Mr Robert Volterra > Volterra Fietta > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Volterra Fietta Offices
8 MORTIMER STREET, FITZROY PLACE
LONDON
W1T 3JJ
England
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Mr Robert Volterra
Work Department
Public International Law.
Position
Partner at Volterra Fietta
Career
Robert Volterra has been recognised for many years in the global legal directories as one of the world’s top public international law practitioners. In 2022, Chambers and Partners described Robert as “probably the best public international law lawyer on this planet”, while Legal 500’s 2023 publication called Robert “the best public international lawyer around”.
Robert is qualified as a barrister in Canada and as a solicitor-advocate in England and Wales. He advises and represents governments, international organisations and private clients on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious public international law and international dispute resolution issues, including international humanitarian law, the laws of war, international criminal law, boundaries and territorial integrity, UNCLOS, international investment agreements and BITs, the Energy Charter Treaty, ICSID, NAFTA, trans-boundary resources and pipelines, joint-development zones and straddling resource regimes, diplomatic and consular law, attribution, privileges and immunities, State responsibility, treaty interpretation and drafting, international arbitration and litigation, international organisations, human rights, resource concessions, Statehood and sanctions.
Robert regularly acts as co-agent, counsel and advocate before the International Court of Justice and international arbitration tribunals, including under the Permanent Court of Arbitration, ICSID, ICC, SCC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, WTO and UNCLOS rules. He regularly sits as an arbitrator in ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, SCC and LCIA arbitrations. He is on the UK Attorney General’s A-list for public international law practitioners.
Robert’s practice focuses on the resolution of complex disputes and evolving issues in the field of public international law. He is sought by clients globally to defend their interests in bet-the-country and bet-the-company disputes. He is the go-to public international law practitioner for cases dealing with novel and cutting-edge topics. His cases are widely referenced in public international law textbooks and journal articles; they are cited and relied upon extensively as precedents and guides by domestic and international courts and tribunals.
Robert combines being a seasoned practitioner with being a thought-leader in the field of public international law. He is a Visiting Professor of International Law at University College (UCL), University of London, where he has taught the international law of foreign investment for almost 20 years. He is a Visiting Senior Lecturer at King’s College, University of London, where he has taught the international law of boundary disputes for several decades. He is invited to lecture on a variety of public international law topics in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. He publishes regularly on a wide variety of public international law matters.
Prior positions at legal practices: Latham & Watkins, Partner (2005 to 2011), London, UK and Paris, France; Herbert Smith, Partner (2001 to 2005), London, UK; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Associate (1996 to 2001), London, UK and Paris, France; Public International Law Practice of Professor Sir Elihu Lauterpacht, Junior (1994 to 1996), Cambridge, UK.
Robert is qualified as a barrister in Canada (1991) and as a solicitor-advocate in England and Wales (2005). Robert is a member of the Public International Law Advisory Panel of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, the ICC Latin American Arbitration Committee, the Management Board of the Investment Treaty Forum, the editorial board of the University of Oxford Press Reports on International Investment Claims, and the Energy Charter Secretariat’s Legal Advisory Task Force.
Languages
English, French, Spanish, Italian.
Education
Organization of American States (1995), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Curso de Derecho Internacional; OAS Fellowship
University of Cambridge, Trinity Hall (1991 – 1992), Cambridge, UK – LL.M.i; Cambridge Commonwealth Scholarship
Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (1986 – 1989),Toronto, Canada – LL.B.; Dean’s List
University of Western Ontario (1983 – 1987), London, Canada – B.A. (international relations); Lt-Governor of Ontario Scholarship
Leisure
Skiing, riding, sailing and painting.
Lawyer Rankings
Latin America: International firms > International arbitration
Volterra Fietta is a prominent force in investor-state arbitrations and is a major authority on public international law cases. It frequently represents investors and Latin American states in big-ticket disputes, notably obtaining high-value ICSID awards for a number of international investors. It continues to act for clients in large-scale investment treaty and commercial arbitrations, along with enforcement of awards proceedings. Founding partner and ‘outstanding international lawyer‘ Robert Volterra
is a leading name in investor-state arbitrations and public international law, including Latin America cases. Gunjan Sharma and Peter Flint are also key members of the team. All are based in London.
London > Dispute resolution > Public international law
(Hall of Fame)Exclusively focused on public international law, Volterra Fietta represents states, international organisations, and private parties on ICJ cases, maritime boundary issues, and investment treaty arbitrations, including ICSID claims. The practice is also expert in state immunity cases before the English courts, the laws of war and international humanitarian legislation, along with WTO matters, international trade law, international human rights and state responsibility. ‘One of the best public international lawyers of his generation’, Robert Volterra represents governments, international organisations and private clients in an array of public international law and international dispute resolution issues; and Peter Flint acts for states and investors in disputes involving investment treaties and host state investment protection legislation. The practice further showcases Gunjan Sharma, whose ‘strategic guidance is clear and comprehensive’; state-to-state disputes expert Ahmed Abdel Hakam, whose investment treaty caseload covers the energy and natural resources sector; and Angela Ha, who is experienced in international human rights, the Law of the Sea, international investment law, sovereign immunities, the laws of war, and land and maritime boundary disputes Florentine Vos, Ben Burnham and Magdalena Kowalczuk Asher are also key team members.
London > Dispute resolution > International arbitration
(Hall of Fame)Regarded by clients as ‘a market-leading firm in international arbitration, particularly public international law disputes’, Volterra Fietta‘s team is experienced in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, regularly being instructed by a diverse range of governments and major corporate clients. The practice is chaired by Robert Volterra, ‘a leading figure in the market’, whose considerable practice covers investment treaty arbitrations, commercial arbitrations, and advice concerning investment structuring and feasibility of claims under a range of treaties. Peter Flint regularly advises both governments and commercial parties in cross-border disputes concerning a host of sectors, engineering, energy, and financial services among them. Other key figures include Gunjan Sharma, noted for his capabilities in a wide array of high-value arbitrations, and Ahmed Abdel Hakam, who stands out for his expertise in State-to-State disputes in various arbitral institutions. Angela Ha, whose recent activity notably includes mining sector investor-State claims, is also recommended.