Mr John Townsend > Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

The team at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is praised for the ‘quality of its investor-treaty arbitration offering’—it also frequently handles commercial cases. Leveraging its experience under all major arbitration rules, including AAA, ICDR, ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL, the group is engaged by both corporations and sovereign states to handle high-stakes, cross-border disputes. In Washington DC, John Townsend has an impressive track record in complex and politically sensitive matters; he continues to act alongside Washington DC-based department chair James H. Boykin to represent Ukrainian entities in five Crimea-related investment treaty arbitrations against the Russian Federation under the Russia-Ukraine BIT. The DC practice also includes Rémy Gerbay, who stands out for his ability to ‘bridge civil law and common law sensibilities’, and Diego Durán de la Vega, who co-heads the Latin American disputes practice. In New York, Daniel Weiner stands out for his niche expertise in art-related and pharmaceutical disputes. In February 2023, former department co-head Hagit Muriel Elul left the firm. In April 2024, new global co-head of arbitration Gaela Gehring Flores joined in Washington DC from A&O Shearman.