Cy Benson is a U.S. and English qualified partner in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group.

Mr Benson represents clients from a wide variety of sectors before commercial and investment treaty tribunals with particular experience in telecoms, oil & gas, mining and infrastructure disputes. He continues to represent a Dutch and a Luxembourg investor in two separate multi-billion dollar arbitration proceedings against the Russian Federation under the Energy Charter Treaty.

He is lead advocate for a major international contractor in billion dollar ICC proceedings against a Middle Eastern state arising from an airport project, and spear-headed a team in the successful prosecution of a US$ 2 billion LCIA arbitration for a global mining corporate against a Middle East steel manufacturer. He also continues to represent a Middle Eastern conglomerate in a US$ 500 million ICSID arbitration under the Kuwait/Iraq bilateral investment treaty arising out of an investment in Kurdistan; and a Swedish holding company in a US$ 1.5 billion ICSID arbitration against a North African State for expropriation of a refinery and related businesses.

This past year he successfully defended a European telecommunications company in an ICC arbitration brought by a middle-eastern telecommunications provider arising from a multi-billion euro M&A transaction.

He was a member of the IBA Arbitration Committee Task Force on Ethics for Counsel and served as one of the UK members to the ICC Rules Revision Task Force. He sits regularly as an arbitrator, and writes and lectures on a wide variety of arbitration issues.

He has championed the USAID-backed joint legal reform initiative (with the Mongolian Ministry of Justice) to design and teach a course on international arbitration law and practice (covering both commercial and investment treaty arbitration) to Mongolian lawyers and judges.

Mr. Benson is ranked as a leading lawyer for International Arbitration in the 2007-2020 Chambers and Partners UK Guides, who describe him as “a terrific tactician, very thorough lawyer and probably one of the best advocates I’ve ever seen”, in the 2010, 2014-2019 Chambers and Partners Global Guides, and in the 2009-2021 editions of Best Lawyers International in the UK. In addition, Legal 500 UK 2020 recognised Mr. Benson for International Arbitration and Public International Law as well as recommending Gibson Dunn’s International Arbitration Practice generally (the publications recently cited him as being “an effective advocate” and “among the best-regarded practitioners in the market).” He is “highly recommended” for Dispute Resolution: Arbitration in Practical Law Company’s Which Lawyer? (2007-2012), is listed as an expert in Arbitration in Who’s Who Legal 2015, and is identified by UK Legal Experts 2012 as an expert in the field of Arbitration. He has also been recommended for Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration in Chambers Europe.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Benson was co-head of the London international arbitration group at a U.S. law firm.