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Jessica Beess und Chrostin is a partner in King & Spalding’s Trial and Global Disputes Group.  Jessica’s practice focuses on complex international dispute resolution, with particular expertise in high-stakes commercial, investor-state, construction, and global award enforcement disputes.  Jessica regularly represents clients in international disputes in the infrastructure, oil and gas, mining, construction, and renewable energy sectors, and has significant experience in consumer goods, real estate, and telecommunications disputes.

Jessica is a zealous advocate for her clients and strives tirelessly to ensure they receive the best legal representation. She understands that representing her clients’ interests requires understanding their business and objectives, and tailoring the strategy to achieve the best possible outcome, whether inside or out of the hearing room. Jessica represents clients in arbitrations before all major arbitral forums, including the AAA, ICC, ICDR, ICSID, JAMS, LCIA, and SCC as well as ad hoc arbitrations, such as UNCITRAL. She is experienced in all phases of international arbitration and award enforcement, and handles disputes from inception to collection. Jessica also regularly represents clients global award recognition and enforcement efforts as coordinating counsel and in litigations before U.S. courts under the New York Convention and the Federal Arbitration Act.

Jessica represents clients in jurisdictions across the world. Her matters include representing a wind farm owner in a construction arbitration dispute with a turbine supplier and operations & maintenance provider (concerning the latter’s failure to comply with O&M obligations and failure to remediate certain serial defects); representing a client in a multi-hundred million dollar commercial dispute with Oman over a project in the extractive industries (concerning certain licenses and failure to use best efforts to support the project); representing Chevron Corporation (U.S.A.) and Texaco Petroleum Company (U.S.A.) in an UNCITRAL arbitration under the U.S.-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty (concerning the scope of environmental release agreements and due process violations by a court of Ecuador that issued a multi-billion dollar fraudulent judgment against Chevron); and representing a sovereign state in a global campaign to enforce an ICC arbitration award against another sovereign.

Jessica is a frequent writer and speaker on topics relating to international arbitration and has been recognized by IFLR Americas as a Rising Star in Commercial Arbitration and by CPR as a Rising Star in Alternative Dispute Resolution. In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious Smit-Lowenfeld Prize, which recognizes annually an outstanding article published in the previous year on any aspect of international arbitration, for her article on “The Illegality Objection in Investor-State Arbitration” (co-authored with Caline Mouawad, published in Arbitration International, Volume 37, Issue 1).

Jessica is fluent in English and German, and proficient in French and Spanish. She received her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School and her B.A. cum laude from Columbia University. She has conducted legal studies at Cambridge University.

Full Bio

Credentials

J.D., Harvard Law School, cum laude

Legal Studies, University of Cambridge, UK

B.A., Columbia University, cum laude, with honors

New York

City Bar of New York, International Law Committee

English

French

German

Spanish

Ones to Watch - New York


Best Lawyers in America 2025

Future Leaders


Who's Who Legal (WWL): Arbitration 2024

Rising ADR Stars 2023


International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution

Rising Star Awards Americas, Commercial Arbitration


IFLR, 2020 and 2021

Smit-Lowenfeld Prize for the Best Article in the Field of International Arbitration Published in 2021


The International Arbitration Club of New York; https://www.arbitrationclub.org/smit-lowenfeld-prize

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Recognition

Ones to Watch - New York


Best Lawyers in America 2025

Future Leaders


Who's Who Legal (WWL): Arbitration 2024

Rising ADR Stars 2023


International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution

Rising Star Awards Americas, Commercial Arbitration


IFLR, 2020 and 2021

Smit-Lowenfeld Prize for the Best Article in the Field of International Arbitration Published in 2021


The International Arbitration Club of New York; https://www.arbitrationclub.org/smit-lowenfeld-prize

Matters

Representing sovereign award creditor in global enforcement proceedings against another sovereign relating to a multibillion-dollar ICC award

Representing numerous investors in disputes against Spain and Italy under the Energy Charter Treaty regarding changes to the regulatory regime applicable to certain renewable energy producers in the wind and solar sectors (renewable energy)

Represented Dutch investor in UNCITRAL arbitration against the Government of Vietnam under the Netherlands-Vietnam Bilateral Investment Treaty (real estate and human rights; obtained favorable award, including largest moral damages award in favor of an individual in investment arbitration)

See more

Close

Matters

Representing sovereign award creditor in global enforcement proceedings against another sovereign relating to a multibillion-dollar ICC award

Representing numerous investors in disputes against Spain and Italy under the Energy Charter Treaty regarding changes to the regulatory regime applicable to certain renewable energy producers in the wind and solar sectors (renewable energy)

Represented Dutch investor in UNCITRAL arbitration against the Government of Vietnam under the Netherlands-Vietnam Bilateral Investment Treaty (real estate and human rights; obtained favorable award, including largest moral damages award in favor of an individual in investment arbitration)

Represented Bear Creek Mining Corporation in an ICSID Arbitration against the Republic of Peru under the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (mining sector; obtained favorable award of damages)

