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People
James Castello, a partner in the Paris office and a lawyer for more than 30 years, specializes in international arbitration. James has advised and represented clients in a wide range of legal disputes including commercial as well as investor-state arbitrations, both under institutional arbitration rules and in ad hoc arbitral proceedings. For the past 15 years, James has been based in Europe. In addition to his work as counsel, he also sits as an arbitrator.
In arbitration, James has represented clients from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East in disputes arising from large infrastructure or industrial projects as well as in the field of energy, such as contested control of an oil refinery, state privatization of a power plant, long-term gas supply and gas price readjustment.
James complements his work as counsel with service to numerous arbitral institutions. In 2001, he became a member of the U.S. delegation to the Arbitration Working Group at the UN Commission on International Trade Law and has since participated in revising or drafting the Model Laws on Conciliation (2002) and on International Arbitration (2006), the Arbitration Rules (2010), the Rules on Transparency (2013), the Transparency Convention (2014) and the Notes on Organizing Arbitral Proceedings (2016). He has written extensively on UNCITRAL's Arbitration Rules, including in the Practitioner’s Handbook on International Commercial Arbitration, the World Arbitration Reporter and Concise International Arbitration.
In 2009, James was appointed to the Court of the London Court of International Arbitration (serving on the subcommittee that drafted the 2014 LCIA Rules), and he now serves on the LCIA's Board of Directors and as President of the LCIA's European Users Council.
Previously, between roles at other firms, James served for nearly six years in senior legal positions in the Clinton administration, including as Deputy Counsel to the President at the White House, and Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Justice Department, where he focused on such international issues as immigration and human rights.
Credentials
B.A., Yale University
J.D., University of California-Berkeley, Order of the Coif
M.A., University of California-Berkeley
District of Columbia
New York
Paris, France
Law Clerk, William J. Brennan, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States
Law Clerk, Thurgood Marshall, Supreme Court of the United States
Law Clerk, Abner J. Mikva, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Law Clerk, Howard Holtzmann, Iran-United States Claims Tribunal
English
French (proficient)
German (basic)
News
Press Release
April 10, 2017
King & Spalding Recognized in Chambers Europe 2017 Guide
Press Release
March 20, 2017
Chambers Global 2017 Recognizes King & Spalding in 52 Practice Area Categories
Recognition
April 28, 2016
King & Spalding Practices and Lawyers Recognised in Chambers Europe 2016 Rankings
Matters
Representing a supplier of heavy machinery in an ICC arbitration arising from an African port development project.
Representing a respondent in a UNCITRAL arbitration brought under a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) arising from disputed control of an oil refinery.
Representing a European energy company in an ICSID arbitration arising from its failure to receive gas under a long-term supply contract.
See more
Close
Matters
Representing a supplier of heavy machinery in an ICC arbitration arising from an African port development project.
Representing a respondent in a UNCITRAL arbitration brought under a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) arising from disputed control of an oil refinery.
Representing a European energy company in an ICSID arbitration arising from its failure to receive gas under a long-term supply contract.
Advising an international construction joint venture in arbitrations and dispute resolution board proceedings arising from construction of a high-speed rail project.
Representing a European gas company in an ICC arbitration arising from a gas price reopener [add "clause" ?]dispute with an African gas producer.
Advising an international construction engineering firm during a dispute review board proceeding on issues arising from construction of a harbor tunnel.
Representing a European commodities trader in an ad hoc arbitration arising from a breached agreement for sale and delivery of goods in the CIS.
Representing an international construction firm in a dispute concerning asphalt specifications on a road project in Africa.
Representing the claimant in an ICC arbitration arising from an aborted geophysical study project in Africa.
Representing the owner of an LNG liquefaction facility in arbitrations arising from disputes under a gas supply agreement.
Representing a European gas distributor in an ICC arbitration involving operation of a gas price readjustment clause.
Representing an international construction engineering firm in arbitrations arising from delay and disruption of a road project in East Africa.
Representing a government in an ICC arbitration arising from an attempted privatization of a state-owned power plant.
Representing the manufacturer of precision equipment for an industrial glass factory in a Vienna Rules arbitration arising from a dispute with an installation subcontractor.
Representing an international construction engineering firm in ICC arbitration arising from its work as electro-mechanical subcontractor on a hydroelectric project in Southeast Asia.
