Niuscha Bassiri

Practice Areas

For more than two decades, Niuscha Bassiri has acted as arbitrator and counsel in numerous international arbitrations under all major arbitral institutions and arbitration rules (CEPANI, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, DIS, ICC, ICSID, LCIA, NAI, PCA, Swiss Rules, SCC, SIAC, UNCITRAL, Vienna Rules), including ad hoc proceedings. She has extensive experience in commercial and investment arbitration across multiple sectors, with particular expertise in construction (FIDIC and MDB), infrastructure, and renewables.

Career

Niuscha Bassiri is Co-Founder of ArbBoutique. She is admitted to the German bar (Cologne, 2002) and is a Brussels B-List member (since 2006).

Since January 2026, Niuscha serves on the Presiding Committee of the Board of Directors of the DIS (Deutsche Institution für Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit e.V.), the German arbitration institution.

Prior to co-founding ArbBoutique in 2024, Niuscha was a Partner at Hanotiau & van den Berg in Brussels, where she developed a distinguished practice in international arbitration, in addition to experience at international firms in London.

Niuscha is Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center and a member of the faculty of the Geneva LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS), among other academic appointments.

Professional Memberships

Niuscha is Co-Chair of the ICC Advanced Arbitration Academy Western Europe (2025-2026) following a successful Academy for Eastern Europe (2023-2024). She is also the Co-Chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) Task Force on "The Nationality of the Arbitrator as a Proxy for Independence and Impartiality". Niuscha was the Founding Chair of the Delos Dispute Resolution's Writing Awards Course. As a member of the ICC Task Force Addressing Issues of Corruption in International Arbitration, she is a Coordinator of one of the tracks, focusing on the use of AI for detecting red flags.

Niuscha is a member or listed in various panels and lists of arbitrators, including:

• Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre

• ASA (Swiss Arbitration Association)

• BVI International Arbitration Centre

• CEPANI (Belgian Center for Arbitration and Mediation)

• DIS (German Arbitration Institute)

• HKIAC (Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre)

• India International Arbitration Centre

• LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration)

• NAI (Netherlands Arbitration Institute)

• SIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Centre)

Publications

Niuscha is co-editor and author of various landmark books, including International Arbitration and the COVID-19 Revolution (with M. Scherer, M. Abdel Wahab), Wolters Kluwer, 2020, and Arbitration in Belgium – A Practitioner's Guide (with M. Draye), Kluwer International Law, 2015, the sole English-language commentary on Belgian arbitration law (second edition forthcoming).

She is also a co-author in the leading German language commentary on the ICC and DIS Rules (ICC-SchO/DIS-SchO Praxiskommentar zu den Schiedsgerichtsordnungen, second edition 2024), where she authored commentaries on selected articles including Article 6 of the ICC Rules and Article 30 of the DIS Rules. She led the task force on the Young ICCA Guide on Arbitral Secretaries (The ICCA Reports No. 1, 2014).

Other selected publications include:

• ‘Consumer Protection’ (with E. Hay), in J. R. Mata Dona, N. Lavranos (eds), International Arbitration and EU Law, Elgar, first edition 2021, second edition 2024

• ‘Devil’s Advocate – Counterintuitive? – What, Why and Who Is the Devil’s Advocate in Default Proceedings?’, Default in International Arbitration, Reports from the CEPANI Colloquium, Wolters Kluwer, November 2022

• ‘Full Endorsement of Arbitral Tribunal’s Powers to Order Remote Hearings’, b-Arbitra, Belgian Review of Arbitration, 2021

• ‘The View from Europe: What’s New in European Arbitration?’, 76(1) Dispute Resolution Journal (S. Wilske, B. P. Ebert, N. Bassiri, T. Stouten, T. Schneider, eds), 2022

• ‘Cross-Border Enforcement of Arbitral Awards Rendered in ODR’, 8(1) Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution International Arbitration Review (with P. Panjwani), June 2021

• ‘Conducting Remote Hearings: Issues of Planning, Preparation and Sample Procedural Orders’, in M. Scherer, N. Bassiri, M. Abdel Wahab (eds), International Arbitration and the COVID-19 Revolution, Wolters Kluwer, 2020

• ‘The (Ir)Relevance of The Arbitrator’s Nationality’ (with T. Vijra), Liber Amicorum, 50th Anniversary of CEPANI, Wolters Kluwer, 2019

Personal

Niuscha is a dual German and Iranian national.

Niuscha is Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center and a member of the faculty of the Geneva LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS). She was also a member of the faculty of the University of Miami White & Case International Arbitration LL.M. program and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law. She has taught International Commercial and Investment Arbitration at the National Law University of Delhi and co-founded and lectured in the master's program of the ICHEC Business and Management School in Brussels on International Commercial Law and Dispute Resolution for 12 years. She has also been a faculty member of the CIArb's Virtual Diploma on International Commercial Arbitration program.