Representing Chevron Corporation (U.S.A.) and Texaco Petroleum Company (U.S.A.) in an UNCITRAL arbitration under the U.S.-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty (concerning scope of environmental release agreements and due process violations by a court of Ecuador that had issued a multi-billion dollar judgment against Chevron; obtained favorable award declaring, inter alia, that the Ecuadorian judgment was the product of fraud)

Represented KBR, Inc. in a NAFTA arbitration against the United Mexican States (concerning Mexican court’s annulment of a commercial arbitral award and related US enforcement proceedings)

Represented Reficar in an ICC arbitration against Chicago Bridge & Iron (construction sector; obtained favorable multibillion-dollar award)

Represented Sergei Viktorovich Pugachev in an UNCITRAL arbitration against the Russian Federation (construction and real estate sectors)

Represented international producer of household goods in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Latin American country under bilateral investment treaty (consumer goods; obtained favorable award)

Represented major telecommunications company in ad hoc arbitration against another telecommunications company regarding fraudulently originated telephone traffic and resulting disputed charges under global hubbing agreement (telecommunications sector; obtained favorable award)

Represented Indian pharmaceuticals manufacturer in contract dispute against U.S. pharmaceutical company (pharmaceuticals sector; successfully settled claims)

Matters

Representing sovereign award creditor in global enforcement proceedings against another sovereign relating to a multibillion-dollar ICC award

Representing numerous investors in disputes against Spain and Italy under the Energy Charter Treaty regarding changes to the regulatory regime applicable to certain renewable energy producers in the wind and solar sectors (renewable energy)

Represented Dutch investor in UNCITRAL arbitration against the Government of Vietnam under the Netherlands-Vietnam Bilateral Investment Treaty (real estate and human rights; obtained favorable award, including largest moral damages award in favor of an individual in investment arbitration)

See more

Close

Matters

Representing sovereign award creditor in global enforcement proceedings against another sovereign relating to a multibillion-dollar ICC award

Representing numerous investors in disputes against Spain and Italy under the Energy Charter Treaty regarding changes to the regulatory regime applicable to certain renewable energy producers in the wind and solar sectors (renewable energy)

Represented Dutch investor in UNCITRAL arbitration against the Government of Vietnam under the Netherlands-Vietnam Bilateral Investment Treaty (real estate and human rights; obtained favorable award, including largest moral damages award in favor of an individual in investment arbitration)

Represented Bear Creek Mining Corporation in an ICSID Arbitration against the Republic of Peru under the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (mining sector; obtained favorable award of damages)

Representing Chevron Corporation (U.S.A.) and Texaco Petroleum Company (U.S.A.) in an UNCITRAL arbitration under the U.S.-Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty (concerning scope of environmental release agreements and due process violations by a court of Ecuador that had issued a multi-billion dollar judgment against Chevron; obtained favorable award declaring, inter alia, that the Ecuadorian judgment was the product of fraud)

Represented KBR, Inc. in a NAFTA arbitration against the United Mexican States (concerning Mexican court’s annulment of a commercial arbitral award and related US enforcement proceedings)

Represented Reficar in an ICC arbitration against Chicago Bridge & Iron (construction sector; obtained favorable multibillion-dollar award)

Represented Sergei Viktorovich Pugachev in an UNCITRAL arbitration against the Russian Federation (construction and real estate sectors)

Represented international producer of household goods in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Latin American country under bilateral investment treaty (consumer goods; obtained favorable award)

Represented major telecommunications company in ad hoc arbitration against another telecommunications company regarding fraudulently originated telephone traffic and resulting disputed charges under global hubbing agreement (telecommunications sector; obtained favorable award)

Represented Indian pharmaceuticals manufacturer in contract dispute against U.S. pharmaceutical company (pharmaceuticals sector; successfully settled claims)

Credentials

J.D., Harvard Law School, cum laude

Legal Studies, University of Cambridge, UK

B.A., Columbia University, cum laude, with honors

New York

City Bar of New York, International Law Committee

English

French

German

Spanish

Ones to Watch - New York


Best Lawyers in America 2025

Future Leaders


Who's Who Legal (WWL): Arbitration 2024

Rising ADR Stars 2023


International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution

Rising Star Awards Americas, Commercial Arbitration


IFLR, 2020 and 2021

Smit-Lowenfeld Prize for the Best Article in the Field of International Arbitration Published in 2021


The International Arbitration Club of New York; https://www.arbitrationclub.org/smit-lowenfeld-prize

Close

Recognition

Ones to Watch - New York


Best Lawyers in America 2025

Future Leaders


Who's Who Legal (WWL): Arbitration 2024

Rising ADR Stars 2023


International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution

Rising Star Awards Americas, Commercial Arbitration


IFLR, 2020 and 2021

Smit-Lowenfeld Prize for the Best Article in the Field of International Arbitration Published in 2021


The International Arbitration Club of New York; https://www.arbitrationclub.org/smit-lowenfeld-prize