E-Newsletter – Winter 2024

Volterra Fietta is pleased to announce that, in the last few months, the firm and its partners have yet again been highly ranked and commended by world-leading independent directories Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.

Volterra Fietta and its partners were once again ranked Tier 1 for Public International Law in the Legal 500 UK Solicitors 2024 rankings. Volterra Fietta was also ranked for International Arbitration. Robert Volterra retained his Hall of Fame status and Partner Gunjan Sharma was promoted to Next Generation Partner. Partner Ahmed Abdel Hakam was identified as a leading lawyer and Counsel Angela Ha was listed as a Rising Star.

Volterra Fietta also retained its leading Band 1 status in Chambers and Partners’ 2024 UK-wide rankings for Public International Law. Volterra Fietta was also ranked for International Arbitration: Investor State Arbitration. Chambers and Partners continued to rank Robert Volterra as a Band 1 International Arbitrator and Public International Law Star Individual in the UK. The directory’s Global 2024 rankings further recognised Volterra Fietta as a leader in Arbitration and Public International Law.

In addition, the last few months have seen significant new developments in public international law. Volterra Fietta continues to be engaged in many of these developments, including on a confidential basis.

Recent developments in international law

On 13 November 2023, the Council of the EU approved its first Space Strategy for Security and Defence. The strategy is aimed at enhancing the resilience and protection of space systems and services in the EU. The strategy called for an “EU space law” and opposed anti-satellite missile tests, due to space debris.

On 21 November 2023, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a specialised agency of the United Nations, listed sustainable bonds on the London Stock Exchange. By doing so, it demonstrated its ability to use complex and innovative financing structures to pursue its fundamental purpose: the alleviation of global hunger.

On 18 December 2023, using Volterra Fietta as legal counsel, Barbados filed written submissions to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights addressing the obligations of States who are party to the American Convention on Human Rights in respect of climate change.

On 9 January 2024, Ms Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and United Nations Under-Secretary-General, highlighted the “huge opportunity for developing countries with [energy transition] metals and minerals to invest in sustainable development”. She noted further that the world “will need over three billion tonnes of energy transition minerals and metals to deploy wind, solar, energy storage and more” in order to keep global warming below 2°C by 2050. Her comments were made at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s third annual Future Minerals Forum.

On 12 January 2024, the UK signed the 2019 Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters. The UK joins 29 other State signatories in their efforts to ensure a more efficient process for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

On 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice delivered its Order on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by the Republic of South Africa by the Republic of South Africa in the Case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v Israel).

Recent and upcoming firm events

Recent:

Between November 2023 and January 2024, Volterra Fietta offered four bespoke seminars on State immunity that were attended by numerous ambassadors and high commissioners in London.
On 14 November 2023, Partner Gunjan Sharma published an article in OUP’s journal Arbitration International on “Fraud on the tribunal in investor–State arbitration”.
On 27 November 2023, Partner Robert Volterra gave a lecture on the international law of foreign investment at University College London, University of London.
On 29 November 2023, Volterra Fietta hosted a virtual seminar entitled “A conversation with Robert Volterra and Gunjan Sharma, of Volterra Fietta, on lessons learned in defending States in investor-State arbitrations”.
On 1 December 2023, Partner Robert Volterra gave a lecture on the international law of territory and land boundaries at King’s College London, University of London.
On 11 January 2024, Partners Robert Volterra and Ahmed Abdel Hakam hosted a virtual seminar entitled “Starting an ICJ case in a Winning Way”.
In January 2024, Partners Robert Volterra and Gunjan Sharma and Counsel Angela Ha authored entries in the Elgar Encyclopaedia of Economic Law: Second Edition.
On 7 February 2024, Partner Ahmed Abdel Hakam and Associate Ben Burnham hosted a virtual seminar in the Multilateral Investment Protection Treaty series entitled “The OIC Investment Agreement – Contemporary Issues and Potential Reform”.
On 13 February 2024, Partners Robert Volterra and Gunjan Sharma provided a lecture to select law students on “Global Deals Gone Wrong: Dispute Resolution Fundamentals” at Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of that university’s annual “Global Deals: Practitioners’ Perspectives” course.

In addition, Volterra Fietta and its partners will be engaged in the following events in the coming months:

On 22 February 2024, Partner Robert Volterra and Counsel Angela Ha will host a virtual seminar entitled “New frontiers in international law: recent developments in cyberconflict”.
In late February 2024, Partners Robert Volterra and Ahmed Abdel Hakam will be speaking at the Turkish Contractors Association in Ankara on Egyptian-Turkish contractor association cooperation agreements.
On 8 March 2024, Partner Gunjan Sharma will be discussing the legal issues arising out of artificial intelligence in space innovation, at the invitation of King’s College London, as part of AI UK 2024.
On 8-9 April 2024, Associate Magdalena Kowalczuk Asher will be speaking at the Cambridge International Law Journal’s 13th Annual Conference.
On 16 April 2024, Partner Robert Volterra and Counsel Angela Ha will host a seminar on transboundary infrastructure.
On 17 April 2024, Partners Robert Volterra, Peter Flint and Gunjan Sharma will speak alongside Counsel Angela Ha and Associate Florentine Vos at a virtual seminar on the international law of deep sea mining.
On 18 April 2024, Partner Gunjan Sharma will be speaking on best investor-State arbitration enforcement practices at the Asset Recovery CEE conference in Warsaw, Poland.
On 26 April 2024, Partner Gunjan Sharma will be speaking about fraud and bribery on the tribunal in international arbitration at the sixth annual Arbitration and Crime Conference, which this year will be held at the Sciences Po Law School in Paris, France.

If you would like to be added to Volterra Fietta’s invitation list for future events, please email your name and affiliation to info@volterrafietta.com.