Mishcon de Reya has today announced that Louis Flannery QC will join the firm as partner in the International Arbitration team. A former solicitor advocate who made silk in 2018, Louis is a recognised heavyweight in international commercial arbitration with extensive experience across all the major institutions and a reputation as an arbitration "powerhouse".
In 2019 he represented the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators as intervening party in the Supreme Court appeal of Halliburton v Chubb, a case involving bias in arbitration in a dispute arising from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion of 2010. The decision is eagerly awaited.
Louis headed up International Arbitration at Stephenson Harwood for more than ten years before joining Mishcon de Reya. Prior to that he was at Howes Percival and SJ Berwin.
Louis also has expertise in commercial and cross-border litigation, with a focus on multi-jurisdictional civil fraud and disputes involving oil supply contracts, acting for corporations and individuals in many industry sectors.
The joint author of the very recently published Merkin and Flannery on the Arbitration Act 1996 and the Consultant Editor of Merkin's Arbitration Law since 2003, Louis is highly regarded across legal directories in Tier 1 and features in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame for International Arbitration. He was also the inspiration behind the creation of the International Arbitration Charity Ball (remaining an Honorary Vice-President of the organising committee).
Kasra Nouroozi, Chair of Dispute Resolution said: Louis is a prominent figure in international arbitration who is well respected as both an advisor and advocate: his experience over a 30 year career speaks for itself. We know that he will be a very valuable addition to our existing International Arbitration offering which, alongside our Regulatory, Data and Investigations expertise, is a strategic investment area for the Firm. We look forward to emerging from the COVID-19 crisis and giving him a proper welcome.
Louis Flannery added: Mishcon de Reya has an established reputation as a disputes powerhouse with a commercial litigation footprint that is unparalleled in London and a clear long term vision. It has been a credit to them and testament to the Firm's reputation for courage and boldness that, despite the extraordinary circumstances, they have accelerated this recruitment process. This has only served to strengthen my belief that I am absolutely making the right decision to join what I know to be a Firm filled with kindred spirits. I relish the chance to grow the international arbitration offering and meet the many challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.