Melissa Stear Gorsline
Global Guide 2024
Band 5 : International Arbitration: Counsel
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+1 202 879 5421Share profile
Band 5
About
Provided by Melissa Stear Gorsline
Career
Melissa Stear Gorsline was counsel in some of the earliest and most cutting-edge investor-State arbitrations in ICSID and UNCITRAL history, with a focus on public international law and treaty-based arbitration. Melissa played an integral role in some of the first international investment arbitrations brought pursuant to Chapter Eleven of NAFTA in the late 1990s. Since then she has handled numerous additional treaty-based investment arbitrations, including those setting important legal precedents on the rules of treaty succession and the scope of the "illegality" defense. Melissa has significant experience representing corporate clients, as well as states, in claims involving denial of justice, denial of fair and equitable treatment, nationalistic discrimination, expropriation, and umbrella clause (contract) violations, as well as all manner of jurisdictional objections and merits defenses. She also has substantial experience in international commercial arbitration and litigation.
Chambers Review
Global
Melissa Stear Gorsline earns high praise for acting in investor-state arbitrations, as well as offering strength in complex international commercial disputes.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Melissa was extremely knowledgeable and she used that knowledge to guide the client comfortably and efficiently."
"Melissa is a true trailblazer in cross-examination, navigating it with such respectful attitude and such a firm hand that it feels like watching a truly good movie playing out. She is extremely sharp and relatable, which helps with connecting well with the tribunal."
"Melissa was extremely knowledgeable and she used that knowledge to guide the client comfortably and efficiently."
"Melissa is a true trailblazer in cross-examination, navigating it with such respectful attitude and such a firm hand that it feels like watching a truly good movie playing out. She is extremely sharp and relatable, which helps with connecting well with the tribunal."