Dr Alessandro Covi

Alessandro specializes in international arbitration. As counsel, he acts for governments or investors in investor state proceedings. He also represents clients in commercial arbitrations. Alessandro has acted in arbitrations under different rules like ICSID, ICC, SCC, CIETAC and DIS, but also in ad hoc arbitrations. He specializes in disputes in the construction, infrastructure, technology and energy sector.

His recent work includes representing an investor in an ICSID arbitration in the telecom industry, defending a state against the enforcement of an award under the Energy Charter Treaty in different jurisdictions, and representing a government in an investor-state arbitration related to an airport.

Alessandro has recently been appointed as co-chair of the DIS 40.

Alessandro's experience includes: 

• advising an international multinational in relation to a potential ICSID arbitration against a South African state arising from an infrastructure project

• representing a German engineering company in a multi-million construction dispute against a Turkish beverage producer

• representing an investor in a multi-million ICSID arbitration against a Southeastern European state arising out of a failed privatization of a state owned company in the telecommunication sector

• advising an investor in the pre-arbitration stage of a potential ICSID dispute against a Southeastern European state concerning the seizure of land

• advising a government in set aside proceedings before the Svea Court in Stockholm concerning an SCC award rendered in a multi-billion dollar investment arbitration based on the Energy Charter Treaty; as well as the same government in enforcement proceedings in multiple jurisdictions

• representing a state in an investor-state arbitration under ICC Rules commenced by a foreign investor and arising from an airport service agreement

• representing a multinational in ICC proceedings against an Asian engineering company in an ICC arbitration in relation to the construction of a fertilizer plant in the Middle East

Background

Alessandro studied law at the Universities of Passau, Münster and Krasnoyarsk (Russia), and holds a PhD in international investment law from the University of Siegen. During his traineeship, Alessandro worked in two well-known international arbitration boutiques in Hamburg (Germany) and Milan (Italy), and also in the secretariat of the Energy Charter Treaty in Brussels (Belgium). Alessandro was admitted to practice in Germany in 2015. Before joining Herbert Smith Freehills, he worked in the dispute resolution practice of an international law firm in Frankfurt where he mainly focused on international investment and commercial arbitration.

Alessandro is a German and Italian native speaker, is fluent in English and Portuguese, and speaks Russian. Alessandro works in all five languages.

Besides his client work, Alessandro regularly publishes articles on topics related to international arbitration and investment arbitration and lectures at the universities of Frankfurt a.M., Saarbrücken, Heidelberg, and Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan).