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Newman, Lawrence W.

Lawrence (Larry) W. Newman

Of Counsel
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

Lawrence Newman practices mainly in the areas of international litigation and arbitration. He represents clients in courts and before arbitration tribunals, and has served as arbitrator in cases under the rules of the American Arbitration Association (the International Centre for Dispute Resolution) and the International Chamber of Commerce. He is co-editor of several publications including International Arbitration Checklists and The Leading Arbitrators' Guide to International Arbitration. Mr. Newman has also lectured on international litigation and arbitration before bar and law school audiences in the US and abroad. He founded the New York Litigation Department together with the late Professor Henry de Vries.

Practice Focus

Mr. Newman has represented clients in trial and appellate courts across the US in a variety of matters involving contract and fraud disputes, as well as violations of federal securities law and the RICO Act. He is highly regarded for leading the New York Litigation Department in representing more claimants against the government of Iran arising out of the revolution there than any other law office in the world.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Represented clients in over 25 claims before the Iran-US Claims Tribunal in The Hague and brought first law suit against Iran in the United States in the Southern District of New York, for client Reading & Bates Drilling Corporation. 
  • Successfully represented all oil service company claimants before all nine members of the Hague Tribunal against the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in a test case to determine the liability of NIOC for contracts entered into by the Oil Service Company of Iran, which had been owned by a consortium of foreign oil companies before being taken over by Iran. 
  • Successfully represented BellSouth International in fraud claim in arbitration against Compagnie Generale des Eaux. 
  • Lead counsel in successful arbitration by Swiss nuclear power company against US supplier of uranium fuel. terminating long-term supply contract on basis of frustration and mutual mistake.  
  • Defended Latvian bank in lawsuit brought by thousands of alleged victims of what was claimed to be the largest internet fraud in history, with damages sought of over USD200 million.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) - Chair, Arbitration Committee
  • New York City Bar Association - Chair, International Commercial Disputes Committee, 2004-2008)
  • American Law Institute - Members Consultative Group for International Commercial Arbitration
  • New York State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • International Bar Association
  • Union Internationale des Avocats
  • American Foreign Law Association
  • American Society of International Law
  • American Branch of the International Law Association - Chair, Committee on International Judicial Integrity
  • College of Commercial Arbitrators - Fellow

Admissions

  • U.S. Supreme Court~United States (1976)
  • New York~United States (1965)
  • District of Columbia~United States (1961)

Education

  • Harvard Law School (J.D.) (1960)
  • Harvard University (B.A.) (1957)

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • Portuguese

Publications

Co-author, Litigating International Commercial Disputes (WestGroup 1996) (treatise on transnational litigation in the United States)

Co-author and contributor, International Arbitration Checklists (2d edition 2009)

Co-author and contributor, The Leading Arbitrators Guide to International Arbitration (2d edition 2008) 

Editor, Enforcement of Foreign Judgments  (three-volume loose-leaf international survey of national laws)

Editor, Attachment of Assets (two-volume loose-leaf international survey of national laws )

Co-editor and contributor, Take the Witness: The Experts Speak on Cross-Examination (2006) (essays on cross-examination)

Co-author, International Litigation column in New York Law Journal (six times a year, 1982 --)

Co-editor and contributor, Cross-Examination in International Arbitration (publication scheduled for 2010)

Founder and creator, Leading Arbitrators' Symposia on the Conduct of International Arbitration (held in Vienna and elsewhere in the world since 2005)

Lecturer and speaker on international litigation and arbitration in the US, Austria, England, Australia, Czech Republic, France, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, Singapore and China

Baker & McKenzie LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership organized under the laws of the State of Illinois (USA) and is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Verein organized under the laws of Switzerland.