Sebastiano NESSI

With a dual civil and common law background, and 15+ years of experience working in Paris, London, Dubai and Geneva, Sebastiano Nessi is a Partner with Curtis. Ranked as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” by Who's Who Legal, he specialises in international arbitration (commercial and investor-state), cross-border litigation, international transactions and contract negotiations, public international law and international sanctions. He has notably advised and represented clients (including several States) from Europe, the GCC and MENA regions, the CIS region, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

He has appeared as counsel in some of the largest international arbitration and litigation cases of the last decade. He has secured a series of multi-million/billion dollar awards and court decisions for his clients, and defended others in claims arising in a number of different business sectors.

He has a broad range of expertise with a particular focus on infrastructure and construction, energy (including nuclear and renewables), oil & gas, mining, insurance, commodities, real estate, aerospace and transportation, telecommunication and media, healthcare and maritime.

Sebastiano also sits regularly as an arbitrator and taught for several years international arbitration at the University of Paris I, Panthéon Sorbonne. He is a lecturer at several academic institutions in Switzerland and overseas, and he is the author of some 50 book chapters and articles. Sebastiano also serves as a Member of the Council of YSIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Center).

Sebastiano is ranked as a Global Elite Thought Leaders by Who's Who Legal recognizing “some of the world’s foremost lawyers”, and which describes him as “a masterful tactician, combining superb advocacy with gravitas”. He also comes highly recommended by Legal500. In 2021, Sebastiano won two awards delivered by the International Financial Law Review. Market commentators praise Sebastiano as “a blazing talent, a very bright individual and a brilliant advocate” with "impressive client management skills".

Sebastiano is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London), a former Vice-Chair of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators YMG, and a former ICC YAF representative for Europe & Russia.