International services

The International Services practice team at 3PB brings together the barristers from each of our practice sectors, who are specialists in international and cross-border disputes. We consequently have the widest skills coverage across business, private client, family and regulatory disputes. Our services extend to appearing in international arbitration and litigation and providing legal services to clients based internationally.

3PB International services include:

• International Arbitration, Adjudication and Dispute Boards
• International Commercial Litigation and Advisory
• International Construction Disputes
• International Energy Arbitration
• International Employment Disputes
• International Expert Witness services
• International Family Disputes
• International Public/Private Partnership Disputes
• Islamic Law and Finance Advisory
• Jurisdiction and Conflicts of Law
• Public International Law
• Private Wealth
• White Collar Crime and Fraud

International arbitration, litigation and dispute boards

International arbitration offers a flexible, confidential system of resolving disputes, in a neutral forum, between parties situated in different countries. Arbitration awards are internationally enforceable. Our work includes acting as counsel in international arbitrations and before certain international tribunals. We provide advisory services, advocacy and representation. Our members also act as conciliators and dispute board members around the world. Our barristers travel to appear in many international venues, as well as drawing on the services of members resident in Sydney, Lahore, St Petersburg and Beijing. We have members experienced with all of the major institutional arbitration rules.

International advocacy and expert witness

We offer specialist and experienced advocates who act as lead advocates, or who integrate and work together in teams with counsel from local law firms or chambers. We have developed good working relationships with litigation teams across the world. Our barristers also regularly provide discrete services, such as disclosure or research; and more experienced counsel acting as expert witnesses on English or Sharia Law.

International commercial, construction and private client

Our members are frequently instructed in complex, high-profile and substantial commercial, construction and private client disputes, advising a wide range of clients, from directors, shareholders and joint venture partners to business professionals and ultra-high net worth individuals. Our work spans a range of sectors including Real estate, Construction, Finance, Technology, Energy & Natural Resources, Transport (aviation, shipping, and travel), Retail, Property, Media, Insurance and Sport.

International in-house counsel and governmental

We routinely take instructions directly from businesses and governments as well as cases referred from law firms.

3PB's members have been operating internationally for over 30 years notably in the Middle East (such as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar), Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland China, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, the USA, Caribbean islands of Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Maarten, Montserrat, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sudan, Egypt, Botswana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Legal services to international clients

We provide advice and legal services, including advocacy in the UK courts, to international clients. We provide those services at all stages of a dispute: drafting arbitration agreements, at the pre-action stage, obtaining Court orders in support of foreign-seated arbitrations or litigation, and in the enforcement of arbitration awards and foreign judgement. We are able to respond quickly to obtain urgent Court relief to preserve assets, obtain freezing and search orders, or otherwise in support of arbitrations and foreign proceedings. We can advise you on the suitability of urgent relief, and guide you through the tactics and procedure of obtaining it.

Our members also sit as arbitrators, adjudicators, dispute board members, mediators, and in early neutral evaluation (where we can provide an impartial assessment of the merits of your case before you embark on legal proceedings).

Our arbitrators are regularly appointed by ICC, DIAC, LCIA as well as party appointments. Three of our arbitrators are on the FIDIC President’s List of Dispute Adjudicators. Our members also act as adjudicators, mediators, conciliators and chairmen or members of dispute boards for international construction, energy and infrastructure projects.

International Clerking and Support Team

Our team has an excellent understanding of the international market and will guide you through all necessary logistics of an international dispute including terms of engagement. We will work with you to put together the right team and/or individual(s) as we understand that in each dispute there is a role to play whether that be as counsel, co-counsel, advisory, expert, arbitrator, neutral or mediator.

Multi-lingual counsel

Our international team includes a number of multi-lingual members in languages such as:

• English
• Arabic
• Japanese
• Cantonese
• Mandarin
• Hebrew
• Hindi
• Urdu
• Punjabi
• Gujarati
• French
• German
• Spanish
• Italian
• Portuguese
• Bulgarian
• Hungarian
• Greek
• Danish
• Swedish

Legal Services in the Middle East

3PB's members have been working in the Middle East for over 30 years. We are committed to the region and fully understand the business and local culture, Civil and Islamic Law (Shari’ah) which are at the core of many of the region's laws as well as the interface with common law. Dubai in the UAE is now one of the seven main global dispute resolution seats.

We have access to offices in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Jeddah), Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 3PB have advised clients and conducted disputes throughout the [MENAT] GCC region including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey.

Our barristers and professional associates in Chambers have rights of audience in Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC”) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (“ADGM”) in the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) and the Qatar Financial Centre (“QFC”).

Languages spoken, in addition to English, include Arabic, French, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Romanian, Hindi and Urdu.