Alexa Romanelli

Alexa Romanelli is a Senior Associate in Gibson Dunn’s London office and a member of the firm’s International Arbitration and Arbitral Award Enforcement, ESG and Geopolitical Strategy and International Law practice groups.

Alexa represents clients in investment treaty and commercial arbitrations under all major institutional rules, and in global campaigns relating to enforcement of arbitral awards, in particular against sovereign states. Alexa also represents corporate clients in human rights-related disputes, including before the European Court of Human Rights and UN Treaty Bodies. She also advises clients on matters of PIL, and on business and human rights matters such as emerging ESG legislation and regulatory requirements, and climate change litigation risk.

Alexa is recognised by The Legal 500 for International Arbitration and Public International Law.  She is an active member of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association and is a lead member of their “younger lawyers” committee.

Recent representations include:*

• Representing investors in a telecommunications enterprise with over US$1.5 billion in arbitration awards against a sovereign state in the enforcement of those awards across multiple jurisdictions (including in proceedings before the English Commercial Court), as well as in a high-value UNCITRAL arbitration relating to the respondent state’s payment of debts under those awards.
• Representation of several corporate clients in claims to the European Court of Human Rights, including in relation to claims under Articles 6, 7, 13 and Article 1 Protocol 1 of the Convention.
• Regular advice to corporate clients on issues of international human rights law, including advice on potential claims before the UN Human Rights Committee and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, in addition to advice in relation to climate change developments and energy transition.
• Representing respondents in an LMAA Arbitration involving issues of force majeure and frustration in the context of two high-value charterparties.
• Represented claimants in a shareholder dispute between members of an oil and gas joint venture in multiple high-value LCIA arbitrations seated in London, with claims in excess of US$2 billion.
• Represented claimants in an ICSID arbitration under the DR-CAFTA arising from their investments in the mining industry. (Daniel W. Kappes and Kappes, Cassiday & Associates v. Guatemala).
• Acted as secretary to the sole arbitrator in a contractual dispute filed at the London Court of International Arbitration.

In addition to her client work, Alexa is a member of the London office’s pro bono committee. Her pro bono practice centres on human rights law-related issues, and her pro bono clients include Human Dignity Trust, APPEAL, JUSTICE, the Domestic Abuse Response Alliance, The Malala Fund and Public International Law and Policy Group.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Alexa trained and practiced as a solicitor in the dispute resolution team at White & Case’s London offices. She was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in September 2017.

Alexa earned her BA Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford in 2014. She also holds a BA (Joint Honours) in International Development and Middle East Studies from McGill University.

She is professionally fluent in English and French. She also speaks Italian and Arabic.

*Some of these representations occurred prior to Alexa’s association with Gibson Dunn.

Capabilities

• International Arbitration
• ESG: Risk, Litigation, and Reporting
• Geopolitical Strategy and International Law
• Judgment and Arbitral Award Enforcement

Credentials

Education:

• BPP Law School - 2015 Legal Practice Course
• University of Oxford - 2014 Bachelor of Arts
• McGill University - 2011 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• England & Wales - Solicitor