Meriam Al-Rashid represents and advises clients on complex international disputes with a focus on public international law including issues related to human rights, international investment arbitration, international commercial arbitration, and foreign investor risk management. Her practice covers various industries, including mining, mineral resources, infrastructure, oil and gas, civil engineering, textiles hospitality and real estate.
Meriam has served as counsel in disputes and transactions involving parties from across the globe, including the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Her experience includes participation in arbitrations before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), International Court of Justice (ICJ), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
Meriam has served as counsel in disputes and transactions involving parties from Libya, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Romania, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Austria, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Meriam also acts as arbitrator on commercial and investor-state disputes primarily involving parties from the Middle East and North Africa.
Meriam also works on matters surrounding post-conflict peace negotiations and governance, and investigation and adjudication of war crimes, including but not limited to:
•Analyzing and documenting atrocity crimes against the Rohingya in Myanmar for the determination of genocide, crimes against humanity and atrocity crimes as well as international adjudication of atrocity crimes in mass deportation or displacement. It also included a recommendation to the 2018 UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyze evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in Myanmar.
•Assessing and advising on legislative and judicial reform to preventing, protecting against and repairing economic violence against women in all Latin American countries.
•Supporting the government of Kenya and civil society organizations in their efforts with domestic accountability for election-related violence and politically motivated human rights abuses.
•Analyzing Libya’s draft constitution’s provisions and working with Libyan attorneys and judges to train them on key transitional justice matters to support the development of platforms for new initiatives and/or reforms that promote transitional justice within Libya.
•Providing legal and policy planning assistance to the High Negotiations Commission in Syria, assisting pro bono organizations to provide legal and policy guidance to Syrian civil society activists for their advocacy efforts on key issues in peace-building and negotiation processes.
•Engaging with South Sudanese civil society organizations engaged in the legislative and constitutional process and providing assistance to actors involved in the peace process.
Meriam has been appointed as a committee member of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. The Vance Center is a member of the International Coalition on the Responsibility to Protect, the International Legal Assistance Consortium and the Coalition for an Effective African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The center also has consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The Vance Center provides pro bono legal representation to dozens of social justice organizations and engages hundreds of law firms in this worldwide work, while promoting diversity in the legal profession.
In conjunction with the Vance Center, Meriam is working with the Dignity Rights International (DRI), a US-based nonprofit, to assess, better protect, and advance, the rights of children in Cite Soleil, the poorest district in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Meriam is providing legal assistance to assess whether the existing conditions constitute violations of children’s rights to a healthy environment, life, dignity and any other rights that must be protected under the Inter-American Human Rights System and/or other international instruments.
Awards and Rankings
Recognized by The Legal 500 US as a “Recommended Lawyer” in International Arbitration (2019)
Recognized by Crain's New York Business as Notable Women in Law (2019)
Recognized by Global Arbitration Review Who's Who Legal Arbitration for three years straight as a Future Leader (2017- 2019)
Recognized by the New York Law Journal as New York Law Journal's Top Women in Law (2016)
Experience
Represented the Independent State of Papua New Guinea in an arbitration brought under the ICSID Rules over a dispute regarding taxes on crude oil production.
Representing Honwood Services Ltd against the State of Poland under the Cyprus-Poland Bilateral Investment Treaty for the expropriation of a potash mining project.
Represented Future Pipe International B.V. against the Arab Republic of Egypt under the Egypt-Netherlands Bilateral Investment brought under the ICSID Convention.
Representing Champion Holding Company against the Arab Republic of Egypt under the US-Egypt Bilateral Investment Treaty brought under the ICSID Convention regarding the expropriation of the investor’s assets in several industries.
Representing a Canadian investor in an investor-state arbitration against a South American Sovereign State, brought under the ICSID Rules and the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement over a dispute related to the gold mining sector.
Represented the State of Libya in parallel commercial and investor-state arbitrations brought by Turkish investors under the ICC Rules of Arbitration regarding the Great Man Made River Authority of Libya and events surrounding the 2011 Arab Spring.
Represented a client in an investor-state arbitration against an Arab State and State Owned Entity under the Organization for the Islam Cooperation, Agreement on the Promotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investments.
