Sara Koleilat-Aranjo

Sara K. Aranjo leads Morgan Lewis’s international arbitration, dispute resolution, and global investigations practice across the Middle East and Africa. Sara focuses her practice on international arbitration and dispute prevention and resolution, primarily in cases with cross-border elements. She advises and represents the interests of governments, semi-governments, and corporations in proceedings arising out of inbound and outbound investments in the Middle East and Africa across a range of sectors, including energy, real estate, hospitality, construction, banking and finance, distribution, and technology, media, and telecommunications. Sara speaks Arabic, French, and English.

Member, ICC International Court of Arbitration

Member, Court of Arbitration of the Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA)

Member, Court of Arbitration of the Swiss Centre

Deputy Secretary-General, International Bar Association (IBA)

Co-Chair, In-house counsel group of the IBA Arbitration Committee

Co-Chair, IBA Arab Regional Forum

Member, French Arbitration Committee

Board Member, ArbitralWomen

Advisory Board Member, Sorbonne University of Abu Dhabi

Track Leader, ICC Commission Task Force on Arbitration and ADR

Member, Steering Committee of ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration and ADR

Legal Expert, DIFC Courts Arbitration Division Working Group

International Board Member, Energy Disputes Arbitration Centre

Member, Board of Trustees, Lebanese Arbitration and Mediation Centre

Member, Equal Representation in Arbitration (ERA) Pledge Middle East Subcommittee

Member, Steering Committee, Racial Equality for Arbitration Lawyers (REAL)

Member, Executive Committee, Rising Arbitrators’ Initiative (RAI)

Director for Asia and the Middle East, International Council for Commercial Arbitration (Y-ICCA)

Faculty Member, Remote Oral Advocacy Programme (ROAP) by Delos

MENA Regional Editor, Guide to Arbitration Places (GAP) by Delos

Member, Paris MENA Legal Club

Member, ICC Arab Group

Faculty Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)

Adjunct Professor of Law, Université Paris II – Panthéon Assas

Harvard Law School

LL.M., editor, Harvard Business Law Review

2012

Paris Court of Appeals Bar School

CAPA

2012

ESSEC Business School

M.S., strategic management and finance

2009

Université Paris Cité

M.A., international business law

2007

Saint Joseph University of Beirut

LL.B., French and Lebanese law

2006

Ranked, Dispute Resolution, United Arab Emirates

Chambers Global

2025

Recognized, Arbitration Future Leaders – Partners

Lexology Index

2024

Recognized, Global Elite Thought Leader, Arbitration

Who’s Who Legal

2024

Recommended, Arbitration

Who’s Who Legal

2024

Recognized, 45 Under 45 Leading International Arbitration Lawyers

Global Arbitration Review

2023

Ranked, Most Highly Regarded Arbitration Partners in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Future Leaders

Who’s Who Legal

2023

Ranked, Arbitration Private Practice Power list: Middle East

The Legal 500

2023

Ranked, 50 Super Lawyers in the Middle East and North Africa

Asian Legal Business

2022

Middle East Rising Star Lawyer Award

Law.com International

2019

Ranked, Dispute Resolution - UAE

Chambers & Partners

2023