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Lauren Friedman is a partner in the firm’s International Disputes group and co-leads the firm’s energy transition disputes team. She has represented clients in several of the largest international commercial and investment arbitrations on record, including cases exceeding 1 billion dollars in dispute. She specializes in energy, tech, and financial services industries.
Based in New York, Lauren regularly advises and represents clients in complex contractual disputes arising under New York law and international law, often involving major projects and foreign investments. She also has significant experience representing clients in disputes involving other governing laws of the U.S. as well as the laws of Latin America. Lauren speaks Spanish fluently.
Lauren draws praise in the leading industry publications as “a favorite among international commentators,” “the first person [to] call with a difficult question of law,” and she is commended for her “outstanding capacity to generate and execute well defined and complex arguments,” her “great energy,” and her “very technical, thorough and professional” approach. Chambers USA published that she is “very quick on her feet and is a very good oral advocate” and “she's done a great job getting key decisions for us as a company.”
She is ranked in Chambers USA, Chambers Global, Legal 500 Latin America, Benchmark Litigation, and Who's Who Legal.
In addition to her work as counsel, Lauren is active in a variety of leadership positions and committees, including on the IBA Taskforce for Conflicts of Interest, the IBA Taskforce on Third Party Funding, and the CPR Steering Committee. She is on the panel of arbitrators of the ICDR and is a Member of the SIAC Reserve Panel.
As a complement to her broad investor-state and commercial arbitration work, Lauren tracks the legal challenges that arise in response to the energy transition. She has represented and advised clients on unique challenges in this context, including exit strategies and stranded assets. She works actively with the Sabin Center for Climate Change at Columbia University to address the barriers to the development of renewable energy within the United States.
Publications
- Co-author with D Bishop, “The Past, Present, and Future of Energy Disputes: How the Doctrines of Traditional Energy Arbitrations Will Guide Green Transition Cases,” GAR Energy (2025)
- Co-author, Reform to Mexican Electricity Law to Come into Effect, Texas Lawyer (March 2021)
- Contributor, “Hot Topic: Investor-Treaty Arbitration,” Corporate Disputes (January 2020)
- Co-author with D Bishop, “Time after Time: Using Data to Inform the Decision to Disqualify an Arbitrator” 6 BCDR International Arbitration Review, Issue 1, pp. 149-174 (2019)
- Co-author, Supreme Court Rejects “Wholly Groundless” Exception to Contractual Delegation of Arbitrability Decisions to Arbitrators (January 2019)
- Co-author, EU-Mexico Trade Agreement: What Lies Ahead for the Future of ISDS?, New York Law Journal (May 2018)
- Co-author, Tariffs May Violate Investment Treaty Protections, Law 360 (April 2018)
- Co-author, “The Top-5 News in International Arbitration in 2017,” CIAR Global (January 2018)
- Co-author, “Creditors’ Options In Venezuela’s Disorderly Default,” Law360 (November 2017)
- Co-author, “Strategic Considerations in Selecting Emergency Arbitration,” Law360 (October 2017)
- Co-author, "Recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision Underscores the Importance of Planning to Protect Overseas Investments," Mondaq (May 2017)
- Co-author, “Towards a Resolution of Outstanding Nationalization Claims Against Cuba,” Transnational Dispute Management (April 2016)
Seminars
- Speaker, Bifurcation - Achieving Balance for the Efficient and Fair Resolution of Disputes, CPR Annual Meeting (2025)
- Speaker, Navigating the Grey: Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration, Canada Arbitration Week (2024)
- Speaker, A Cross-Jurisdictional Review: Sovereign Immunity & Enforcement Actions, New York International Arbitration Center (2024)
- Faculty, 2022 ABA International Arbitration Masterclass (2022)
- Selecting and Challenging Arbitrators in Investor-State Arbitration, Columbia University Institute for Sustainable Investment: Executive Training on Investment Arbitration for Government Officials (2019)
- Strategies for Early Resolution of Investor-State Disputes: Alternative Methods of Resolving Investor-State Disputes, co-hosted by Columbia University Institute for Sustainable Investment and Kirkland & Ellis (2019)
- Guest Lecturer, “Introduction to Investment Treaty Arbitration,” University of Chicago Law School (2017)
- Speaker, “Appointing and Challenging Arbitrators” at Columbia University Institute for Sustainable Investment: Executive Training on Investment Arbitration for Government Officials (2017)
- Co-speaker, “Best Practices for Drafting Arbitration Clauses,” Ministries of Peru (2017)
- Co-speaker, “Strategic Responses to Third Party Funding” at Columbia University Institute for Sustainable Investment: Executive Training on Investment Arbitration for Government Officials (2017)
- Moderator, "The Future of Environmental Claims in International Arbitration," New York State Bar Association (2017)
- Panelist, “Utilizing International Arbitration to Maximize the Effectiveness of Cross-border Investments,” Hong Kong Corporate Counsel Association Conference (2017)
- Panelist, “The Call for Specialized Arbitrators, Forums and Procedures in Energy Arbitration,” 4th ITA-IEL-ICC Joint Conference on International Energy Arbitration (2017)
- Panelist, “Damages in International Arbitration,” Columbia Law School (2016)
- Speaker, “Liability for Regulatory Conduct Under Investment Treaties” at Columbia University Institute for Sustainable Investment: Executive Training on Investment Arbitration for Government Officials (2016)
- Speaker, “Investment Arbitration: Lessons Learned for States and Investors” at the 16th International Seminar on Regulation for Public Services, Panama City (2016)
- Moderator, The Politics of Investment Treaties: Discussion and Book Launch (2016)
- Panelist, “Navigating the Relationship Between Regulators and the Regulated” at the 15th International Seminar on Regulation for Public Services in Argentina (2015)
- Speaker, “Liability for Regulatory Conduct Under Investment Treaties” at Columbia University Institute for Sustainable Investment: Executive Training on Investment Arbitration for Government Officials (2015)
- Speaker, “Settlement of Pending Claims Between the U.S. and Cuba: Outlook and Possibilities” at New York University Law School (2015)
- Speaker, “Settlement of Pending Claims Between the U.S. and Cuba: Outlook and Possibilities” at Harvard University Law School (2015)
- Panel Member, “The Restoration of U.S.-Cuba Relations” at American University Law School (2015)
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