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Louise is a senior associate in Herbert Smith Freehills' International Arbitration practice in London. 

Louise specialises in dispute resolution with a focus on international arbitration in the energy and natural resources sector. She has worked extensively with the firm's corporate energy practice including a secondment to BP plc and a secondment to the Herbert Smith Freehills' Energy, Infrastructure and Mining Projects team in Tokyo. She has advised and represented clients in disputes from a range of sectors and jurisdictions in international arbitration proceedings under the LCIA, ICC and ICSID rules and in ad hoc proceedings. 

Louise also advises on a range of bilateral and multilateral investment treaty arbitration matters and issues, including advising clients on initiating and pursuing investment treaty claims. She is currently involved in advising and representing clients at ICSID and UNCITRAL hearings as part of two separate active investment treaty arbitrations. She also has experience in advising on a range of other matters of public international law, including the application of international treaties and conventions and Business & Human Rights issues. 

She is a member of the Young International Arbitration Group and the Young ISDS Club.

 

Background

Louise holds a BA (Honours) in Government & International Relations and French from the University of Sydney as well as an LLB from the University of Sydney with First Class Honours, during which she studied at the East China University of Politics and Law in Shanghai and the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. 

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

  • United Utilities (Tallinn) B.V. and a subsidiary in an ICSID arbitration against the Republic of Estonia.  The claim is being brought under the Netherlands / Estonia BIT, and culminated in a televised hearing in November 2016 (ICSID Case No. ARB/14/24)
  • Vedanta Resources on a claim under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty arising from the imposition of retrospective tax by the Indian tax authorities
  • a global international oil company on a potential investment arbitration claim involving complex jurisdictional issues arising under a Production Sharing Agreement in relation to a major oil and gas concession in Iraq.
  • a variety of multinational commodities and resources companies on complex investment protection and structuring issues in Latin America and Africa
  • a multinational energy company on its contractual and restitutionary claims in an ad hoc arbitration in London against a consortium of international oil companies arising from the overlift of pipeline liquids at one of the UK's most strategically important pipelines