PARTNERS
Marie-Laure Bizeau
EMAIL ml.bizeau@medici.law
PHONE +33 1 81 70 82 50
ADMISSION
LANGUAGES
EDUCATION
Marie-Laure Bizeau is a partner at Medici. Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2003, she began her career with Serge Lazareff and then worked at Derains & Gharavi International since its creation, for more than 11 years, including as a partner from 2018 to 2020. She has more than 17 years of experience in international arbitration during which she has acted as Counsel in numerous commercial arbitration proceedings governed by the rules of the largest arbitration institutions (ICC, LCIA, DIAC, CRCICA Swiss Rules of International Arbitration, KCAB, TRAC and UNCITRAL) as well as in investment arbitration proceedings, whether ad hoc (notably under the aegis of The Agreement for Promotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investments among the Member States of the Organization of the Islamic Conference) or under the ICSID Rules.
Marie-Laure has been involved in arbitrations relating to construction, sales and service contracts, distribution and license agreements, joint ventures and shareholder relationships in the sectors of energy (oil and gas), infrastructure, telecommunication, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and investments in general. Her experience covers proceedings governed by civil law, common law, investment treaties and general public international law.
In addition, she has developed a strong practice in peri-arbitral litigation and more particularly in proceedings for the annulment and enforcement of awards before French courts as well as in proceedings relating to the liability of the various parties involved in the arbitration proceedings.
Marie-Laure also regularly acts as an arbitrator in domestic and international commercial arbitration proceedings.
RECOGNITION
EXPERIENCE
Experience as Counsel in investment arbitration and ICSID annulment proceedings
Experience as Counsel in ad hoc and institutional commercial arbitration proceedings
Experience in proceedings related to arbitration
Experience as arbitrator
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
MANDATES / TEACHING
EDUCATION
PUBLICATIONS / SPEAKER
Valence Borgia
EMAIL valence.borgia@medici.law
PHONE +33 1 81 70 82 50
BAR ADMISSION
LANGUAGES
EDUCATION
Valence Borgia is a member of both the Paris and New York State bars.
Valence acts as Counsel and as arbitrator in both institutional and ad hoc international arbitration proceedings. She has significant litigation expertise before French courts, specializing in matters related to arbitration, including enforcement and annulment proceedings, as well as arbitrator liability disputes.
Valence is particularly active in complex litigations involving African and Italian parties and regularly litigates matters involving the health, energy, transport, aeronautic, media, agri-food, recycling, construction and infrastructure industries.
Valence is the co-founder of the round table breakfast "Wake Up (with) Arbitration!", which is dedicated to the practical aspects of arbitration. She is also a co-founder of the Women's Foundation and has developed a pro bono practice for matters involving gender discrimination and gender-based violence. Valence is very involved in the defense of women's rights.
She is a former member of the Paris Bar Council and currently member of the Law and Procedure Association’s board and an Honorary President of the Union of Young Lawyers.
RECOGNITION
EXPERIENCE
Experience in arbitration
Arbitrator: president of the tribunal in a CMAP arbitration concerning a construction contract between two French companies – Seat : Paris – French law ;
Counsel: counsel to Finetis SARL and Finetis Maroc SA in an ICSID arbitration against the Kingdom of Morocco relating to the construction and operation of a high-speed telecommunications infrastructure;
Counsel: ICC arbitration between a Canadian company and French company over a wind farm acquisition agreement – Seat : Paris – French law ;
Arbitrator: sole arbitrator in a CMAP arbitration concerning an aircraft maintenance contract between a Moroccan company and a Turkish company – Seat : Paris ;
Arbitrator: co-arbitrator in a CMAP arbitration concerning the interpretation of provisions of a contract relating to the shares' purchase price between a French company and its shareholders — Seat: Paris — French law — French language ;
on of transfer of securities — Seat: Paris — French law;
Experience in litigation
Experience in mediation
EXPERIENCES
EDUCTION
PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENTS
PUBLICATION
Caroline Duclercq
EMAIL caroline.duclercq@medici.law
PHONE +33 1 81 70 82 50
ADMISSION
LANGUAGES
EDUCATION
Caroline Duclercq is a partner at Medici. Admitted to the Paris Bar in 2002, she has around 20 years of experience in domestic and international arbitration.
