Partner Nicholas Lingard to Join Gibson Dunn as Co-Chair of the International Arbitration Practice Group
Firm News | October 19, 2026
Gibson Dunn is continuing to expand its premier International Arbitration Practice with the appointment of partner Nicholas Lingard, who will join as Co-Chair of the practice. Nick will be based in Gibson Dunn’s Singapore office.
Nick, recently named International Arbitration Lawyer of the Year by the Law.com Asia Legal Awards 2026, is among the most highly regarded and versatile disputes lawyers in the region, with a practice focused on high-stakes commercial, construction, and treaty arbitrations. He will join from another international law firm, where he headed the international arbitration group in Asia and served as Managing Partner of the firm’s Singapore office.
“Expanding our arbitration and disputes offering in Asia is a clear strategic priority for us, and there is no one better placed to anchor it than Nick,” said Rahim Moloo, Co-Chair of Gibson Dunn’s International Arbitration Practice Group. “He is one of the best arbitration lawyers I know, and his practice aligns perfectly with our client base and industry strengths. He will immediately enhance our ability to represent clients in complex cross-border disputes across Asia and around the world.”
Nick’s hire follows a series of strategic additions to the firm’s global arbitration and disputes bench, including Christopher Harris KC in London and Zurich and Patrick Pearsall in Washington, D.C., and complements the firm’s organic growth in the practice, including the January 2026 promotion of Ankita Ritwik to partner in Washington, D.C.
Gibson Dunn’s International Arbitration Practice Group has secured some of the most significant arbitration results of recent years. The team won a $5 billion award for Yukos Capital against the Russian Federation, a $2.4 billion award for Crescent Petroleum, a $1.6 billion award for a former subsidiary of Liberty Mutual, and a landmark U.K. Supreme Court victory for Border Timbers related to the enforcement of ICSID arbitration awards and state immunity.
“I am delighted to be joining Gibson Dunn at such an exciting moment for the firm’s arbitration practice,” said Nick. “Gibson Dunn has established one of the preeminent international arbitration practices in the world, and its integrated, globally coordinated approach to clients’ most complex disputes is exactly the platform from which I want to build. The opportunity to help grow the firm’s offering in Singapore—one of the world’s leading arbitration hubs—while working alongside colleagues I have long admired was one I could not pass up.”
About Nicholas Lingard Qualified in New York, England & Wales, New South Wales and the Singapore International Commercial Court as a registered foreign lawyer, Nick represents clients in commercial and construction disputes across a wide range of industries, under all major arbitral rules, including ICSID, ICC, SIAC, UNCITRAL, HKIAC, AIAC, JCAA, LCIA, AAA, and NAI, and under all major systems of law. Ranked Band 1 by Chambers and Partners for international arbitration, he also leads one of the most active treaty arbitration practices in Asia, representing both investors and states in high-profile, politically complex cases around the region and the world. Nick’s practice spans sponsor disputes, cross-border investments, energy and infrastructure controversies, and politically sensitive treaty claims, and he regularly advises clients on the management of high-stakes litigation in jurisdictions throughout the Indo-Pacific. Nick also speaks fluent Japanese.