Marney Cheek
United States
Covington & Burling LLP
One CityCenter
850 Tenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: +1 202 662 5267
Email:
mcheek@cov.com
Web:
www.cov.com
Marney Cheek is a highly experienced international disputes lawyer who has advised clients on complex arbitration, public international law, and cross-border legal strategy for more than 20 years. She acts as both counsel and advocate before leading arbitral institutions and international courts, including the AAA, ICC, ICSID, PCA, SIAC, and the International Court of Justice.
Her commercial arbitration practice includes major disputes across a range of industries. Marney has successfully defended a life sciences company against a $1.8 billion claim brought by a collaboration partner and has achieved favorable resolutions in other high-value international disputes, including matters in the electric vehicle sector. She also handles recognition and enforcement proceedings and other international litigation before U.S. federal courts.
Marney has substantial experience in investment treaty arbitration, acting both as counsel and arbitrator. She also advises private companies and governments on public international law, treaty interpretation, and disputes arising under multilateral agreements. Among her most significant current matters, she represents the Government of Ukraine in proceedings before the International Court of Justice against the Russian Federation, including Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation).
Drawing on her previous government experience as Associate General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Marney also advises clients on international trade matters. She is a member of the roster of arbitrators for several U.S. free trade agreements and has previously taught investment law at Columbia University School of Law.
Marney is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves as a U.S. Delegate to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration. She is also a Board Member of the Robert H. Jackson Center and formerly served as a Vice President of the American Society of International Law.
Her work has been consistently recognized by leading legal publications. Marney has been ranked by Chambers USA for International Arbitration since 2013 and by Chambers Global for International Arbitration since 2016 and Public International Law since 2021. She has also been recognized as a Thought Leader by GAR and Lexology Index and was named an International Arbitration MVP by Law360.
Marney earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1998, an M.P.A. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University in 2000, and her A.B. from Stanford University in 1994. She is admitted in the District of Columbia and previously clerked for Judge Richard W. Roberts of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
- Representing Ukraine against the Russian Federation before the International Court of Justice in a case under the Genocide Convention.
- Successfully defended Eli Lilly & Company against a $1.8 billion trade secrets claim filed by a French collaboration partner.
- Represented Ukraine in its successful request for provisional measures before the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea, which ordered Russia to immediately release Ukrainian naval vessels and their crew.
- Provide trade counsel and strategic advice on various issues arising under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
- Represented NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine in a $5 billion investment claim against the Russian Federation under the Ukraine-Russia BIT for Russia’s expropriation of Naftogaz’s assets in Crimea.
- Counsel clients on supply chain issues, trade enforcement, investment, and market access barriers in China, including under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974.
Covington’s International Arbitration and Disputes Group comprises more than 50 lawyers handling commercial and investment treaty disputes under the rules of the world’s major arbitral institutions. The team acts across common law and civil law systems and in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and French, with experience in matters spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East.
The practice serves as lead counsel in high-value and complex disputes across industries including energy, mining, manufacturing, transportation, telecommunications, insurance, construction, finance, sports, and life sciences. Its lawyers regularly handle claims valued in the billions of dollars, combining arbitration advocacy with substantive industry knowledge and broader expertise from across the firm.
Covington’s team includes multilingual lawyers trained in more than one legal system, and several members are regularly appointed as tribunal chairs or party-appointed arbitrators in both commercial and investor-state proceedings. This combination of counsel and arbitrator experience provides the group with additional insight into tribunal procedure, strategy, and decision-making.
The practice emphasizes detailed analysis, practical commercial judgment, and coordinated multidisciplinary teams. Covington has secured awards exceeding $3.3 billion and successfully defended claims worth hundreds of millions of dollars, reflecting the group’s experience in some of the most significant and high-stakes arbitration matters worldwide.
Founded in 1919, Covington & Burling LLP is an international law firm advising companies, financial institutions, investors, governments, and other organizations on complex legal, regulatory, and commercial matters. The firm has offices across the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and is particularly known for combining sophisticated legal counsel with deep experience in government, public policy, and highly regulated industries.
Covington’s multidisciplinary practice spans corporate transactions, finance, litigation and investigations, antitrust and competition, intellectual property, employment, environmental law, international trade, data privacy and cybersecurity, government contracts, healthcare, life sciences, technology, tax, restructuring, real estate, and public policy. Its lawyers serve clients across industries including aerospace and defense, financial services, energy, life sciences, technology, consumer products, media and entertainment, transportation, and other regulated sectors.
A distinguishing feature of the firm is the integration of its transactional and litigation capabilities with substantial regulatory and policy experience. More than 120 former government officials, diplomats, and regulators work across Covington’s international platform, allowing multidisciplinary teams to address matters involving legal, commercial, political, and regulatory considerations. The firm emphasizes collaboration across offices and practices, particularly on complex cross-border transactions, investigations, disputes, and strategic business challenges.
“Few practitioners combine Marney’s breadth across commercial arbitration, investment disputes, and public international law. She brings strategic clarity to matters involving multiple jurisdictions, legal systems, and sovereign interests.”