Curriculum Vitae
William Kirtley's CV
William Kirtley's CV in PDF format may be downloaded here.
International arbitrator William Kirtley, Managing Partner of Aceris Law, is a Franco-American Harvard-, Columbia- and Sorbonne-educated lawyer with nearly two decades of experience specializing in international commercial arbitration, investor-State arbitration and international construction arbitration at the highest level. He is a member of the New York Bar, the Washington, D.C., Bar, and an inactive French Avocat à la Cour. He has served in arbitrations in disputes on five continents, under the UNCITRAL, ICC, ICSID, SCC, LCIA, JAMS, ICDR, CICA, CIArb, PCA, SIAC, DIAC, AFA and other arbitration rules. He is highly-ranked by the Legal 500, Leader's League and other prestigious rankings. Previously a Partner at a well-regarded Paris arbitration boutique, he was a member of the international arbitration practice groups of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Salans (now Dentons), after serving as an American Peace Corps Volunteer for two years in the Ivory Coast and working at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He has won a variety of awards, including awards for outstanding character.
Aceris Law - Managing Partner
Managing Partner at the arbitration boutique Aceris Law, focusing on commercial, investment and construction arbitrations, as well as public international law disputes. Has served in ICC, LCIA, ICSID, SCC, UNCITRAL, SIAC, ICDR, JAMS, SCC and other ad hoc arbitrations, under public international law, English law, Swiss law, French law, Turkish law, United Arab Emirates law, Moldovan law, Singapore law, Malaysian law, Mexican law, Mauritanian law, various American laws (including the laws of California, Texas and Washington), Canadian law, Saudi Arabian law, Liberian law, Spanish law, Brazilian law, Angolan law, OHADA law, German law, Hong Kong law, Albanian law, Bulgarian law, Filipino law, Japanese law, Russian law and Romanian law, amongst others.
DK AARPI – Partner
Partner at the international arbitration boutique law firm DK AARPI with a former partner from Shearman & Sterling. Served in multiple ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL and SIAC disputes involving the construction, internet advertising, the financial and steel industries. Also served as an expert for the World Bank Group with respect to arbitration-related civil procedure reform.
Lazareff Le Bars – Of Counsel
International Arbitration Of Counsel at Lazareff Le Bars, a law firm founded by the well-known French arbitrator Serge Lazareff. Served in a variety of ICC, ICSID, CCJA and UNCITRAL international arbitrations in multilingual (primarily English, French, Spanish and Russian) disputes involving the energy, construction, consulting, pharmaceutical, aerospace and defence, banking and finance, shipping and transport, telecommunications, agricultural and steel industries.
Dentons (formerly Salans) – Senior Associate
International arbitration lawyer at law firm ranked, at the time, as the European Law Firm of the Year and the French Law Firm of the Year, and which was consistently one of the top-ranked international arbitration practice groups in Russia and the CIS. Served as counsel in disputes involving Kazakh law, Turkish law, Ukrainian law, Maltese law, English law, Iranian law, Polish law, Romanian law, French law, various U.S. laws, and private and public international law.
Shearman & Sterling – Associate
Arbitration lawyer at Shearman & Sterling’s Global Dispute Resolution Practice in Paris, classified by Chambers Global as “world-renowned” and the winner of the “Best International Arbitration Practice” in France for many years. Served in disputes under French law, English law, Algerian law, Russian law, Chinese law, Canadian law and Australian law.
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda – Legal Consultant
Legal Consultant for Prosecutor's Office.
United Nations Department of Political Affairs – U.N. Consultant
Drafted the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council.
American Peace Corps Côte d'Ivoire – UEM PCV
Worked in the rural Prefecture of M’bahiakro in the Ivory Coast for 27 months on behalf of the American Peace Corps, a U.S. State Department program.
BAR ADMISSIONS
Attorney, New York
Attorney, Washington, D.C.
Avocat (Omis), Barreau de Paris
PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS (SELECTION)
Cleansing the (Un)clean: The Ongoing Saga of the Clean Hands Doctrine", Kluwer Arbitration Blog
"French courts redefine new test for violations of international public policy to set aside arbitral awards (Société MK Group c v S.A.R.L. Onix et Société Financial Initiative)", LexisNexis
"Arbitration in France," Getting the Deal Through
"The Future of International Arbitration," lecture at University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas
"Comment Eviter Un Conflit Armé Au Barotseland," published in the magazine Jeune Afrique
Oxfirst webinar on intellectual property arbitration law and the enforcement of IP rights internationally
“International Arbitration: France,” published in International Comparative Legal Guides
“4th Funding International Arbitration London Panel Debate, panelist in conference sponsored by The Judge
“Should an Arbitral Tribunal Order Security for Costs When an Impecunious Claimant is Relying upon Third Party Funding?”, published in Kluwer’s Journal of International Arbitration
“Arbitrating in West and Central Africa: An Introduction to OHADA,” published in the Kluwer Arbitration Blog
“The Status of the Report of the Executive Directors on the ICSID Convention,” published in the ICSID Review-Foreign Investment Law Journal (Vol. 2, 2012)
“Complex arbitrations: multi-party and multi-contract disputes under the new ICC Rules,” presentation given at LLB Seminar
“International Arbitration: France 2012,” published in International Comparative Legal Guides
“La gestion des contentieux en Afrique : Enjeux et Stratégies,” published in MEDEF : C’est à vous
“Court-Ordered Discovery in the United States Under 28 USC § 1782 for Use in Foreign International Arbitrations: Its Evolution, Current Trends, Strategic Use and Dangers,” published in the International Arbitration Law Review (Vol. 2, June 2011).
“The Transfer of Treaty Claims and Treaty-Shopping in Investor-State Disputes,” published in The Journal of World Investment and Trade (Vol. 10, No. 3, June 2009).
“Bringing Claims and Enforcing International Arbitration Awards Against Sub-Saharan African States and Parties,” published in The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals (Vol. 8, No. 1, May 2009).
“The Tampa Incident: Does Australia’s Political Asylum Policy Violate International Law?”, published in the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law (Vol. 41, 2002).
MEMBERSHIPS
List of Arbitrators of USCIB (ICC National Committee for the United States)
ICC France (ICC National Committee for France)
Expatriate Subcommittee of USCIB (ICC National Committee for the United States)
ICDR Young & International Arbitration Group
List of Arbitrators (DIAC)
Legal 500
Leader's League (Décideurs)
Kluwer Author
Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA)
Getting the Deal Through Author
International Bar Association
AFIA (Australian Forum for International Arbitration)
Advisor to Young ICCA
Editor of Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law
EDUCATION
Columbia University School of Law, J.D.
Dorsey & Whitney Prize
Stone Scholar
Tony Patiño Fellowship for Outstanding Character
The Sorbonne (Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne), Maîtrise en Droit
French J.D.-equivalent awarded with honours
Harvard University, B.A.
Degree awarded with high honors (magna cum laude)
Dean’s list all semesters
Magna cum laude thesis on the history of empiricism
TEACHING
University of Paris X (Nanterre School of Law), Lecturer on Anglo-American Business Law
University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas), Lecturer on International Arbitration