Represented an Austrian company against the United Arab Emirates under the UAE-Austrian Bilateral Investment Treaty in relation to an oil and gas pipeline project.
Consulting the US Dept. of Commerce Commercial Law Development Program and Afghanistan Parliament, and the Ministries of Justice and Finance in regards to the development of the Afghan Center for Dispute Resolution and revise Afghanistan commercial law.
Advising to sellers in international sale of goods disputes in relation to jurisdiction, applicable law, and the applicability of the United Nations Convention on CISG 1980.
Successfully settled an international sale of goods dispute under the auspices of UN Convention on CISG 1980 involving the textile industry between an Uzbekistan state-owned entity as buyer and a Lebanese textile producer and distributor as seller.
Represented Caratube International Oil Company LLP in an ICSID arbitration against Kazakhstan under the US-Kazakhstan BIT, relating to the government’s expropriation of the investor’s oil production concession.
Represented the United Nations under the auspices of the UNCITRAL rules in a commercial dispute under the laws of England and Wales.
Representing a Fortune 500 company against corporations headquartered in Dubai and Dublin before the auspices of the ICC and the ICDR, resp., in a commercial dispute involving the hotel and lodging industry, under the laws of England and Wales.
Representing a US Fortune 500 company in a Paris-based ICC arbitration related to a hotel and tourism project in Lebanon.
Representing a French subsidiary of a US contractor in an arbitration in Cairo under the rules of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration based on Egyptian substantive law, concerning an oil industry project in Egypt.
Represented clients from Kazakhstan, Lebanon and Rwanda in INTERPOL related matters.
News
In the News
Law360's International Arbitration Editorial Advisory Board (April 10, 2020)
Law360
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Al-Rashid is featured in this article as a part the Law360 2020 International Arbitration Editorial Advisory Board. As a member of the editorial advisory board, ...
Eversheds Sutherland Adds Three International Arbitration Attorneys (March 13, 2020)
Law360
Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid, William O'Brien and John Lomas are featured in this Law360 article for joining Eversheds Sutherland’s International Arbitration group as partners in the New York and ...
Wake-up Call: Laterals, Moves (March 6, 2020)
Bloomberg Law
Eversheds Sutherland Partners Meriam Al-Rashid and William O'Brien are featured in this Bloomberg Law article about their recent move to the firm. The article notes that Meriam will be based on New ...
Eversheds Sutherland snags US arbitration trio (March 6, 2020)
Commercial Dispute Resolution
Meriam Al-Rashid, Will O'Brien and John Lomas are featured in this Commercial Dispute Resolution article for recently joining Eversheds Sutherland as partners in both the New York and Washington DC ...
Eversheds Sutherland Hires International Arbitration Trio (March 5, 2020)
Global Arbitration Review
Meriam Al-Rashid, William O’Brien and John Lomas are featured in this Global Arbitration Review article for recently joining Eversheds Sutherland’s International Arbitration group as partners. Meriam ...
Eversheds Hires US-based International Arbitration Team (March 5, 2020)
New York Law Journal, Law.com International
Eversheds Sutherland Partners Meriam Al-Rashid and William O'Brien are featured in this article by the New York Law Journal for recently joining the firm in the New York and Washington, DC, office ...
Corruption Defense In Int'l Arbitration Could Backfire On Nation (May 31, 2019)
Law360
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Al-Rashid is quoted in this Law360 article discussing how countries have increasingly begun to fight investors' arbitration claims by accusing the investors of ...
Press Releases
Eversheds Sutherland Bolsters International Arbitration Practice With Three High-Profile Partners (March 5, 2020)
NEW YORK and WASHINGTON - Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce the arrival of three international arbitration partners to the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. The high-profile team joins from ...
Presentations
Live video Q&A on M&A: Buyers' and Sellers' Perspectives in the Current Market. (March 27, 2020)
Market uncertainty, volatility, and interest rates near zero have made buyers and sellers rethink their ongoing and future M&A deals. You will hear the view of experienced M&A practitioners from ...
Podcast: Q&A on the impact of coronavirus on global M&A in 2020 (March 17, 2020)
Listen to a replay of Eversheds Sutherland’s live video Q&A on the implications of coronavirus on global M&A in 2020. Featuring attorneys from the US, UK, Asia, Italy and The Netherlands, the group ...
