Bolstering its global litigation and international arbitration team, Morgan Lewis welcomes partner Sara K. Aranjo and associate Issey Park, resident in Dubai. Both are joining from Al Tamimi & Company, one of the largest law firms in the Middle East. Sara is a trilingual international arbitration and dispute prevention and resolution lawyer who has acted in more than 100 proceedings across strategic economic sectors including energy, real estate, healthcare, hospitality, banking and finance, construction, distribution, and technology, media, and telecommunications.
“The addition of seasoned, broad-based disputes lawyers working across a range of sectors positions us well to assist in a variety of cross-border dispute resolution and litigation needs,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “Sara has a strong market understanding and deep ties to the Middle East and Africa, both of which will help us broaden our client offerings in these dynamic markets.”
Sara will lead the international arbitration and dispute resolution practice across the Middle East and Africa, and will continue to advise and represent governments, semi-government entities, and corporations in international arbitration proceedings and cross-border litigation related to inbound and outbound investments across the region. She has been involved in proceedings in the Arabic, French, and English languages across several jurisdictions: Algeria, Bahrain, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, in addition to jurisdictions in France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea.
Issey has experience in complex cross-border dispute resolution, including international commercial arbitration and investor-state dispute settlements. He has experience in case administration from the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB) and has previously served as an associate expert with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
“Given her depth of experience with cross-border arbitrations, Sara is a natural fit for clients in need of strong representation in global disputes,” said J. Gordon Cooney, Jr., leader of the firm’s litigation practice. “Working in close collaboration with our London, Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, and US colleagues, Sara and Issey will deepen our bench of lawyers handling significant international arbitrations, cross-border litigation, and investigations.”
Sara was appointed as the first Middle East-based member of the Court of Arbitration of the Swiss Centre and was the first Middle East-based member to be elected to the board of directors of ArbitralWomen. She was also appointed to the inaugural Arbitration Court of the Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration and currently serves as a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris. Sara is a deputy secretary-general of the International Bar Association (IBA) where she co-chairs the IBA Arab Regional Forum and the in-house counsel group of the IBA Arbitration Committee.
In addition to her practice, Sara is a faculty member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Diploma in International Arbitration, an adjunct professor of law at the Université Paris II – Panthéon-Assas, and a member of the advisory board of the Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi.
“We are excited to welcome Sara and Issey and to tap into their perspective and insights to add to Morgan Lewis’s collaborative platform,” said Alishia K. Sullivan, managing partner of the firm’s Dubai office. “Sara is a sophisticated and respected practitioner who holds leadership positions in key organizations and important initiatives, as well as an avid supporter of diversity.”
