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King & Spalding Establishes International Arbitration Capability in Washington, D.C., With Addition of Consultant Margrete Stevens
Stevens' Planned Arrival Strengthens Firm's Arbitration Capacity, Especially for Clients With Cases Before ICSID
| Source: King & Spalding
WASHINGTON, DC -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 30, 2006 -- King & Spalding, a leading international law
firm, announced today the expansion in Washington, D.C. of its highly
regarded international arbitration practice with the planned arrival early
next year of consultant Margrete Stevens, who will step down at year's end
as acting lead counsel of the World Bank's International Centre for
Settlement of Investment Disputes. Stevens brings to the firm's Washington
office the new capability of investment-treaty arbitration, which rounds
out the firm's existing international arbitration practice in Atlanta,
Houston, London and New York.
"We are very excited to welcome Margrete to King & Spalding and look
forward to the contributions she will make to the continued expansion of
our arbitration group," said R. Doak Bishop, the leader of King &
Spalding's international arbitration practice. "Our clients increasingly
are turning to ICSID for the resolution of international disputes, and
Margrete's 17 years of unsurpassed experience at this important arbitral
body will add greatly to our ability to help them address the legal
challenges they face around the world."
Stevens, who announced her resignation earlier this month as senior counsel
and acting lead counsel of ICSID, managed the organization's 25-member
legal and support staff and supervised its rapidly expanding caseload,
which now consists of cases under the ICSID Convention, the ICSID
Additional Facility Rules, Chapter 11 of NAFTA and the European Energy
Charter Treaty. The work of the Centre involves screening and registration
of new requests, appointment of tribunals, case administration and
rendering of decisions and awards. In addition, Stevens advised the ICSID
Secretary-General on procedural challenges and other issues.
Stevens earned an LL.M. degree from the London School of Economics and
Political Science and a Cand. Jur. degree from the University of
Copenhagen.
"I am very happy to be joining King & Spalding's well-respected
international arbitration practice and helping expand the capabilities the
firm is providing to clients around the world," Stevens said.
King & Spalding has one of the leading international arbitration practices
in the world, specializing in oil, gas and energy disputes, foreign
investment disputes involving governments and disputes involving Latin
American projects. The firm's lawyers are highly experienced in handling
international arbitrations for clients in every major forum -- ICSID, ICC,
LCIA, AAA and UNCITRAL -- and across a wide range of industries including
energy, construction, utilities, telecommunications, technology, data
processing, insurance and water services. In the second-largest ICSID
arbitration award ever granted, King & Spalding in August 2006 obtained
$185 million against the government of Argentina.
About King & Spalding
King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in
Atlanta, Houston, London, New York and Washington, D.C. The firm represents
more than half of the Fortune 100, and in a Corporate Counsel survey in
August 2006 was ranked one of the top ten firms representing Fortune 250
companies overall. For additional information, visit http://www.kslaw.com/.