Can Arbitration be Effective in Resolving Business and Human Rights Disputes? (September 5, 2019)
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid moderates the Can Arbitration be Effective in Resolving Business and Human Rights Disputes? panel at the Cyrus R. Vance Center For International ...
Protecting Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (May 2019)
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid organizes and participates on the Protecting Human Rights in the Age of Artificial Intelligence panel in May 2019.
Investment Claims Annual Juris Conference (April 8, 2019)
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid co-chairs and organizes a panel at the Investment Claims Annual Juris Conference on April 8, 2019, in Washington, DC.
Role of Women in Shaping the Legal Field, International Arbitration, and Obstacles Along the Way (March 6, 2019)
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid presents on the Role of Women in Shaping the Legal Field, International Arbitration, and Obstacles Along the Way panel at the Colombia Law ...
What to do about corruption allegations? Debating the options for investment law: What is sufficient proof of corruption? (Febuary 19, 2019)
Georgetown International Arbitration Society / ILA American Branch Investment Law Committee
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid presents on the What to do about corruption allegations? Debating the options for investment law: What is sufficient proof of corruption? panel ...
Women in International Law: The Journey to Parity (November 19, 2018)
International Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid moderates the Women in International Law: The Journey to Parity panel at the International Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association on ...
Regional Investment - Inter-Arab Investment Disputes (November 5, 2018)
International Bar Association 2nd Annual Arab Regional Conference
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid presents on the Regional Investment - Inter-Arab Investment Disputes panel at the International Bar Association 2nd Annual Arab Regional ...
International Arbitration & The Middle East/North Africa Region (April 20, 2018)
ABA Annual Conference: International Section if International Law
Eversheds Sutherland Partner Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid presents on the International Arbitration & The Middle East/North Africa Region panel at the ABA Annual Conference: International Section if ...
Publications
Legal Alerts
You or your counterparty cannot perform your contract, now what? An examination of US Courts’ treatment of force majeure (March 20, 2020)
By now, you have seen countless commentaries about potential supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19. Most tell you to review your contracts, including any force majeure provisions, to determine ...
Articles
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in International Arbitration (July 29, 2019)
Global Arbitration Review
State liability to foreign investors in the renewable energy sector: Eiser v Spain and its implications (September 2017)
Power Law Newsletter
An increasing number of states are tapping foreign investors as a resource for their renewable energy sectors. These foreign investors, who rushed into government schemes to promote and sustain ...
Managing Risk in International Arbitration: Third Party Funding Developments in Asia (August 30, 2017)
CPR Speaks
As practitioners and clients alike are well aware, international arbitration is not without its risks. Third party funding is one effective risk management tool that can curb the potential losses and ...
Investment Claims Amid Civil Unrest: Questions of Attribution and Responsibility (2016)
BCDR International Arbitration Review, Issue 2, pp. 181-218
Political instability and civil strife are known inhibitors of foreign investment. The Middle East is a region with tremendous investment potential due to a constellation of factors, including ...
The Surge of Investments in Egypt’s Public Infrastructure Sector: A Golden Opportunity for European Investors/Contractors and a Natural Precursor to Future International Arbitrations (March 1, 2016)
International Bar Association Construction International
Chinese Investment: Some thoughts on a new age of business between MENA and the Far East (February 1, 2016)
Arab Legal Forum
Understanding Egypt’s Public Infrastructure Investment Strategy and Dispute Resolution Atmosphere (December 1, 2015)
International Bar Association Construction Law International
The Revival of Islamic and Middle East Regional Investment Treaties: A New Way Forward? (2015)
Transnational Dispute Management
In this article for Transnational Dispute Management, Partner Meriam Al-Rashid examines the distinguishing characteristics of the Agreement on Promotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investments ...
New Developments in Investment Treaty Arbitration: A Return to Fundamentals? - Assessment of Damages Investment Treaty Arbitration (March 2014)
Eighth Annual Juris Conference on Investment Treaty Arbitration
England & Wales: Getting the Deal Through (2014)
Arbitration 2014
Books
The Legacy and Future of International Criminal Tribunals (Ongoing)
Oxford University Press
