Barton Legum
France
Honlet Legum Arbitration
28 rue Cambacérès
75008 Paris
France
Tel: +33 1 79 35 22 21
Email:
barton.legum@honletlegum.com
Web:
www.honletlegum.com
Bart Legum is a Founding Partner of Honlet Legum Arbitration and a highly experienced international arbitration practitioner with more than 30 years of experience as arbitrator, counsel, expert witness, and conciliator. His practice focuses on both international commercial arbitration and investor-State disputes, with matters governed by civil law, common law, and public international law.
Bart has acted in disputes across a wide range of industries, including energy, mining, construction, pharmaceuticals, banking, manufacturing, and telecommunications. He is frequently appointed in matters involving sovereign States and state-owned enterprises, as well as business-to-business disputes, and has served in a variety of arbitral and conciliatory roles.
His experience also includes significant government service. Bart previously worked in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State, where he served as lead counsel for the United States in defending the first arbitrations brought against the country under the investment chapter of NAFTA. The United States prevailed in every case heard during his tenure. Earlier in his career, he also served as a law clerk to a judge of a U.S. federal court of appeals.
Bart is closely involved in the international arbitration community. He is a member of the Board of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce and was designated by the President of the World Bank as a member of the ICSID Panel of Conciliators. He is also a Past Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law and is active in organizations including the International Bar Association, American Society of International Law, and International Council for Commercial Arbitration.
Alongside his practice, Bart is an established writer, editor, and teacher in the field. He serves as editor of International Litigation Strategies and Practice and The Investment Treaty Arbitration Review, frequently publishes and speaks on arbitration, and has taught investment treaty arbitration at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Before founding Honlet Legum Arbitration, Bart was a partner at an international law firm, where he served as Global Co-Chair for Litigation and Dispute Resolution and as Head of the Investment Treaty Arbitration Practice. He is admitted to the Paris and New York Bars and works in English and French.
Bart earned a DEA in Public International Law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Sorbonne, his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, and his B.A. in English and Managerial Studies from Rice University.
The practice combines counsel work with appointments as sole, presiding, and party-appointed arbitrators. Its lawyers also act in related court proceedings, including applications to set aside awards, enforcement proceedings, asset recovery measures, and applications concerning the constitution of arbitral tribunals. In addition, they occasionally serve as expert witnesses in arbitration and court proceedings.
The firm brings together common-law and civil-law perspectives, substantial business experience, and decades of work with governments, state enterprises, intergovernmental organizations, and multinational businesses. Its approach emphasizes careful factual analysis, close attention to the applicable law and contractual framework, and procedures designed to be efficient in both time and cost. Having spent much of their careers in large international firms, its lawyers now operate in a smaller, more flexible environment while continuing to handle disputes involving parties, counsel, and tribunals from around the world.
- ICSID arbitration (ARB(AF)/26/2) between foreign-controlled investor and Central African State regarding a gold mining project (President)
- ICSID arbitration (ARB(AF)/26/1) between foreign-controlled investor and Central African State regarding a coltan mining project (President)
- ICC arbitration between United States and African companies regarding an LNG supply agreement, Miami seat, New York law (President)
- ICC arbitration between Qatari contractor and Qatari sub-contractor regarding an urban tunnels and roadways project in Qatar, Doha seat, Qatari law (President)
- ICC arbitration between Greek contractor and Swiss turbine provider regarding the construction of a combined-cycle power plant in Greece, London seat, Greek law (President)
- ICC arbitration between French and Hong Kong claimants and Japanese respondent regarding the alleged breach of an agreement in the field of certain luxury products, Paris seat, French law (President)
- ICC arbitration between French employer, Iraqi contractor and Turkish subcontractor regarding a subcontract for the rehabilitation of a berth in a deep-water port in Iraq, Paris seat, French law (President)
- ICC arbitration between Dutch seller and Turkish buyer regarding post-M&A warranties in respect of the sale of a Dutch company transferring control of a Turkish private university, London seat, Dutch law (President)
- ICC arbitration between Spanish contractor and consortium of employers regarding the development of a hydrocarbon complex facility in Algeria, Paris seat, Algerian law (President)
- LAMC arbitration between Middle Eastern telecom operator and Middle Eastern banking institution regarding damages sought in relation to a loan subordination agreement, Beirut seat, Lebanese law (President)
- ICC arbitration between African companies and West African State regarding the performance of an electrification concession agreement, Paris seat, West African law (President)
“Bart Legum is a highly distinguished international arbitration practitioner with exceptional breadth across counsel, tribunal, expert, and conciliatory roles. His experience in both commercial and investor-State disputes gives him a rare ability to assess complex cases from multiple perspectives.”