She advises and represents French and foreign clients and acts as Counsel in numerous commercial arbitration proceedings, either ad hoc or governed by the rules of the largest arbitration institutions (ICC, SCC, AFA, CMAP, LCIA, Stockholm, Danish Institute, KCAB, SIAC, Cepani, CCAT, etc.). Her experience covers proceedings governed by civil law and common law. She has a significant experience of complex construction and engineering arbitration proceedings (in particular under FIDIC Rules) and has also been involved in numerous arbitrations relating to distribution, hotels and leisure, energy (oil and gas), industrial and intellectual property, joint venture and shareholder agreements, as well as sales and purchases, telecommunication and transportation.
Caroline also regularly acts as an arbitrator in domestic and international commercial arbitration proceedings.
In addition, she has developed a strong practice in peri-arbitral litigation and more particularly in proceedings for the annulment and enforcement of awards before French courts.
She also regularly acts as contract manager to prevent and organise potential disputes in the sector of construction and engineering.
Since 2014, Caroline is Director of the on-line University Diploma (MOOC) on domestic and international arbitration with the University of Montpellier (France). She is also lecturer in arbitration at the University of Versailles St-Quentin, Montpellier and Toulouse (France).
She is the co-founder of the round-tables dedicated to arbitration “Wake up (with) Arbitration!” since 2012 and regularly speaks at conferences relating to arbitration, construction and gender equality.
She is a Board Member of the Association Française d'Arbitrage (AFA) and Paris MENA Legal Club and an active member of the French Commission of ICC.
RECOGNITION
EXPERIENCE
Experience as Counsel in commercial arbitration
Experience in proceedings related to arbitration
Procedural incident - Application for de-listing the action of annulment for non-execution of an award;
Protective seizures and assignments in the context of the enforcement of two arbitral awards;
Counsel to an American company for the enforcement of an award issued against a French and Israeli company: exequatur, seizures, conciliation as part of the Covid statutory provisions and negociations of a settlement agreement;
Counsel to a Swiss company for the enforcement of two awards issued against Swiss, Cameroonian and Lebanese companies: exequatur, banking seizures and seizure of property, debts, trademarks, search for assets;
Experience as arbitrator
Experience as Contract Manager
Follow-up of a contract for the construction of a factory in Normandy for the Project Manager (€ 100M);
Follow-up of a contract for the construction of two viaducts in Morocco for a Contractor;
Follow-up of two port rehabilitation contracts in Africa for a Contractor — FIDIC Red 1999;
Follow-up of a contract for the construction of two hotels in Paris for a Contractor — FIDIC Yellow 1999.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION
MANDATES/TEACHING
RECENT TALKS
July 2022: Intervention during the colloquium organized around arbitration and debt enforcement in OHADA law, on the compensation of claims recognized by the arbitrator and the judicial authority - Lomé (Togo)
April 2022: Intervention on notarial arbitration, organized by the Chamber of Notaries of Paris
PUBLICATIONS
"The compensation of claims recognized by the arbitrator and the judicial authority" - Arbitration and debt enforcement in OHADA law (to be published) - July 2022
"Les mécanismes pratiques à même de protéger les parties faibles" (Practical mechanisms to protect vulnerable parties) - Revue de l'Arbitrage, May 2022
"L’arbitrage en ligne : modèle pour la justice civile ? (Online arbitration: a model for civil justice?) - Published in " La justice menacée par la Covid-19: les remèdes " (Justice threatened by Covid-19: the remedies), January 2022
" Le droit de rétention de la sentence par les arbitres en cas de non paiement de leurs honoraires " (The right of arbitrators to withhold the award in case of non-payment of their fees) - published in " Arbitrage et sûretés " (Arbitration and guarantees), June 2021
ASSOCIATES
Alexia Descombes
EMAIL — alexia.descombes@medici.law
PHONE — +33 1 81 70 82 50
ADMISSION— Paris Bar
LANGUAGES — English | French | Spanish
EDUCATION
Alexia specialises in international arbitration and commercial litigation.
