Lauren Blanchard is an associate in Crowell & Moring’s London office and a member of the International Dispute Resolution Group. She represents multinational corporates, sovereigns, international institutions, and executives from a range of industries, including aviation, banking, commodities, construction, energy, entertainment, finance, hospitality, oil and gas, mining, shipping, and transport. She has handled cases in the English courts and international arbitration tribunals under major institutional rules, including ICC, LCIA, and ICSID. She has also advised on U.S. litigation and investigations, and acted pro bono for individuals in the European Court of Human Rights.
Before joining Crowell & Moring, Lauren practiced dispute resolution in London and Washington, D.C. at another international law firm.
Representative Matters
Representative English Litigation Matters
- Acting for an airline in the Commercial Court in a $1 billion dispute concerning breach of contract.
- Acting for a sovereign in the Commercial Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court in a $2 billion dispute concerning access to sovereign assets.
- Defending a shipping company in cartel follow-on damages claims in the Competition Authority Tribunal (CAT), including class action claims.
- Acting pro bono for a family in an inquest into the death of their newborn son.
Representative Commercial Arbitration
- Acting for a ship builder in ad-hoc, London-seated arbitration concerning breach of contract and subsequent appeal and enforcement proceedings under the English Arbitration Act.
- Acting for a luxury hotel owner in a DIFC-LCIA Dubai-seated arbitration concerning breach of contract and fiduciary duty.
- Acting for an individual in setting aside the enforcement of a Miami-seated ICDR arbitration award concerning film rights.
Representative Investor State Arbitration
- Defending the respondent in an ICSID arbitration concerning an annulled gold mining concession and environmental consequences thereof.
- Defending the respondent in an ICSID arbitration concerning a tender for the construction of an energy pipeline and allegations of corruption.
- Acting for the claimant in ICSID appeal proceedings in a claim concerning emergency power supply and allegations of corruption.
- Defending the respondent in an ICSID arbitration concerning the cancellation of six related energy projects.
- Defending the respondent in an UNCITRAL arbitration concerning the supply of national health services.
Representative U.S. Litigation Matters
- Representing American victims of terror attacks in a $500 million jury award in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and subsequent appeal proceedings in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Representing a CEO in a claim concerning alleged sexual harassment under New York City and State Law.
- Representing an NGO pro bono in a civil rights action concerning the discriminatory effects of facial recognition technology.
Representative U.S. Investigation Matters
- Representing a banking executive in Department of Justice and False Claims Act investigations concerning alleged misconduct during sovereign debt transactions.
- Representing a banking executive in Department of Justice and False Claims Act investigations concerning alleged misconduct over executive appointments.
Speeches & Presentations
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“Arbitration in Times of Conflict,” Tel Aviv Arbitration Week, Tel Aviv, Israel.
(March 3, 2023).
Speakers: Nimi Aviad, Lauren Blanchard, Mark Kass, Ian Laird, Stu Newberger, Uri Niv, Aryeh Portnoy, David Ramm, and Laurence Winston.
Publications
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The International Arbitration Rulebook: A Guide to Arbitral Regimes
(October 19, 2019).
Contributor: Lauren Blanchard.
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"Monopolizing War: Codifying the Laws of War to Reassert Governmental Authority, 1856–1874," European Journal of International Law
(October 19, 2019).
Contributor: Lauren Blanchard.