Maurice Kenton, a prominent international arbitration and disputes lawyer with significant experience representing clients in the mining, oil and gas, power, telecommunications, infrastructure and insurance sectors, has joined Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP as a partner in London. Arriving with Kenton is disputes Counsel Edward Hamilton, whose practice includes international commercial and investor-State disputes. The firm recently announced the arrivals of his longtime colleagues, international arbitration Partner David Hesse and corporate Partner Phillip Mace. All three joined from Clyde & Co., where Kenton served as co-chair of the firm’s global arbitration group.

“Maurice and Edward bring an impressive set of credentials, experience and insight that align well with the firm’s strategic commitment to maintaining a leading international arbitration practice,” said Tom Taylor, co-head of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s litigation team. “We are pleased to welcome them to the firm.”

Kenton, who will lead the firm’s international arbitration practice, is the latest addition to Hunton Andrews Kurth’s London-based team.  Hamilton, also formerly of Clyde & Co., has a broad range of dispute resolution experience across a variety of industries with an emphasis on international arbitration in the energy, mining, construction and insurance sectors.

Kenton has represented private and state parties on high value and complex international disputes across five continents and has also assisted clients with corporate internal investigations and international corruption investigations. His practice also includes representing clients in large scale property and construction disputes involving business interruption and delay in start-up issues, primarily in the mining and power sectors for insurers and reinsurers.

Kenton has led cases under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), as well as at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and in the English High Court. A selection of his notable representations prior to joining the firm include:

• Advising in a $2 billion UNCITRAL arbitration concerning an investment in copper mines in Zambia.
• Advising in an ICC arbitration for an oil company against Tanzania.
• Advising on a $1 billion ICC arbitration against a national oil company involving a long term hydrocarbons exploration and production contract.
• Defended a £72 million breach of contract claim in the English Commercial Court.
• Advising in a $600 million reinsurance claim relating to a tailings dam collapse in Latin America.
• Advising in ICSID arbitrations and annulment proceedings concerning mining and hydrocarbons exploration rights.

“Maurice and Edward are outstanding lawyers who further strengthen our global disputes practice and whose addition creates exciting opportunities for collaboration with our London-based energy and corporate teams,” said Ferdinand Calice, managing partner of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s London office.

Originally from South Africa, Kenton received his undergraduate degree and LLB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and his LLM from the University of Kent. He is admitted to practice in England and Wales.

Hunton Andrews Kurth’s international arbitration and transnational litigation practice represents clients around the globe. We regularly handle investor-state arbitrations before the ICSID and commercial arbitrations before the ICC, the LCIA, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and its international division, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR). We also work with clients in multi-jurisdictional matters, working closely with counsel in local forums.