Herbert Smith Global Arbitration Practice announces promotion of Francesca Albert to Of Counsel

Herbert Smith has announced the promotion of Francesca Albert to Of Counsel. Francesca is an English-qualified lawyer of Italian and US nationality specialising in international arbitration.  Working from the Moscow office, Francesca has developed a particular expertise in advising Ukrainian, Russian and international clients in relation to commercial and shareholder disputes in various industry sectors including the construction, property development, hospitality sectors. Francesca has also spent a year and a half in Tokyo where she advised in particular on the applicability of international treaties to structuring investments in emerging markets. In addition to native English, she is fluent Russian, Italian, Spanish and French. Francesca is viewed as one to watch in the international arbitration community, admired for her "great promise" and "professionalism" by clients (Chambers Global).

Francesca has acted on behalf of: 

• a Cayman Islands company in an ICSID arbitration against the Republic of Kazakhstan in relation to an investment dispute
• a Chilean company in an ICSID arbitration against the Government of Peru under the Chile/Peru bilateral investment treaty in relation to expropriation of an investment
• a Russian container company in a potential UNCITRAL arbitration under the UK/Ukraine bilateral investment treaty against the Government of the Ukraine
• acting for a US owned company against an East European Government in an LCIA arbitration in relation to a state-sponsored industrial restructuring programme
• a Japanese trading house in an arbitration under the auspices of the Iraq Debt Reconciliation Office against the Government of Iraq to recover debts incurred during the first Iraq war.
• a Japanese trading company on its rights under a bi-lateral investment treaty between Russia and Japan
• a Russian real estate company in an LCIA arbitration in relation to the enforcement of a call option agreement
• a Russian design and construction company for large scale industrial projects in an LCIA arbitration against a Kazakh company in a breach of warranty claim.
• acting for a confidential US client in ICC arbitration over a defence industry licensing dispute involving an Italian manufacturer
• Russian shareholders of Lenta supermarkets chain in a shareholders dispute in connection with obtaining injunctions in the BVI courts
• Independence car dealership in connection with a shareholders dispute related to the construction and financing of a dealer centre in Moscow and potential LCIA arbitration
• a Russian mobile operator in an LCIA arbitration under the Russian law against a US investment fund relating to an alleged breach of a preliminary lending services agreement
• a Russian shareholder in respect of a fraud claim relating to the acquisition of a majority stake in a JV intended to create a wireless telecoms network in Russia