Esther LANOTTE

Counsel, Arbitrator, Secretary

Brussels (BE)

Languages

Dutch, English, French, Italian


Practice area

  • Art Law
  • Construction / Engineering
  • Contract Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Finance and Banking
  • Investment Dispute
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Metals and Mining
  • Power / Energy
  • Real Estate
  • Sport
  • Transport

Biography

Educational/ Current position / Professional Experience

Education:

  • CEPANI arbitration academy, first level (Nov.-Dec. 2023)  and expert level (Nov. 2024 – ongoing)
  • LL.M. candidate, International Legal Studies, New York University School of Law (NYU) (2013 – 2014)
  • Exchange program, Lumsa Università, Rome, Italy (Jan. -June 2013)
  • Master’s degree in Law, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) (2011 – 2013) – magna cum laude
  • Bachelor’s degree in law, Université de Namur (2008 – 2011) – magna cum laude.

Current position:

Senior Associate in the Arbitration and Dispute Resolution team in Fieldfisher’s Brussels office.

Professional experience:

  • Fieldfisher LLP, Brussels (since November 2022)
    • Senior Associate in the Arbitration and Dispute Resolution practice
    • Member of the Africa group’s practice
  • Liedekerke, Brussels (2019 – 2022)
    • Associate then Senior Associate in the Arbitration and Dispute Resolution practice
    • Member of the Africa Practice
  • Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL) (2018 – 2019)
    • Research and teaching assistant in Public international Law and EU Law
    • Member of the Charles De Visscher Center for International and European Law
  • Clifford Chance, Brussels (2014 – 2017)
    • Associate in the dispute resolution and corporate departments
    • Secondment in the dispute resolution team at Clifford Chance Paris
  • New York University (NYU), New York (2014)
    • Research Assistant in EU Law
  • Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Brussels (2012)
    • Summer Associate
  • Assemblée Nationale de France, Paris (2011)
    • Summer intern
  • Conseil Constitutionnel de France, Paris (2011)
    • Summer intern

For the Bar Admission:

  • Brussels’ bar, 2014

Professional memberships:

  • Member of the Belgian Centre for Arbitration and Mediation (CEPANI);
  • Member of the CEPANI under 40;
  • Member of Fieldfisher’s Africa Group practice;
  • Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) Fellow (2013-2014); and
  • Fernand Lazard Foundation Grantee (2013-2014).

Arbitration Experience

As arbitrator: Entry level.

As Secretary to the Arbitral Tribunal: Mid-level – domestic and international arbitration, under ICC and CEPANI’s rules; types: contract law, banking sector, chemicals, sports sector, construction, and M&A; applicable law: Belgian

As Counsel: Mid-level – domestic and international arbitration, under ICC Rules; types: construction/windfarms, contract law, mining, and M&A; Applicable law: Belgian law, OHADA and Democratic Republic of Congo; Seats: Switzerland, Belgium and France.

Arbitration-related proceedings: setting-aside proceedings before Belgian courts of an investor-state UNCITRAL arbitral award; coordinating multijurisdictional proceedings relating to the resisting enforcement of an Energy Charter Treaty arbitral award worth approx. 530 million USD. In Belgium, three enforcement proceedings were launched: (i) opposition to the exequatur of the Award on the basis that it was obtained by fraud; and (ii) opposition to the conservatory and (iii) executory garnishments.

Publications and Speaking Engagements

Publications :

  • “Arrêt “Achmea”: une décision de principe?”, n°251, Journal de Droit Européen, pp. 266-269, 2018;
  • « Jurisprudence belge relative au droit international public (2012-2017) », n°01, Revue Belge de Droit International, pp. 201-268, 2018 (co-authors: P. d’Argent, A. de Vaucleroy, F. Dopagne).

Speaking engagements:

Conference on commercial lease, title of the presentation: « Le règlement des litiges en matière de baux commerciaux par la voie de l’arbitrage », organised by Die Keure-La Charte, law review article still to be published, co-author: M. Berlingin, date: September 2024.

Languages

  • French: native
  • English: fluent
  • Dutch: knowledge
  • Italian: knowledge
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Practice areas