Dispute Resolution | Global

Clifford Chance is a well-established name in international disputes and handles some of the largest mandates arising in Africa. It has a particularly robust mining disputes practice, with activity throughout anglophone and francophone Africa as well as North Africa, and has further capabilities acting for financial institutions and petrochemicals companies. It provides high-calibre counsel on both commercial and investment treaty arbitration, as well as pioneering expertise in business and human rights law. The firm services an impressive roster of global and African clients from its offices in Australia, Europe and the USA.

DLA Piper is a prominent disputes player with broad sectoral coverage and a strong reputation for international commercial litigation and arbitration. The team is particularly active on investment treaty and shareholder disputes in Africa. The firm also maintains an on-the-ground presence through its offices in Johannesburg and Casablanca, with an extensive network of relationship firms enhancing its formidable reach across the continent.

Wall Street law firm White & Case operates an exceptionally well-regarded arbitration practice which is highly visible on Africa-related investor-state and construction matters. Its lawyers possess extensive experience representing states, as well as private entities operating in the oil and gas, financial services, telecoms and insurance sectors. It is especially noted for its dominance in North and francophone Africa, though the firm has taken on cases originating in the majority of African jurisdictions. Its Africa disputes work is typically led by teams in Paris, London and Johannesburg.

Linklaters is a prestigious international law firm with an impressive depth of experience in dispute resolution matters across Africa. It is recognised for its representation of states, mining companies and banking institutions in investor-state arbitrations, with considerable experience appearing before ICSID and the ICC. The team demonstrates significant activity in francophone and anglophone Africa, with the capabilities of its Africa-focused lawyers in London, Paris and Lisbon being bolstered by its alliance with Webber Wentzel in South Africa.

A&O Shearman has a longstanding commitment to Africa. It is regularly instructed in sophisticated investment treaty arbitrations, acting for sovereign states and governmental entities as well as global corporations and financial institutions. The international arbitration group offers African expertise across anglophone and francophone jurisdictions from offices in Casablanca, Johannesburg, London and Paris. In addition, the firm also regularly handles commercial litigation and internal investigations. As with its arbitration practice, much of its work in these latter fields relates to energy and petrochemicals projects. On 1st May 2024, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling merged to form A&O Shearman.

Magic circle law firm Freshfields is a longstanding feature of Africa-related disputes. Drawing on the expertise of lawyers based in London, Paris, Dubai and New York, it is renowned for its capabilities in arbitration and acts for numerous heavyweight clients in key sectors such as telecoms and oil and gas. The team has additional experience representing African clients in high-stakes litigation proceedings in London and the USA.

Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes (GBS) is a Paris-based international arbitration boutique which was founded in 2021. Many of its lawyers previously practised together in the Paris office of Shearman & Sterling, and its admired team possesses experience in disputes occurring across a wide range of industries, including energy, mining and oil and gas. The firm already enjoys an excellent reputation as a go-to group for major investment treaty and commercial arbitration cases, and also demonstrates considerable expertise in enforcement and asset tracing matters.

Leading French law firm Gide offers a highly respected dispute resolution practice with a longstanding commitment to Africa and a particularly developed presence on mandates relating to the Maghreb and francophone Africa. It typically handles disputes work from its bases in Paris and London, further supported by offices in Algiers, Casablanca and Tunis. The firm is recognised for its extensive arbitration experience, principally with regard to energy, infrastructure and telecoms matters.

Hogan Lovells possesses a distinguished and deep global bench in litigation and arbitration. Its Africa dispute resolution team is run principally from Paris and London, and lawyers from the firm are particularly active in francophone jurisdictions. The group has a strong capability when it comes to financial services disputes, acting for several multilateral financial institutions in addition to other highly prominent clients. Technology, telecoms and media cases are other areas of strength.

Stephenson Harwood is home to a highly respected Africa group with a diverse international disputes practice managed by teams in London and Paris. It commands respect for its involvement across the region, with particular plaudits for its experience in East Africa, as well as Nigeria. The team regularly acts for government entities in addition to energy and banking clients.

Three Crowns is a boutique law firm focusing on international arbitration. It has a fast-growing practice in Africa, with a team of in-demand lawyers regularly acting on disputes in the oil and gas and energy sectors. The team as a whole has an impressive client base which includes numerous multinational conglomerates. The firm's recent work covers the full breadth of Africa, with recent cases in Algeria and Nigeria as well as numerous other countries.

Curtis is well known for its firm-wide emphasis on the representation of sovereign states, including several in Africa. The firm has an impressive international arbitration and litigation practice with a strong understanding of the natural resources industries, as well as extensive experience in disputes arising from infrastructure concession agreements. The firm's Africa work is typically staffed from offices in New York, Paris, Milan and London.

ENS is well placed to advise states as well as private companies. It represents clients active in various sectors, including energy and construction. The firm is sought after for its experience in both arbitration and litigation. With offices across the continent, ENS has an especially strong disputes presence in South Africa, Mauritius and Ghana.

The international disputes team at Foley Hoag is noted for its in-depth knowledge of public international law. The firm frequently acts for sovereign nations on inter-state disputes relating to land and maritime boundaries. Its lawyers also offer a wealth of experience in high-profile human rights and Law of the Sea cases, in addition to handling investor-state arbitrations.

ASAFO is a specialist Africa-focused law firm with broad capabilities in litigation and arbitration. The firm has noteworthy experience representing sovereign states in public international law cases concerning disputed land and maritime boundaries. It is also active on contentious regulatory matters as well as commercial arbitration proceedings arising from terminated contracts and defaults on loan agreements.

Baker McKenzie is a top international law firm with a strong reputation and network in Africa. It benefits from its expansive international platform, with considerable strength in its London and US offices. Additionally, it maintains a noteworthy African presence in Johannesburg, Cairo and Casablanca. It is highly regarded for its handling of investment treaty arbitrations and shareholder disputes, with further activity overseeing internal investigations.

Bowmans is a leading African law firm which is frequently mandated on high-value disputes by clients active in industries such as banking and energy, as well as representing governmental bodies. Lawyers based across its regional network are well versed in commercial and contractual disputes, with additional activity in arbitration and corporate investigations.

Miranda & Associados is known for its very strong track record in Africa, often acting for clients from the oil and gas, construction and banking sectors. The team in Lisbon is well versed at coordinating commercial litigation alongside Miranda's partner law firms in Angola, Mozambique and other lusophone jurisdictions. It is also capable of representing clients in arbitrations.

VdA is sought after by a plethora of big-name clients to handle a variety of disputes in Africa. It is especially noteworthy for its focus on lusophone jurisdictions such as Angola and Mozambique. The team is adept at handling a variety of cases, including commercial litigation and investor-state arbitration as well as corporate investigations.

Leading South African law firm Webber Wentzel has a respected dispute resolution practice principally focused on its home jurisdiction and neighbouring states. It represents clients active across a variety of sectors, including mining and telecoms. The team possesses expertise in cross-border single-plaintiff as well as class action litigation, and is also regularly active in arbitration. In the latter sphere the firm has experience acting for sovereign African states.