Representing western European investors in an ICC arbitration arising from a shareholders' dispute following privatization of a cement plant in eastern Europe.
Representing an international construction engineering firm in ICC arbitration arising from construction of a steel tube plant in Europe.
Insights
Thought Leadership
June 9, 2017
James Castello to Speak at Swiss Arbitration Association’s Practice Building Seminar
Thought Leadership
November 18, 2016
James Castello to Give Keynote Address at Dublin International Arbitration Day Conference
Thought Leadership
September 8, 2016
James Castello to Speak at Mediation Conference Sponsored in Vienna
News
Press Release
April 10, 2017
King & Spalding Recognized in Chambers Europe 2017 Guide
Press Release
March 20, 2017
Chambers Global 2017 Recognizes King & Spalding in 52 Practice Area Categories
Recognition
April 28, 2016
King & Spalding Practices and Lawyers Recognised in Chambers Europe 2016 Rankings
Matters
Representing a supplier of heavy machinery in an ICC arbitration arising from an African port development project.
Representing a respondent in a UNCITRAL arbitration brought under a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) arising from disputed control of an oil refinery.
Representing a European energy company in an ICSID arbitration arising from its failure to receive gas under a long-term supply contract.
See more
Close
Matters
Representing a supplier of heavy machinery in an ICC arbitration arising from an African port development project.
Representing a respondent in a UNCITRAL arbitration brought under a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) arising from disputed control of an oil refinery.
Representing a European energy company in an ICSID arbitration arising from its failure to receive gas under a long-term supply contract.
Advising an international construction joint venture in arbitrations and dispute resolution board proceedings arising from construction of a high-speed rail project.
Representing a European gas company in an ICC arbitration arising from a gas price reopener [add "clause" ?]dispute with an African gas producer.
Advising an international construction engineering firm during a dispute review board proceeding on issues arising from construction of a harbor tunnel.
Representing a European commodities trader in an ad hoc arbitration arising from a breached agreement for sale and delivery of goods in the CIS.
Representing an international construction firm in a dispute concerning asphalt specifications on a road project in Africa.
Representing the claimant in an ICC arbitration arising from an aborted geophysical study project in Africa.
Representing the owner of an LNG liquefaction facility in arbitrations arising from disputes under a gas supply agreement.
Representing a European gas distributor in an ICC arbitration involving operation of a gas price readjustment clause.
Representing an international construction engineering firm in arbitrations arising from delay and disruption of a road project in East Africa.
Representing a government in an ICC arbitration arising from an attempted privatization of a state-owned power plant.
Representing the manufacturer of precision equipment for an industrial glass factory in a Vienna Rules arbitration arising from a dispute with an installation subcontractor.
Representing an international construction engineering firm in ICC arbitration arising from its work as electro-mechanical subcontractor on a hydroelectric project in Southeast Asia.
Representing western European investors in an ICC arbitration arising from a shareholders' dispute following privatization of a cement plant in eastern Europe.
Representing an international construction engineering firm in ICC arbitration arising from construction of a steel tube plant in Europe.
Insights
Thought Leadership
June 9, 2017
James Castello to Speak at Swiss Arbitration Association’s Practice Building Seminar
Thought Leadership
November 18, 2016
James Castello to Give Keynote Address at Dublin International Arbitration Day Conference
Thought Leadership
September 8, 2016
James Castello to Speak at Mediation Conference Sponsored in Vienna
News
Press Release
April 10, 2017
King & Spalding Recognized in Chambers Europe 2017 Guide
Press Release
March 20, 2017
Chambers Global 2017 Recognizes King & Spalding in 52 Practice Area Categories
Recognition
April 28, 2016
King & Spalding Practices and Lawyers Recognised in Chambers Europe 2016 Rankings
Credentials
B.A., Yale University
J.D., University of California-Berkeley, Order of the Coif
M.A., University of California-Berkeley
District of Columbia
New York
Paris, France
Law Clerk, William J. Brennan, Jr., Supreme Court of the United States
Law Clerk, Thurgood Marshall, Supreme Court of the United States
Law Clerk, Abner J. Mikva, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Law Clerk, Howard Holtzmann, Iran-United States Claims Tribunal
English
French (proficient)
German (basic)