Allen & Overy boasts a world-class arbitration practice with a highly reputed Hong Kong bench and a wealth of experience handling complex cross-border disputes, with clients benefiting from the firm's PRC joint operation firm, Lang Yue. It is particularly active in arbitration proceedings relating to India, as well as across South and South-East Asia. The firm operates across a wide range of sectors, including the natural resources, banking and finance, construction, and technology and telecoms sectors. Highly regarded for its expertise in investment treaty arbitrations, it is experienced in arbitrations acting both for and against sovereign states and government bodies. Key clients include the Republic of Korea, the Kingdom of Cambodia and BG Exploration and Production India.

Allen & Overy maintains a leading reputation for India-related arbitration work, including commercial contracts and investment treaty cases. It leverages specialists across Hong Kong and Shanghai to offer comprehensive coverage for any APAC arbitration. The team acted on behalf of Nissan in a Singapore-seated UNCITRAL arbitration against India concerning investment incentives under the 2011 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and India.

"The Allen & Overy arbitration team provided advice appropriate to achieving the client's commercial objectives and responded to the client's questions quickly and effectively."

"They attend to the details, but at the same time have a strategic point of view. The case was finally settled because of their strong commercial awareness and efforts towards a settlement."

"They are very considerate, and their approach is assertive but also allows for flexibility. Their level of understanding of commercial documents, shareholders' agreements, investor and management remunerations, as well as legal strategy and tactics, is a critical asset."

Allen & Overy represented Nissan in a USD300 million Singapore-seated UNCITRAL arbitration against India under the 2011 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and India concerning the payment of certain investment incentives promised to Nissan regarding its setting up of a car manufacturing plant in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Matthew Hodgson is head of the Allen & Overy international arbitration team in Hong Kong and handles cross-border commercial and investment treaty arbitrations for clients in the TMT, energy and natural resources sectors. "Matthew is an amazingly thorough gentleman. Beyond his craft, he has impressed me with his overall awareness, his pacing, his flexibility, and his vantage into potential opportunities and complications." "He is very responsive and thoroughly analytical. He well understands the nature and features of investment disputes and advises accordingly." "He's developed a USP in the investment-treaty space and is well regarded."

Joanne Lau offers clients valued support on a range of multi-jurisdictional arbitrations for clients in the telecommunications, banking and private equity spaces. "Joanne Lau has a great personality and always gives comprehensive and useful responses to our questions." "She's a junior partner who is a rising star with a lot of support."