Reed Smith strengthens disputes offering with partner hire in Dubai

Reed Smith announced the hire of Antonia Birt as partner in its International Arbitration practice to be based in the firm’s Dubai office. Birt joins from Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle where she was a partner in Dubai. She previously worked at Freshfields’ London and Dubai offices. Birt has been brought in to help lead and enhance the commercial disputes practice in the Middle East.

Joining along with Birt is senior associate Matthew Harley whose practice focuses on commercial disputes, particularly disputes relating to Africa and the Middle East.

With over a decade of arbitration, mediation and expert determination experience in the Middle East, Birt has a broad commercial disputes practice in a variety of industry sectors including oil and gas, energy and water, construction and engineering, project development, distribution, and M&A.

She represents state, national and multi-national clients under the rules of the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC, ICDR and UNCITRAL, with seats in the major arbitral centres as well as various GCC jurisdictions, and subject to numerous governing laws, including those of the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the laws of England & Wales. Birt sits as an arbitrator in commercial disputes. She also has full rights of audience in the DIFC courts.

Her arbitration experience includes securing a favourable outcome for Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas in trifurcated LCIA arbitration proceedings concerning the public USD39 billion dispute with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

In addition to her arbitration work, Birt advises clients under regulatory investigation, including from various EU competition authorities, the World Bank, and the Serious Fraud Office in the UK.

Fluent in English, Russian and German, Birt is recognised by the legal directories. She is ranked in Chambers and Partners Global 2022 and in Who’s Who Legal 2022 as a ‘Future Leader’ in Arbitration.

Pantheon Assas University Paris II in the UAE. She is the co-chair of the Middle East Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge, and the co-chair of the Middle East Greener Arbitrations Committee. Birt co-authored the original and updated editions of the IBA Guide on Arbitration, UAE law chapter.