Zoe O'Sullivan
Serle Court
6 New Square
Lincoln's Inn
London WC2A 3QS
United Kingdom
Counsel specializing in dispute resolution (both litigation and arbitration) since 1993.
Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2015.
Arbitrator (sole, co-arbitrator and presiding arbitrator) since 2016.
LCIA
Arbitral Women
Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)
Chancery Bar Association
Society for Computers and Law
LCIA
DIFC-LCIA
ICC
HKIAC (List)
As arbitrator:
LCIA arbitration, sole arbitrator, Russian shareholder dispute, award rendered November 2016.
LCIA arbitration, presiding arbitrator, African/French commodities dispute, award rendered August 2017.
LCIA arbitration, sole arbitration, Russian banking dispute, award rendered August 2017.
ICC arbitration, sole arbitrator, Russian/Italian sale of goods dispute, award rendered March 2018.
LCIA arbitration, sole arbitrator, English contractual dispute, settled late 2018.
LCIA arbitration, co-arbitrator, Ukrainian banking dispute, award rendered March 2019.
LCIA arbitration, sole arbitrator, Russian banking dispute, case settled late 2019.
LCIA arbitration, sole arbitrator, English shareholder dispute, case settled mid-2020.
UNCITRAL arbitration, sole arbitrator, UAE contractual dispute, case settled mid-2020.
DIFC-LCIA arbitration, sole arbitrator, broadcast licensing dispute, case settled mid-2020.
LCIA arbitration, presiding arbitrator, African/Indian commodities dispute, award rendered December 2020.
DIFC-LCIA arbitration, co-arbitrator, DIFC banking dispute, award rendered December 2020.
LCIA arbitration, co-arbitrator, Cyprus/Russian shareholder dispute, hearing December 2020, award pending.
LCIA arbitration, co-arbitrator, Cyprus/Russian shareholder dispute (related to above) hearing to take place in May 2021.
ICC arbitration, sole arbitrator, Belgian/Israeli production engineering dispute, award rendered December 2020.
ICC arbitration, sole arbitrator, Turkish hotel management dispute, hearing October 2020, award pending.
UNCITRAL arbitration, co-arbitrator, Indian/Rwandan construction dispute, hearing January 2021, award pending.
ICC arbitration, sole arbitrator, Azerbaijan oil and gas dispute, hearing pending.
As counsel (representative recent selection from a career dating back to 1993):
Currently acting in a USD 230m LMAA claim for the claimant shipowner in a dispute with a Chinese shipyard over the construction of four drillships.
Acting for the claimant in a landmark decision of the DIFC Court, refusing on public policy grounds to recognise a judgment of the Dubai Court of Cassation that an arbitration clause was invalid for lack of authority. YYY Limited v ZZZ Limited [DIFC] 2019 ARB 005.
Acting for the respondent in proceedings arising out of a failed agricultural joint venture in Ukraine, awards rendered 2018 and 2020.
Acting for a Ukrainian businessman in an LCIA arbitration claim against a Russian state bank for the wrongful termination of a share purchase agreement relating to a distressed Ukrainian bank, including appearing on an application for interim relief under the LCIA’s Emergency Arbitrator rules.
Acting for the Kazakh claimant in an LCIA arbitration claim against a Chinese respondent arising out of a joint venture to exploit an oil exploration concession in Kazakhstan.
Acting for a High Net Worth Chinese individual in a Hong Kong seated ad hoc arbitration claim against Goldman Sachs for loss arising out of the delayed liquidation of a portfolio of derivatives contracts.
Acting for the claimant mining company in a dispute about the defective construction of a floating offshore transfer platform.
Acting for a telecoms company opposing the enforcement in England of an Austrian New York Convention arbitration award for €268 million.
- “Diversity of Arbitrator Appointments: Are Parties doing Enough?” published in Commercial Dispute Resolution (CDR) Magazine January 2020
- “In the fast lane: accelerating the transformation of disputes in the UAE” (with Deirdre Walker): published in Gulf Business, 20 July 2020
- “The ICC’s new rules: late to the party but welcome…”(with Tim Benham-Mirando), published in Global Legal Post, 30 October 2020
- “The New DIFC-LCIA Rules 2021: A Drive to Efficiency” (with Sophia Hurst), published on Lexology, February 2021