Before joining the firm, Alexia practiced international arbitration and peri-arbitral litigation for six years in an arbitration specialist boutique and a leading international law firm in Paris.
Her areas of practice include commercial disputes and investment arbitration. She has been involved in arbitrations under the rules of various institutions (ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL...) or ad hoc, relating to a broad range of industries including energy, construction, and pharmaceuticals.
Alexia holds an LLM from the University of Cambridge, a Master in Business law from the Sorbonne, and a Master in Economic Law from Sciences Po. She also studied at Northwestern Law in Chicago and at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Alexia is fluent in both French and English.
Aleksandra Fedosova
EMAIL — a.fedosova@medici.law
PHONE — +33 1 81 70 82 50
ADMISSION— Paris Bar
LANGUAGES — English | French | Spanish | Russian | Chinese
EDUCATION
Aleksandra is dedicated to international arbitration and commercial litigation.
Before joining the firm, Aleksandra worked in arbitration and litigation teams of several law firms.
Aleksandra holds a degree from the University Paris Saclay where she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in International Business Law. She also studied at the University in St. Petersburg, Arcada University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki and Ca' Foscari University in Venice.
Aleksandra is fluent in French, English, Russian, Spanish and Chinese.
Eliza Seran
EMAIL — eliza.seran@medici.law
PHONE — +33 1 81 70 82 50
ADMISSION— Paris Bar
LANGUAGES — English | French | Spanish | Romanian
EDUCATION
Eliza specialises primarily in international arbitration and commercial litigation.
Prior to joining Medici, Eliza practiced in the fields of international arbitration and infrastructure projects for five years in a leading international law firm in Paris. She also previously worked for multinational companies operating in the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
Eliza has developed a deep legal expertise in both international commercial and investment arbitration. She has been involved in complex international matters across different jurisdictions and in various industries, including the construction, insurance and telecom sectors. She has assisted multiple African States, public entities and companies in arbitration proceedings and in challenging arbitral awards. Additionally, she has an extensive expertise in drafting and negotiating contracts, with a particular focus on public-private partnerships (PPP).
Eliza holds a Master in International Business and Tax Law from the Sorbonne and law degrees from the Sorbonne and the University of Bucharest. She has also studied at the Aix-Marseille University.
Eliza is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Romanian.
Aurélien Zuber
EMAIL — aurelien.zuber@medici.law
PHONE — +33 1 81 70 82 50
ADMISSION— Paris and New York Bars
LANGUAGES — English | French | Spanish
EDUCATION
Aurélien specialises primarily in international arbitration, commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution methods.
Before joining Medici, Aurélien acted as Counsel at the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) for five years where he led the francophone and common law case management teams successively. In this capacity, he has supervised and administered several hundred ICC arbitrations involving disputes between private companies, states and/or individuals, in matters relating to energy, construction, investment treaties and other general commercial issues, as well as performed the scrutiny of more than a hundred arbitration awards. Beforehand, Aurélien practiced international arbitration in several law firms in Paris specialized in the field.
His areas of practice include commercial and investment disputes with a particular focus on matters involving states and African parties. He has been involved in arbitrations relating to a broad range of industries under the rules of various institutions.
Aurélien holds an LL.M. from Duke University School of Law, a Master of Laws in Litigation, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution from University of Paris II - Pantheon Assas and a Master of Laws in French and Anglo-American Business Law from University of Paris X - Paris Ouest Nanterre La Defense. He has regularly intervened as a speaker in conferences and as a lecturer in several university programs.
Aurélien is fluent in both French and English.
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