Stephanie Collins

Stephanie Collins is a Senior Associate and English law qualified solicitor advocate in Gibson Dunn’s London office.  She is a member of the firm’s Geopolitical Strategy and International Law, International Arbitration, ESG: Risk, Litigation, and Reporting, and Judgment and Award Enforcement Practice Groups.  She has particular experience guiding clients in the energy, infrastructure, mining, financial services and tech sectors.

Stephanie specialises in public international law, and advises clients on a broad range of matters, including international human rights law and climate change law.  She has recently advised a State on the establishment of a new international organization.

Stephanie also regularly offers strategic guidance to clients on geopolitical risk management.  This includes advising on developing jurisprudence, regulation and policy which may impact clients’ operations.  She represents corporate actors in human rights-related disputes, including before the European Court of Human Rights and UN Treaty Bodies.  

In the international arbitration space, Stephanie has extensive experience of acting in investor-State proceedings under the ICSID and UNCITRAL Rules, as well as experience of commercial arbitration disputes under the ICC, LCIA, Ciarb and SIAC Rules.  She has acted in over ten Energy Charter Treaty arbitrations and numerous BIT proceedings, where she has gained advocacy experience.  Stephanie is the co-founder and Chair of Young EFILA (European Federation of International Investment Law and Arbitration) and a member of the International Law Association, British Branch.  She has previously served as member of CPR’s Young Leaders in ADR Steering Committee (2021-2024), as well as the Global Steering Committee for the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations (2022-2024).

An experienced business and human rights lawyer, she has experience representing clients in civil litigation proceedings with a human rights and environmental nexus; advising clients on climate change and greenwashing risks as well as supply chain risks; and acting in proceedings brought under the OECD Guidelines before National Contact Points.  She also advises on a host of ESG-related regulations and delivers strategic advice such as designing human rights policies, due diligence processes and grievance mechanisms, as well as heat-mapping sustainability regulatory developments.  She has been an active member of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association—of which Gibson Dunn is a founding member—since its inception.

Stephanie is recognised by Legal 500 as a “key lawyer” for Public International Law, International Arbitration and ESG Risk Advisory.

She regularly publishes and speaks on topics relating to public international law, international arbitration and business and human rights issues, and has guest lectured at Queen Mary University of London, as part of the Energy and Resources LLM.

Stephanie maintains an active pro bono practice and is a member of the London office’s pro bono committee.  Her practice centres on human rights and public international law issues, and clients she has acted for include the Public International Law and Policy Group.  She was trustee for a London-based women’s empowerment charity for over six years until 2024.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Stephanie trained and practised in the London office of a magic circle law firm.  During this time, she spent time in the firm’s Madrid and Singapore offices.  She was also seconded to the litigation / arbitration team of a multinational energy company for nine months in 2017 / 2018.

Stephanie holds a First-Class Honours degree in Law from University College London (2011).  She spent one year studying at the National University of Singapore. 

Capabilities

• International Arbitration
• Crisis Management
• ESG: Risk, Litigation, and Reporting
• Energy Regulation and Litigation
• Energy and Infrastructure
• Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort
• Geopolitical Strategy and International Law
• Judgment and Arbitral Award Enforcement
• Transnational Litigation

Credentials

Education:

• University of Law, London Moorgate - 2012 Legal Practice Course
• University College London - 2011 LL.B. (First Class Hons)

Admissions:

• England & Wales - Solicitor