Overview
James McGlaughlin focuses his practice on investment and commercial arbitration, arbitration-related litigation, and public international law matters. With extensive experience in high-stakes disputes, James has represented clients in arbitrations under different institutional and ad hoc rules, including those of the ICC, ICISD, UNCITRAL, LCIA and the SCCA.
Previously, James was a senior associate at two international law firms based in London, having also worked as an international associate in the Mexico City office of an international law firm. He is actively involved in the legal community, serving as a Guest Lecturer on the University of Edinburgh’s International Economic Law LLM programme and as a Judge for The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. James has also authored a chapter for The Palgrave Handbook of Arbitration in the African Energy and Mining Sectors and contributed to other publications, including the ICSID Reports, EU Law Live, New Law Journal and Kluwer Arbitration.
Results
Ongoing Matters
- Representing an Italian multinational contractor and its Russian subsidiary as claimants and counterclaim respondents in ICC arbitration proceedings seated in London under English and Russian law arising out of contracts for the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of a fertilizer plant in Russia.
- Representing an Italian multinational contractor in litigation ancillary to arbitration before the English commercial courts.
Recent Matters
- Represented a CIS sovereign state in English court proceedings relating to the recognition and enforcement of an international investment arbitration award.*
- Represented a state-owned energy company as defendant in English court commercial litigation proceedings involving conspiracy claims, with an asserted value of over US$5 billion.*
- Represented a Saudi company in SCCA arbitration proceedings concerning a dispute arising out of a Saudi law-governed commercial agreement in the food retail sector of Saudi Arabia.*
- Represented a CIS sovereign state in UNCITRAL arbitration proceedings concerning an alleged expropriation of an investment in its financial services industry.*
- Represented the Kingdom of Spain in UNCITRAL arbitration proceedings initiated against it by Mexican investors under the Mexico-Spain Bilateral Investment Treaty concerning an investment in Spain’s banking sector.*
- Represented the Kazakhstan in ICISD arbitration proceedings initiated against it by an Estonia investor under the Estonia-Kazakhstan Bilateral Investment Treaty concerning a construction project in Astana.*
- Represented Kuwait in ICSID arbitration proceedings initiated against it by Spanish and Italian investors under the Spain-Kuwait and Italy-Kuwait Bilateral Investment Treaties concerning a construction project in Kuwait City.*
*Matter handled prior to joining McDermott
Community
- British Institute of International and Comparative Law, member
Credentials
Education
University of Edinburgh, LLM, First Class Honours, 2022
BPP University, LPC, Distinction, 2010
University of Bristol, LLB, Upper Second Class Honours, 2009
Admissions
England and Wales
Languages
English
Spanish
