International Arbitration Institute (IAI), Comité Français de l’Arbitrage (CFA), Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
- Member, American Society of International Law (ASIL), European Society of International Law (ESIL) and French Society of International Law (SFDI)
Education
- Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, Ph.D. in International Law (with highest honors; Dissertation honored with a prize at the Concours de Prix de Thèses)
- Harvard Law School, LL.M.
Lawyer Rankings
Algeria > Foreign firms
(Leading individuals)Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes‘ team is ‘made up of lawyers from diverse backgrounds’, with each member consistently demonstrating ‘a mastery of his or her cases, and a broad knowledge of various aspects of the law and judicial or arbitral jurisprudence’. The firm is exclusively focused on the management of international disputes, with an enviable track record spanning key economic areas including energy, natural resources, construction and infrastructure. Yas Banifatemi
leads the practice from Paris and has experience representing the Algerian Republic in numerous investment and commercial arbitrations. Coralie Darrigade, Maude Lebois and Benjamin Siino are also key practitioners, as is Thomas Parigot, who was promoted to partner in January 2023.
France > Dispute resolution: International arbitration
(Hall of Fame)Launched early 2021, Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes houses a sizeable and international team and has offices in Paris, London and New York. The fully dedicated arbitration firm offers a full-service practice, from advisory work and early-stage case management to final enforcement proceedings, representing leading French and international clients. It manages high-profile investment and commercial arbitration disputes, acting for state entities and leading companies in strategic and geopolitically sensitive cases (some matters involving corruption and international security issues), in connection with various industry sectors including oil and gas, nuclear and telecoms. The team’s caseload spans global disputes involving Russia, China and Latin America (notably Colombia and Brazil). It has a particularly strong footprint handling matters concerning the Middle East and Africa through a dual qualified team able to handle cases in Arabic, including headline disputes in Egypt and Algeria. Practice head Yas Banifatemi is a high-profile figure in the field, with other top names including Mohamed Shelbaya, Coralie Darrigade, Maude Lebois, and Thomas Parigot who was promoted to partner in early 2023. In Benjamin Siino, the firm has remarkable arbitration exequatur expertise in France and across the globe, notably for cases involving state entities.
Lawyer Rankings
- Dispute resolution: International arbitration France
- Hall of Fame France > Dispute resolution: International arbitration