Ken Reisenfeld is the global leader of BakerHostetler’s Investor-State Arbitration team. A Chambers and Legal 500-ranked lawyer, he is among the world’s leading advocates and arbitrators in cross-border contract, commercial, licensing and investment treaty disputes. Over the past 40 years, Ken has successfully represented global companies or sovereign-controlled entities before the most prominent international and regional arbitration centers around the world (e.g., ICSID, LCIA, ICC, ICDR, CPR, DIS, HKIAC, SIAC, QICCA, NAI) and in significant ad hoc tribunals (e.g., UNCITRAL and PCA), including in investor-state and state-to-state arbitrations. He also regularly serves as an advocate or an arbitrator in complex commercial disputes with an emphasis on technology, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, IP licensing, M&A, oil and gas, renewable energy, mining, international distribution and construction/infrastructure arbitrations.
Following his service at the U.S. Department of Justice assisting the U.S. Attorney General, Ken spent years at a prior firm litigating expropriation claims before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal and other investment treaty cases before ICSID. Ken has developed exceptional experience representing sovereign government entities and multinational companies in investment disputes governed by contract, investment treaties or public international law. Clients regularly rate Ken exceptional not only for his strong advocacy skills and balanced decision-making as an arbitrator, but also for his far-sighted, cost-efficient strategies and thorough preparation.
Ken is recognized as a leading advocate and arbitrator by peer-reviewed publications, including Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Legal 500, International Who’s Who of Commercial Arbitration, Super Lawyers and Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration, among others. From 2012 to the present, Chambers has ranked him as a top practitioner in international arbitration, noting Ken’s “high acclaim from market commentators,” and “praise [for his] very creative and well-thought-out approaches” to cases, as well as his “extensive experience in acting as counsel and arbitrator in a range of commercial and investment treaty arbitrations.” Chambers USA (2012). Chambers recently reported: “[Ken] is a seasoned lawyer with great knowledge of the law and fantastic legal abilities,” and another commentator praised his “strong analytical mind” [and] “elegant judicious manner.” Chambers Global 2022.
A former Chair of the American Bar Association’s 25,000-member International Law Section and its International Arbitration Committee, Ken regularly conducts seminars and training sessions for in-house and government counsel, and speaks at conferences around the world on international dispute resolution topics. He also is often called upon to draft or revise ethical and procedural standards for advocacy before international tribunals, such as the American Bar Association/American Arbitration Association Code of Ethics for Arbitrators in Commercial Disputes (2004), the International Bar Association (IBA) International Principles on Conduct for the Legal Profession (2011), the IBA Guidelines on Party Representation in International Arbitration (2013) and the Rules for Administered Arbitration of International Disputes (2019) and Fast Track Rules (2020) promulgated by the CPR International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution.