International law firm Pinsent Masons has expanded its global construction practice with the appointment of disputes specialist Meriam Alrashid. Meriam, who joins from Crowell & Moring LLP, is an international arbitration lawyer and joins the firm's London office.
She focuses on international investment and commercial arbitration and risk management, covering various industries across the globe, including oil & gas, construction, mineral resources, and hospitality.
A fluent Arabic speaker, Meriam has particular experience in the Middle East and North Africa, having worked extensively across those regions.
Meriam has particular expertise in international commercial arbitration and investor state arbitration. Significant cases upon which she has led include an ICSID action for foreign investors relating to misappropriation of assets by the Egyptian state, and acting for a South Korean investor in respect of a claim regarding alleged expropriation of assets by the Libyan state.
Her experience includes participation in arbitrations before the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
Fraser McMillan, Head of the Construction disputes practice at Pinsent Masons, says:
"Meriam's client base, contacts, legal experience and linguistic skill sets are a natural fit with our ambition to be the global market-leader in disputes in the energy and infrastructure sectors. We have made targeted investment into our disputes capability in respect of the Gulf and North Africa and are pleased to give Meriam a strong international platform from which to further develop her practice, not least through our offices in Doha and Dubai."
Meriam's recruitment follows the appointment of senior international arbitration specialists Helena Chen in Beijing from Formosan Brothers, John Gilbert from BP and Fred Gillion, who has significant experience in North African matters, from Clifford Chance in Paris.
