Henry Weisburg, Independent Arbitrator
In a career spanning four decades, independent arbitrator Henry Weisburg has led numerous headline-making international disputes, including both commercial and investor-state arbitrations, before all major arbitral bodies. Mr. Weisburg has handled disputes in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, regularly advising on claims arising from complex projects and joint ventures, expropriations, financings and cross-border investments, and construction disputes. In his litigation practice, Mr. Weisburg has regularly appeared in cases concerning the enforcement of arbitration clauses and awards, in wider arbitration-related proceedings, and in complex international disputes.
Mr. Weisburg has been described as “absolutely brilliant” (Chambers Global - International Arbitration), and his peers have praised him as “hugely experienced and very impressive...always has his strategy defined” and “a very practical person who is always looking at how best to obtain a result” (The Legal 500). He was also named the American Lawyer’s Global Lawyer of the Year.
Among his significant victories, Mr. Weisburg represented Dow Chemical Corporation in its claim against Kuwait following Kuwait’s cancellation of a petrochemical company acquisition agreement. He won - and collected - $2.5 billion, the largest award collection at the time, which was designated as the American Lawyer’s Global Dispute of the Year.
Mr. Weisburg practiced with Shearman & Sterling for more than 40 years. A member of the firm’s Arbitration and Litigation Groups, he also held key senior management positions, including member of the firm’s Policy Committee (elected to multiple terms), Practice Group Leader of the Litigation Group, and Chair of both the firm’s Conflicts & Ethics and Pro Bono Committees.
Notable pro bono cases handled by Mr. Weisburg include Colvin v. Syrian Arab Republic, in which Mr. Weisburg represented the Colvin family in obtaining judgment against Syria for the assassination of reporter Marie Colvin and Faulkner v. Jones et al., in which Mr. Weisburg represented Shannon Faulkner in her successful action to require the admission of women to The Citadel.