Niuscha is regularly invited as a keynote speaker and panelist at conferences regarding a variety of issues in international arbitration. Recent speaking engagements include presentations on settlement facilitation (shortlisted for the Best Speech award at GAR), AI in detecting corruption red flags, tribunal dynamics, and the use of technology in arbitration.

Niuscha is a regular contributor to the development of international arbitration through her academic work and institutional service. She translated ICCA's Guide to The Interpretation of the 1985 New York Convention: A Handbook for Judges (with C. Liebscher) into German in 2021.

Clients

Niuscha has received many professional accolades, recognizing her as one of the best in international arbitration, including Chambers and Partners, Leaders League, Lexology Index (formerly Who's Who Legal)—Arbitration, Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist, and Expert Guides Women in Business Law—Arbitration.

Niuscha is acknowledged as a Thought Leader in Lexology Index, and has been described by peers and client as an "extremely sharp arbitrator and counsel" with "clever and sophisticated advocacy". She “is able to handle tricky situations as arbitrator with finesse and sound judgment" and is "very experienced in investment arbitration". She has been referred to as "simply brilliant" and credited that "her skills as an arbitrator are so polished she shines." Peers testify that she is "extremely experienced" and has "significant input to the practice of arbitration", "a clever and well-prepared arbitrator" and "an exceptionally effective communicator”.

The arbitration community further describes her as an "elegant and skillful arbitrator" who has deep "experience in international commercial arbitration and construction disputes" and is an "excellent arbitrator; top speaker and extremely knowledgeable in investment arbitration". She continues to be "[h]ighly recommended for her leading investment and commercial arbitration expertise" and has been described as a "very smart and hard-working lawyer" and a "brilliant arbitrator", who is "sharp, quick and attentive to details", "has an abundance of hands-on experience" and "excellent experience in investment arbitration and energy-related disputes".

Industry Sector Expertise

Niuscha has extensive sector expertise across:

• Construction and Infrastructure: FIDIC contracts, MDB General Conditions, motorways, railways, gas pipelines, underwater construction, desalination, port management

• Energy and Renewables: wind energy (supply, maintenance, licensing, shareholding), solar power plants, offshore and onshore wind, nuclear power plants, oil & gas, Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), petrochemicals

• Telecommunications: telecommunications services, satellites

• Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare: distribution agreements, licensing, share purchase agreements

• Banking and Finance: consumer loans, settlement agreements, guarantees

• Manufacturing and Industry: steel supply, metallurgical industry, bakery industry, automotive, transportation

• Maritime and Aviation: shipping, maritime equipment, yachts, military and aviation equipment

• Luxury Goods and Leisure: luxury watches, entertainment, sports equipment

• Technology and IT: IT services, licensing agreements

• Real Estate and Development

• Other: food and beverage, insurance, third-party funding, climate-related dispute

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Bar Admissions:

• German bar (Cologne, 2003)

• Brussels B-List member (since 2006)

Niuscha has extensive experience with both civil law and common law systems. Her matter have been conducted at various seats and governed by a variety of substantive and procedural laws, including those of:

• Europe: Austria, Belgium, England and Wales, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland

• Middle East: UAE and Dubai DIFC, Bahrain

• Asia: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Singapore

• Africa: Egypt, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe

• Americas: New York

Niuscha's arbitrations have been seated in major arbitration centers and beyond, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Dubai, Geneva, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Manama, Nuremberg, Paris, Singapore, Stockholm, and Vienna.

Languages Spoken

English, German, French

Experience

Niuscha has acted as arbitrator and counsel in numerous international arbitrations under all major arbitral institutions and arbitration rules. Her experience includes serving as:

• Presiding arbitrator in CEPANI, DIAC, DIS, ICC, ICSID, LCIA, NAI, SCC, SIAC, Swiss Arbitration Centre, and ad hoc arbitrations

• Co-arbitrator in ICC, LCIA, NAI, PCA, VIAC, SCC, UNCITRAL, and ad hoc arbitrations

• Sole arbitrator in ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, CEPANI, DIS, SIAC, Vienna Rules, and UNCITRAL arbitrations

• Emergency arbitrator in ICC and LCIA proceedings

• Mediator in ICC mediation proceedings

She has also served as counsel in complex international arbitrations, representing States, State-owned entities, and private parties in both commercial and investment treaty disputes across multiple sectors and jurisdictions.

Prior to her full-time arbitrator practice, Niuscha spent nearly two decades practicing at leading international law firms and boutique arbitration practices, developing particular expertise in investment arbitration, construction disputes (FIDIC and MDB contracts), infrastructure projects, renewable energy, and complex multi-party commercial disputes

Education