PARIS, December 7, 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced today that William Laurence “Laurie” Craig, one of the deans of the international arbitration bar, is joining the firm as senior counsel.
A partner with Coudert Frères in Paris for more than 30 years, Craig was the senior arbitration consultant in charge of the firm’s arbitration activities in Europe. His affiliation with Orrick is the latest development in the firm’s plan to expand its growing international arbitration practice.
“Expanding Orrick’s existing capabilities in international arbitration is a top strategic priority,” said Michael Delikat, a New York partner who heads the firm’s 300-lawyer litigation division. The firm now has lawyers with arbitration experience in London, Los Angeles, Milan, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Tokyo and Hong Kong, as well as Paris. ?The challenge is that demand for top arbitration specialists far exceeds the supply,” said Delikat. “Laurie Craig is on everyone’s short list as one of the leading lawyers in this field, and we are very pleased that he will be guiding us forward in our global effort.”
Called “a founding father” of international arbitration by The American Lawyer, Craig has been appointed arbitrator for cases before the International Chamber of Commerce, London Court of International Arbitration, the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, American Arbitration Association and China International Economic and Trade Arbitration. He has participated as counsel in more than 150 arbitrations before the ICC Court of Arbitration, of which he was a member from 1976 to 1984. He has written extensively on the subject, including co-authoring ?International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration,? the leading textbook on the subject. “Before globalization was a buzz word and arbitration was a profit center,” wrote The American Lawyer, “there was William Laurence ‘Laurie’ Craig.”
Craig joins an international arbitration team of approximately 50 lawyers located throughout Orrick’s global network. The team includes five other former Coudert partners: Adrian Yip in Hong Kong, Simon Cockshutt and Maria Frangeskides in London, and Larisa Afanasyeva and Olga Anisimova in Moscow and of-counsels Mike Pimm in London and Virginie Colaiuta in Paris, and a number of lawyers who will join Orrick from Rambaud Martel in Paris. As of January 1, 2006, Orrick’s Paris office will have approximately 100 attorneys.
?It is a great pleasure to join Orrick and to resume working with my esteemed colleagues in Europe and throughout the world,? said Craig. ?Orrick?s strong U.S. base and extensive international network provides the support and flexibility required to meet my clients? ever-evolving needs. This firm is clearly very serious about developing a world-class international arbitration practice, and I am excited to contribute to those efforts.?
?Orrick’s international arbitration team is composed of a network of lawyers in Asia, Europe and North America who represent multinational clients in arbitrations under the rules of all the major international arbitral institutions, ? continued Delikat. ?It’s certainly an added bonus that Laurie has worked for many years alongside Orrick lawyers on each of those continents.?
About Orrick’s Litigation Division
Highly regarded for trying and winning cases, Orrick also has served as lead counsel in major international and U.S. arbitrations involving a wide variety of commercial disputes that, at times, involves parallel global litigation. The firm?s over 300-lawyer litigation division handles the largest and most complex disputes in general litigation, products liability, securities litigation, high stakes patent and other IP litigation, white collar criminal defense, and employment matters. Clients trust Orrick to manage massive, high-risk litigation and dispute resolution processes and to advise them in matters ranging from pre-litigation strategies to legal crisis communications and the decision of when and how to try cases.
The firm has represented clients in a broad range of industries in international litigation and arbitrations, in the world’s most important arbitral forums in disputes involving parties from Brunei, France, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zimbabwe. Orrick plans to continue building its international arbitration capacity to meet the growing cross-border needs of its clients throughout the world.
About Orrick
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is an international law firm with approximately 800 lawyers in North America, Europe, and Asia. The firm focuses on litigation, complex and novel finance, and innovative corporate transactions. Orrick clients include Fortune 100 companies, major industrial and financial corporations, commercial and investment banks, high-growth companies, governmental entities, start-ups, and individuals. The firm’s 16 offices are located in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Orange County, Pacific Northwest, Hong Kong, London, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Taipei, and Tokyo.
