Laurence Ponty specialises in international arbitration, cross-border disputes and international contracts
Laurence has been involved in complex international proceedings in the fields of energy, construction, real estate, engineering, telecommunications and services, under all major arbitration rules. She also has experience in cross-border litigation and in general business law.
Laurence is an active member of numerous professional associations. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Russian and CIS Arbitration Network (RCAN), and the President of the Legal & Tax Chapter of the Joint Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-CIS countries (JCC).
Prior to joining Archipel, Laurence practiced international arbitration at Lalive in Geneva (2013-2018) and worked as Counsel at the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), where she administered over 150 arbitration proceedings, with a particular focus on Russia-CIS-related matters (2010-2013). She also practiced international arbitration, litigation and business law with Bonnard Lawson in Geneva (2006-2010).
Laurence is qualified in France and England & Wales and is registered to practice in Geneva. She holds a Master in International Commercial Law from 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).
Laurence practices in French and English and has a good command of Russian.
Practice areas
- International Arbitration
- Cross-border Disputes
- International Contracts
Recent experience
- Representing an Eastern European State in a complex investment arbitration against an Italian real estate developer (UNCITRAL Rules, London seat)
- Representing an Iranian engineering company in a commercial dispute governed by Swiss law (CISG) against a European supplier (ICC Rules, Geneva seat)
- Representing the European branch of a CIS oil and gas company in a gas delivery dispute against an Asian trading company (applicable law in dispute, Swiss Rules, Zurich seat)
- Advising international organizations and commercial companies in the engineering, energy and telecommunications sectors regarding both substantive and procedural aspects under Swiss law at pre and post-arbitration stages
Recent publications
- Views from the Continent, co-authored with Rémy Gerbay (LCIA Perspectives, 9th contribution, 2018, http://www.lcia.org/lcia-perspectives.aspx)
- Key features of the LCIA Arbitration Rules (ASA Bulletin, Vol. 32 No. 4, 2014)
Recent conferences
- CIS-related disputes from the Western European perspective, DIS40 Conference on Dispute Resolution in CIS-Related Business Transactions (Frankfurt, February 2019)
- The 2018 legislative reforms in the CIS countries and the 2019 perspectives, Glancing Back and Looking Ahead: 2018 Lessons and 2019 Trends – Sanctions, Business, Compliance, JCC (Zurich, December 2018)
- GO EAST! Your business Project in the CIS – The Legal Aspects, SABE/JCC/RCAN (Geneva, October 2018)
- Litigation and Arbitration Third Party Funding, C5’s 6th Annual Conference on International Dispute Resolution involving Russian and CIS Parties (London, January 2017)
- What should an effective arbitration agreement look like?, BRLA Seminar on International Arbitration in Russia-related disputes (Ekaterinburg, July 2016)
- Investing in difficult times – Yes, No, How?, Kiev Arbitration Days (Kiev, November 2015)
- Third party funding and security for costs: What is the fuss about?, ASA Below 40 Seminar (Bern, September 2015)
Professional affiliations
- Geneva Bar Association, Section of Lawyers from Foreign Bars (SABE)
- Joint Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-CIS countries, Ukraine, Georgia & Afghanistan (JCC), President of the Legal & Tax Chapter
- Russian and CIS Arbitration Network (RCAN), Member of the Executive Committee
- International Council for Commercial Arbitration (Young ICCA), Acting as Buddy in the Mentoring Programme
- Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG)
- Comité français de l’arbitrage (CFA-40)
- Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA below 40)
- Russian Arbitration Association (RAA40)
- British-Russian Law Association (BRLA)
- International Wine Law Association (IWL)