Practice areas

  • International commercial arbitration
  • Cross-border disputes
  • Asset recovery and enforcement
  • International contracts
  • Wine law

Laurence is sharp and always up to date with the latest developments in arbitration.

She easily understands and articulates even the most complex matters clearly to a court.

Laurence Ponty specialises in international arbitration and cross-border litigation.

Laurence has over 12 years’ experience representing private and state-owned entities of the CIS and the EMEA regions in complex arbitration proceedings in the fields of energy, construction, real estate, engineering, telecommunications and services, under all major arbitration rules. She also has experience in large cross-border litigation and enforcement proceedings and regularly sits as an arbitrator.

She is an active member of several professional associations. She serves as Board Member of the Joint Chamber of Commerce between Switzerland and Eastern Europe (non-EU), Central Asia and South Caucasus countries (JCC), as well as Chair of its Legal & Tax Chapter.

Prior to joining the firm, she practiced international arbitration at Lalive in Geneva (2013-2018) and worked as Counsel at the Secretariat of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), where she administered over 150 arbitration proceedings, with a particular focus on CIS-related matters (2010-2013). She also practiced international arbitration, litigation and business law as an associate with Bonnard Lawson in Geneva (2006-2010).

Laurence is a dual qualified lawyer (France and England & Wales) and is registered to practice in Geneva. She holds a Master in International Commercial Law from the University of Paris I Panthéon – Sorbonne (2003), as well as a Master’s degree in Business Law and a postgraduate diploma in Russian Law from University Paris X Nanterre (2002). Since 2022, Laurence also holds a Master in Wine Law from Bordeaux University with a focus on international dispute resolution in the wine sector, thus reinforcing the firm’s expertise in the field.

Laurence practices in French and English and has a good command of Russian.

Recent projects

Representing a Moroccan company in a procurement related dispute against a French company (ICC Rules, Paris seat, French law) 

Advising a State in a telecommunication dispute against local and off-shore companies (ICC Rules, Geneva seat, Swiss law) 

Representing a European-based client in a treaty claim dispute against an African State 

Representing Swiss-based clients in a construction dispute (ad hoc arbitration & Swiss Courts, Swiss law)

Representing a Russian athlete in whereabouts failures disciplinary proceedings and CAS proceedings 

Representing a wealthy EU country national in complex arbitral award enforcement proceedings in Switzerland 

Representing a European company in criminal proceedings in Switzerland in the context of a high-profile fraud scheme 

Representing Cyprus-based clients in injunction enforcement proceedings in Switzerland 

Representing a CIS-related trust in recovery proceedings in Switzerland 

Acting as sole arbitrator in a dispute arising out of a consultancy agreement between a CIS country national and an Italian company (ICC Rules, Geneva seat, Swiss law) 

Acting as sole arbitrator in a trading dispute between a Swiss company and UAE and Indian entities (Swiss Rules, Geneva seat, Swiss law) 

Acting as sole arbitrator in a maritime construction dispute between two Swiss companies and a Polish company (ICC Rules, Geneva seat, Swiss law) 

Acting as sole arbitrator in a dispute arising out of loan agreements between a Russian company and a Dutch company (Swiss Rules, Geneva seat, Russian law) 

Conferences

Targeting Third Parties for Accessory Liability, ThoughtLeaders4, Fire Starters Global Summit: Dublin (February 2022) 

Views from the East: Updates and trends from Russian and CIS region-related arbitration, RCAN, Paris Arbitration Week Online (September 2021) 

The LCIA and the LCIA Rules, Swiss Arbitration Academy, CAS in Arbitration – Institutions Day Online (June 2021) 

Use of illegally obtained documents or materials as evidence in arbitration, First Ukrainian Arbitration Association Annual Arbitration Conference Online (May 2021) 

Arbitration and the Belt & Road Initiative, RCAN/JCC/CCIG webinar (October 2020)  

Debt Collection and Enforcement of Foreign Judgements and Arbitral Awards in Switzerland, Centre Européen de Coopération Juridique (CECJ) training webinar (July 2020)

Show me the money! Are offshore jurisdictions just a hiding place for ill-gotten money or the vanguards of the industry?, FIRE Russia, FSU & CEE webinar (July 2020)  

COVID-19 Business Challenges and Support Measures in Eastern Europe (non-EU), Central Asia and the South Caucasus, JCC Russian / Legal & Tax Chapters Webinar in partnership with Switzerland Global Enterprise (May 2020)  

Cross-border investments in viticultural land and wineries, AIDV/IWLA Conference (Lausanne, July 2019)  

La boîte à outils du jeune arbitre, CFA-40 Table d’Adrien (Paris, June 2019)

Publications

Enforcement of arbitral awards in Switzerland, LexisNexis, June 2022 

The fate of a reference to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling, made on the eve of Brexit (London Steam-Ship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association v Kingdom of Spain; The ‘Prestige’), LexisNexis, March 2022 

Challenging arbitral awards in Switzerland – no room for coronavirus (COVID-19) alibi; no room for issue estoppel, LexisNexis, September 2021 

The Protection of Foreign Investment in the Wine Sector (Chapter 10), co-authored with B. Rigaudeau & J-R. Costargent (Wine Law and Policy, From National Terroirs to a Global Market, Brill | Nijhoff, ed. J. Chaisse, F. Dias Simões, D. Friedmann, November 2020) 

Compatibility, Novelty, Practical Corollary? A Collective Analysis of the Prague Rules, co-authored with V. Khvalei, J.P. Valdivia Pizarro, Andreea, I. Nica & M. Teder (Young ICCA Blog, May 2019)  

Views from the Continent, co-authored with R. Gerbay (LCIA Perspectives, 9th contribution, 2018)  

Professional affiliations

Geneva Bar Association, Commission of Lawyers from Foreign Bars (CABE) 

Joint Chamber of Commerce between Switzerland and Eastern Europe (non-EU), Central Asia and South Caucasus countries (JCC), Board Member and President of the Legal & Tax Chapter 

Thought Leaders 4, Member of FIRE Starter Switzerland Committee 

Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA) 

Comité français de l’arbitrage (CFA) 

ArbitralWomen 

International Wine Law Association (IWLA) 

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