Marlena
Harutyunyan
Senior Associate
Geneva
Member of the Paris Bar, Registered at the Geneva Bar
Expertise
International arbitration
Construction
Cross-border litigation
Enforcement
Professional background
Practiced international arbitration and litigation in the Paris and New York offices of Baker McKenzie
Trained with the litigation and arbitration practice group of K&L Gates
Trained with the corporate practice group of Linklaters
Trained with the corporate practice group of Jeantet Associés
Education
Queen Mary University of London – LL.M in International Dispute Resolution
University Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas – Magistère de Juriste d’Affaires – D.J.C.E.
University Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas – Master’s degree in Commercial Law
Languages
French
English
Russian
Armenian
Ukrainian (good knowledge)
Professional affiliations
Geneva Bar Association
Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA)
French Association of arbitration practitioners (CFA)
Arbitration & ADR commission of ICC Armenia
ArbitralWomen
ICC Young Arbitration & ADR Forum
Marlena focuses her practice on international arbitration and cross-border litigation.
Marlena mainly represents and advises clients in arbitration proceedings, both commercial and investment, before major arbitral institutions (ICC, ICSID, Swiss Arbitration Centre, LCIA, etc.).

Marlena has significant experience in handling complex and high-stake disputes in different industry sectors, including construction, aviation, energy, oil and gas, automotive.
She also acts for clients in enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign court decisions.

Details of recent activities
Recently, she:

Represented a Spanish construction company in pre-arbitration proceedings in a dispute against the owner relating to the termination of a Red Book FIDIC contract

Successfully represented a Swiss national in SAC arbitration against his former shareholder in relation to a post-acquisition dispute

Represented a pan-African EPC Contractor in an ICC mediation with the owner in a dispute relating to the performance of a contract to modernize electrical power stations in an African state

Represented a Moroccan company in an ICC arbitration against a French company relating to the performance of a procurement contract

Successfully represented an Eastern European state in an ICSID USD 326 million claim brought by a U.S. investor in relation to concessions to build and operate strategically important road and rail links

Successfully obtained recognition of foreign insolvency decisions in Switzerland in the context of a large-scale fraud recovery
Full bio
Conferences
Lecture on Investment Arbitration for Resolve Academy, French University of Armenia, 2024

Panel discussion on Protections offered to foreign investors in the CIS region, Arbmenia Conference, 2024

ICC YAAF panel discussion on Litigation and Arbitration, friends or foes, 2023, Yerevan

Arbitration boat in a sea of ethics, Nash Arbitrazh webinar, 2021
Publications
The Revised ICSID Rules: A Further Step Towards Transparency and Efficiency, ASA Bulletin, Vol. 40, Issue 3, September 2022

Part I of a trilogy: state measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Global Arbitration News, March 2021

The International Commercial Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed that a failure to disclose by arbitrators did not lead necessarily to setting aside of the award, Global Arbitration News, July 2020

The Paris Court of Appeal confirms arbitrators' application of UNIDROIT principles in the absence of a choice by the parties as a ruling in law, Global Arbitration News, May 2020