Follow us

Fiorella Noriega Del Valle

Director
Of Counsel Director
Johannesburg

Fiorella Noriega Del Valle is a Director in the Johannesburg Dispute Resolution practice.

Fiorella's practice focuses on commercial dispute resolution and corporate crime and investigations. She has worked on a wide range of complex investigations and commercial disputes for both local and international clients. Her experience includes dispute resolution through litigation in the South African courts and domestic arbitrations, as well as international arbitrations under the auspices of the ICC, LCIA, AFSA, HKIAC and ad hoc arbitrations.

Fiorella has been ranked as a Rising Star for Dispute Resolution in South Africa in The Legal 500 EMEA 2024 rankings. In 2022 she was ranked as a Rising Star in White Collar Crime by the Expert Guides for the second consecutive year and in 2021 she was ranked as a Rising Star in EMEA by the IFLR.

Fiorella is fluent in English and Spanish and holds an Advanced Certificate in International Arbitration from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), she is a co-chair of the Young AFSA Committee and is involved in the establishment of the South African chapter of the Women's White Collar Defence Association.

Background

Fiorella began her career at a local Johannesburg firm in January 2013 and joined Herbert Smith Freehills in March 2018. She is an admitted attorney and notary of the High Court of South Africa.

 

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

  • representing Gartner Inc in relation to its involvement and participation in the Nugent Commission of Inquiry into the Tax Administration and Governance by the South African Revenue Service during 2018
  • representing a multinational European headquartered manufacturer of electronic & communications devices in highly publicised criminal trial proceedings in relation to corruption charges brought by the South African prosecuting authorities against the company's South African subsidiary
  • representing Oya Energy/G7, Mulilo-Total, EDF and Scatec in judicial review proceedings challenging the legality of the process awarding preferred bidder status in the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPP)
  • representing Takealot in intervention and review proceedings launched against the ICASA and the South African Post Office ("SAPO") in respect of SAPO's attempt to monopolise the delivery of all parcels under 1kg
  • advising various clients in relation to the repudiation of insurance claims arising from the Covid-19 movement restrictions, including ad hoc international arbitration proceedings pertaining to the repudiation of a reinsurance claim, which dealt with various interpretation issues in respect of the aggregation of losses
  • international arbitration proceedings seated in Hong Kong, in respect of a claim for approximately US$500 million pertaining to the enforcement of performance obligations under promissory notes issued for the sale of Trade Finance Assets.