Practice Areas
Jiries is an English solicitor with higher rights of audience in the English courts. Prior to co-founding Saadeh Rahman LLP, Jiries was a partner at a top-tier public international law firm. He has accumulated over 20 years of experience practising law in private practice and at the United Nations. Jiries also sits as a Deputy District Judge in London.
Jiries advises clients on a full spectrum of public international law matters, including State sovereignty, international humanitarian law, immunities under public international law, boundary disputes, the protection of foreign investments and human rights. Jiries is an experienced advocate in international investment law disputes and has led teams in many investment treaty arbitrations (under the ICSID, UNCITRAL and other rules) for both claimants and respondent states. He also has significant experience in the law of international organisations, particularly the law and practice of the United Nations and international administrative law.
Jiries was for many years adjunct professor of law at Pepperdine University and has lectured at other universities. He sits on the consultation board for Practical Law’s arbitration service, is a member of the advisory committee for the Advanced LLM in International Dispute Settlement at Leiden University.
Work Highlights
Highlights of Jiries' contentious and advisory practice include:
• Representing Pakistan in its written and oral submissions to the International Court of Justice in the advisory opinion proceedings concerning the 'Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory’
• Representing Pakistan in two parallel proceedings against India under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960: first, a proceeding before a Court of Arbitration in relation to which the PCA acts as Secretariat; and second, a proceeding before a Neutral Expert
• Representing Croatia in an ad hoc arbitration brought by a Canadian investor under a bilateral investment treaty involving issues of state succession with respect to real estate interests
• Advising an African State in an ICSID arbitration concerning a purported investment in the energy sector
• Advising a Latin American State in an ICSID arbitration brought by a global mining company concerning one of the largest coal mines in the world
• Representing a multinational energy company in a dispute under two bilateral investment treaties with an African state
• Advising a global investment fund and construction group on an investor-State arbitration under the OIC Agreement relating to large construction project in the Middle East
• Advising a global investment fund and construction group on a potential commercial arbitration with a sovereign wealth fund of a country in the Middle East
• Representing an individual investor in an UNCITRAL arbitration against a Gulf State under the OIC Agreement in relation to a real estate project
• Representing Arab Telemedia, a Jordan-based media company, in a treaty arbitration against Qatar under the Jordan-Qatar BIT
• Representing Mr Bahgat, a Finnish national, in his UNCITRAL arbitration brought against Egypt under two successive Finland-Egypt BITs Egypt in relation to an iron ore and steel producing concession
• Advising Mr Bahgat in defending an application brought by Egypt in the Netherlands (the seat of arbitration) to set-aside his arbitral award
• Advising Mr Bahgat in connection with enforcement proceedings relating to his arbitral award against Egypt worth over US$ 115 million, working with local counsel in multiple jurisdictions around the world
• Advising investors from a Middle Eastern country on a potential investment treaty claim against Libya under the investment agreement under the OIC Agreement
• Representing City-State N.V. (Netherlands) and its subsidiaries in an ICSID arbitration brought under a bilateral investment treaty against Ukraine
• Advising Owens-Illinois European Group B.V. (Netherlands) in an ICSID arbitration brought under a bilateral investment treaty against Venezuela
• Advising Fabrica de Vidrios Los Andes, C.A. and Owens-Illinois de Venezuela, C.A. in an ICSID arbitration brought under a bilateral investment treaty against Venezuela
• Representing the national oil company of a Balkan State in an UNCITRAL Rules arbitration against an Italian energy company
• Advising a large petrochemical company in relation to the nature and effect under international law of certain waivers given by one of its subsidiaries to a State-owned enterprise
• Representing staff members of the United Nations and its funds and programmes in disputes before the United Nations Dispute Tribunal and United Nations Appeals Tribunal
• Advising an individual on various strategies for pursuing a claim against an international organisation, either in domestic courts or before an international tribunal, arising out of the organisation’s involvement in peacekeeping operations, including advising on issues of immunity of international organisations
• Drafting and delivering an extensive multi-module course on public international law to government officials of a Middle Eastern State, including teaching modules on diplomatic immunity
• Advising an Asian State on issues of maritime delimitation, navigation and international environmental law in connection with a dispute related to a major international port and land reclamation activities
• Advising an Asian State in relation to the negotiation of a land and river boundary with a neighbouring State
• Advising an Asian State on various issues under UNCLOS and the law of the sea more broadly
• Advising a number of corporate entities and private individuals on the scope and application of UN, EU and domestic trade sanctions regimes
• Advising an international organisation on the regulation of NGOs, including with respect to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly
• Advising an NGO on an application for precautionary measures to be brought before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
• Advising an NGO on the compatibility of a State’s NGO policy with international law
• Advising an NGO on a range of international law issues arising during the negotiation of the Arms Trade Treaty
• Advising a UN Agency on its guidance regarding children’s access to remedy, including before international courts and tribunals
