David Kavanagh KC

In 2021, Mr. Kavanagh was named an International Arbitration MVP by Law360 following his success in several major trials where he acted as lead advocate. Law360 also named Skadden as one of its Practice Groups of the Year for International Arbitration in 2021, and Mr. Kavanagh led the Skadden team named International Arbitration Team of the Year at the 2021 Legal Business Awards. Since joining the firm, under Mr. Kavanagh’s leadership of the practice Skadden has been ranked every year in Tier 1 for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration by both Chambers and The Legal 500.Mr. Kavanagh acts on some the world’s largest and most high-profile bet-the-company cases. These include matters in a vast range of sectors, including telecoms, airlines, satellites, petrochemicals, oil and gas, mining, cryptocurrency and real estate. He also has acted on several major investment treaty disputes for governments and investors. Additionally, he has extensive experience in international finance litigation, and his clients include major investment banks and hedge funds, which he regularly represents in High Court litigation. Mr. Kavanagh also acts as lead counsel in arbitrations, which have been seated in London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Delhi, Stockholm, the Hague, Netherlands and Vienna. He has extensive experience in managing multijurisdictional court actions in the Caribbean and other offshore jurisdictions. In addition, Mr. Kavanagh regularly advises companies and financial institutions on regulatory matters and civil/criminal investigations including advice under the U.K. Bribery Act, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and international sanctions. He also counsels on data protection and privacy issues.