Nicholas Bortman

Practice Areas

With a focus on the Middle East, Nicholas has acted in many of the region’s most significant commercial disputes of the last 15 years. He has particular experience in corruption investigations, evidence gathering in jurisdictions with minimal disclosure requirements and supporting the enforcement of judgements and arbitral awards.

Nicholas’ experience includes litigation and commercial and investor-state arbitration heard in the DIFC, UAE, Lebanon, UK, Cayman and US courts and arbitration centres as well as private disputes among Middle Eastern merchant families and royalty. He has acted for HNW, corporate, sovereign and supranational clients and given evidence before multiple arbitral tribunals and in US federal proceedings. Notably, Nicholas acted as a fact witness and was extensively cross examined in DIFC LCIA arbitration and related proceedings between Iraq Telecom (a joint venture between Agility and Orange Telecom) and a Middle East telecommunications company and its owners. His work was explicitly cited as instrumental in the success of the claimant’s primary claims and the resulting award of USD1.65billion.

In 2016 Nicholas was asked to consult for the International Criminal Court of The Hague, evaluating the Court’s financial investigation practices and advising the Office of the Prosecutor on asset recovery in Africa.

Nicholas serves on the expert roster Justice Rapid Response, an intergovernmental facility for the global deployment of criminal justice professionals trained to investigate genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and serious human rights violations. He is also a member of the UN Security Council Affairs Division’s roster of experts.

Nicholas was trained by a former Manhattan District Attorney’s Office trial prosecutor, providing investigative and analytical support in tobacco and pharmaceutical counterfeiting and smuggling investigations.