Gary Born

• Served as lead counsel and advocate for teams which obtained favorable awards or settlements in a number of international arbitrations, including ICC arbitrations seated in Hong Kong, Singapore, London, São Paulo, Paris and New York.
• Served as lead counsel and advocate in a WIPO arbitration seated in Geneva, an ad hoc investment arbitration seated in Singapore, an arbitration seated in Geneva, an ICSID arbitration, and several LCIA arbitrations seated in London.
• Represented a major European telecommunications company in several of the largest arbitrations in ICC history.
• Represented states and corporate parties in disputes involving public international law disputes.

As lead counsel and advocate

• Served as lead counsel in WIPO arbitration seated in Geneva.
• Served as lead counsel in ad hoc investment arbitration seated in Singapore, an arbitration seated in Geneva, and an ICSID arbitration.
• Served as lead counsel in several LCIA arbitrations seated in London.
• Represented a leading U.S. private equity firm in an ICC arbitration in São Paulo.
• Represented a Chinese insurance company in an ICC arbitration seated in Hong Kong.
• Represented a Southeast Asian energy company in multiple ICC and other arbitrations seated in Singapore.
• Represented a major US energy company in an LCIA arbitration over offshore oil rights seated in London.
• Represented a European company in a fast-track arbitration in Zurich.
• Represented a major industrial group in an ad hoc insurance arbitration seated in London.
• Represented a leading European oil company in an ICC arbitration seated in London.
• Represented a private equity firm in an ICC arbitration seated in Geneva.
• Represented a U.S. insurance company in an M&A arbitration seated in Paris.
• Represented a major multinational capital equipment manufacturer in institutional and other arbitrations in multiple European fora arising from power plant projects.

Representing states and corporate parties in disputes involving public international law

• Represented The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in the historic Abyei arbitration (more information on Abyei arbitration).
• Represented Eritrea in an ad hoc arbitration against Yemen.
• Represented private parties in controversies under various bilateral investment treaties.
• Represented major foundation in an ad hoc arbitration against a European state raising novel issues of public international law.

Advising on significant litigation matters

• Represented various European entities in the Holocaust Assets and Forced Labor litigations.
• Defended a major U.S. petroleum company against efforts to enforce purported foreign judgments in the United States and testimony as an expert witness in a number of proceedings in Swedish, English, U.S., Japanese and other courts.

Gary Born has been ranked for more than 25 years as one of the world’s premier international arbitration advocates. He has led more than 750 arbitrations, including four of the largest ICC cases and several of the most significant ad hoc proceedings in recent years. Clients and competitors from around the world have described him as “awesome”, “inimitable”, “utterly phenomenal”, “stellar”, “spectacular”, “unexcelled”, “emblematic”, “brilliant” and “in a league of his own”, praising him as “easily the most capable disputes lawyers alive today”. Gary is the Co-Head of the firm's International Disputes Practice Group.

Gary has acted as lead counsel for U.S., Asian, European, Latin American and other companies, as well as financial institutions and sovereign entities, in high-value cross-border disputes under all major institutional arbitration rules and in many national courts worldwide. He is particularly recognized for his oral advocacy in international arbitral proceedings (see highlights of Gary’s advocacy in Government of Sudan v. Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (Abyei arbitration).

Gary is widely regarded as the world's pre-eminent authority on international commercial arbitration and international litigation. He is the author of International Commercial Arbitration (3d ed. 2021), the leading text in the field, an authoritative 5,000-page work that provides the most comprehensive available commentary on all aspects of the international commercial arbitration process. The treatise has been widely cited by national courts and arbitral tribunals, including by Supreme Courts in the U.S., UK, Canada, India, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Qatar, the UAE, the BVI, the DIFC and elsewhere. Gary is also the author of multiple other works on international commercial, investment arbitration and international litigation.

In addition to acting as counsel, Gary has been appointed as arbitrator in more than 275 arbitrations and regularly serves as an expert witness, including on aspects of international law and U.S. private international law in foreign proceedings.

Books

International Commercial Arbitration, Fourth Edition

This authoritative 5,000-page work, in three volumes, provides the most comprehensive available commentary on all aspects of the international commercial arbitration process. The Fourth Edition, published by Kluwer Law International in 2026, contains 27 chapters, which comprehensively examine the law and practice of international commercial arbitration, discussing all leading international conventions, national arbitration statutes and institutional arbitration rules. The treatise focuses on both international instruments (particularly the New York and Inter-American Conventions) and national law provisions in all leading jurisdictions (including the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration).  

The treatise has been cited by Supreme Courts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, BVI, UAE, Qatar and elsewhere and has been described as the “undisputed gold-standard,” “stunningly comprehensive,” the “definitive text on international arbitration,” the “bible of arbitration,” a “magisterial exposition,” and the “best treatise on arbitration available.” The treatise received the American Society of International Law’s award for high technical craftsmanship.

International Arbitration and Forum Selection Agreements: Drafting and Enforcing, Seventh Edition

Drawing on a wealth of practical experience and academic analysis, this extensively revised edition expands upon one of the classic works in the field. It offers more than 200 model arbitration and forum selection clauses and associated provisions for international contracts. The Seventh Edition was published by Kluwer Law International (2025). It is the leading work in its field and has been described as “authoritative” and “indispensable for any professional dealing with international arbitration.”

International Arbitration: Law and Practice, Fourth Edition

The Fourth Edition of International Arbitration: Law and Practice, published by Kluwer Law International in 2025, provides a concise overview of the legal principles and practice of international arbitration. The 500-page book gives readers an accessible introduction to the contemporary legal framework for international commercial arbitration.  

International Law in American Courts

A 1200-page book, published by Kluwer Law International in 2025, on the status and role of public and private international law in American courts over the past 250 years, with particular emphasis on the contemporary treatment of international law in the United States.  The book was It has been described as “magisterial,” a “magnificent opus,” “masterful,” “incredible,” an “important book by one of the world’s experts on international law,” “comprehensive and accomplished,” and “a major achievement worth having on every international lawyer’s shelf.”

International Civil Litigation in United States Courts, Seventh Edition

Co-authored with Peter B. Rutledge, this book presents cases and materials, commentary and detailed notes supported with non-US materials to assist readers in a comparative study of the covered topics.  It is the leading work in its field and has been described as “quite extraordinary,” “marvellously useful,” “peerless,” “excellent,” and “a source of virtual perfection.”

International Arbitration: Cases and Materials, Third Edition

A 1200-page casebook, published by Aspen Publishers in 2021, presents an international approach to international commercial arbitration, focusing on the New York Convention and UNCITRAL Model Law. The Third Edition was Earlier editions of the work have been described as “excellent and truly international,” “a masterpiece without peer,” and “comprehensive, lucid and user-friendly.”