International law firm Stephenson Harwood has appointed Shai Wade as a partner in its commercial litigation practice. Shai joins from Reed Smith where he was co-practice group leader of international arbitration and where he has been a partner since 2008. Prior to this he was a partner at Kilpatrick Stockton.
Shai specialises in international arbitration, particularly in complex disputes in the oil and gas and natural resources sectors and in investment matters. He has wide-ranging experience in issues involving joint operation agreements, production sharing contracts, farm-in agreements, pipeline disputes and gas pricing. He also has expertise in dispute resolution in the fields of engineering, banking, telecoms and the corporate sector.
Commenting on his appointment, John Fordham, head of commercial litigation, said: “As a firm, Stephenson Harwood is undertaking more and more arbitration work across our offices and particularly in Europe and Asia. Shai’s expertise in this area and his strong international profile in the field of energy-related arbitration fit well with core areas of Stephenson Harwood’s expertise.”
Shai’s recent work includes London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), United National Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), International Camber of Commerce (ICC), Swiss Chambers and other trade and statutory arbitration cases. He has also brought the only known defamation claim to be conducted in England under a contractual arbitration clause (S Limited v C Limited [2009] EWHC B23 (Comm)).
Previously, Shai served as a Co-Chair of the Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG) of the LCIA and as a staff attorney to the Claims Resolution Tribunal for Dormant Accounts in Switzerland.
Shai’s appointment follows that of partner Susan Moore, who started at the firm on Monday. Susan joined from SNR Denton where she was a consultant in the restructuring and insolvency group, having previously been a partner for eight years.
