Julie Bédard

Julie Bédard concentrates her practice on international litigation and arbitration. She regularly advises clients on the drafting of dispute resolution clauses and has served as counsel in international arbitration proceedings held under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce, the American Arbitration Association, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Ms. Bédard has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (2012-2014); Global Arbitration Review’s 45 under 45 (2011); Chambers Global (2011-2014), which noted in its 2013 edition a comment that “she has the capacity to understand non-legal details that most lawyers would overlook”; Chambers USA (2009-2014);Chambers Latin America (2011-2014); Global Arbitration Review’s International Who’s Who of Commercial Arbitration (2011-2013), which described her in 2013 as “an extremely bright all-rounder”; Euromoney’s Expert Guide’s: Best of the Best USA 2013 – Commercial Arbitration (Top 30 practitioners); and Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Commercial Arbitration Experts (2011). Ms. Bédard was named as a “2014 Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal. She also received the “Best in Commercial Arbitration” Euromoney Women in Business Law Award in 2012 and 2013. In addition, Ms. Bédard was named by the World Economic Forum to the 2013 “Young Global Leaders” and was selected among the “Inspiring Women in Law” by Latin Lawyer (November 2013). She is a member of the Skadden team that was named the 2013 “Law Firm of the Year: Dispute Resolution” by Chambers Global.

In cases, she represented or is representing:

• Brazilian, Urguayan and U.S. companies in an ICC arbitration venued in Miami and various litigation suits in Brazil arising from joint venture disputes;
• a Brazilian company and its U.S. subsidiary in a Florida state court litigation in connection with a dispute involving 12 Latin American defendants;
• Chilean companies in a post-acquisition dispute arbitrated under ICC rules in New York;
• a Barbadian entity in connection with the 2010 expropriation of a group of fertilizer companies based in Venezuela in which the Barbadian entity held a 10 percent ownership stake;
• a Canadian company in an ICDR arbitration against a U.S. company concerning a supply agreement;
• a U.S. company, providing arbitration advice in connection with the potential acquisition of a Brazilian company;
• a Brazilian company, providing advice on potential litigation against a U.S. company to attach assets and enforce a judgment against its Brazilian subsidiary;
• a Brazilian company, providing advice on a prospective ICDR arbitration against a Brazilian company arising out of a share purchase agreement;
• a U.S. company in an ICDR arbitration against a Cyprus company concerning licensing of products in the People’s Republic of China, litigation proceedings to vacate a partial award in the United States and related litigation in Hong Kong;
• a limited partner in a Delaware partnership in an ICDR arbitration venued in New York, including defending against a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction sought by the respondent general partner to prevent his removal;
• a Delaware investor in a Mauritius real estate fund in connection with the removal of the fund management company;
• a U.S. company seeking to protect a large investment in Venezuela against expropriation;
• Spanish and Netherlands companies faced with the nationalization of their Venezuelan subsidiary;
• a U.S. company seeking to prevent an asset seizure under federal maritime law;
• a Mexican company’s subsidiary experiencing discriminatory and unfair treatment in Colombia;
• a former chief executive officer in a securities class action involving a restatement of financial statements;
• a Brazilian company seeking injunctive relief in aid of an ICC arbitration venued in New York;
• a Korean company against the enforcement in Korea of a Singapore award in favor of a German company;
• a Swiss company and its Asian subsidiary seeking to hire employees in compliance with applicable non-compete covenants;
• a U.S. pharmaceutical company in an international arbitration against a Canadian manufacturer governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods;
• a Canadian company in connection with prospective indemnification litigation against a U.S. company in New York;
• a Swiss company in a Barbados litigation against a Barbados company involving a dispute arising under a swap agreement;
• a Luxembourg company facing a hostile takeover by an Indian company;
• a Singapore company in an ICC arbitration involving a shareholders’ dispute venued in London against the Cayman subsidiary of a Hong Kong private equity investor;
• a U.S. company in an ICC arbitration involving a post-acquisition dispute with a French company;
• a Brazilian company in an ICC arbitration arising out of a shareholders dispute with a Venezuelan company;
• a U.S. company, providing advice on grounds for vacating an ICC award and opposing enforcement of the award;
• a Peruvian company, providing arbitration advice in connection with a power plant project in Peru;
• a U.S. company, providing advice on the consolidation of arbitrations and the enforcement of arbitral awards;
• a U.S. company, providing advice on a prospective ICC arbitration to resolve a shareholders dispute with a Brazilian company;
• a Singapore investor, in proceedings against a Southeast Asian government involving claims under the ICSID Convention, the ASEAN Investment Agreement and public international law;
• a Chilean company, in an arbitration under the AAA International Arbitration Rules against a Thai company concerning sale of goods; and
• an Argentine company, in an ICC arbitration arising out of an acquisition dispute with a Brazilian company.

Ms. Bédard acted as sole arbitrator in an ICC arbitration concerning a distribution agreement involving a U.S. company and a Peruvian company, and she was appointed in another ICC arbitration involving a manufacturing contract dispute between a U.S. company and a Chinese company. She also was appointed as a sole arbitrator in an UNCITRAL arbitration involving development agreements between a U.S. company and a Spanish company.

Prior to joining Skadden, she practiced in litigation in Québec, Canada (1996-1998), served as law clerk on the Supreme Court of Canada (1998-1999) and taught LL.M. students at Columbia University (1999-2001). In 2001, she worked at the Court of Justice of the European Communities and at the Secretariat of the Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce.

Ms. Bédard is a frequent lecturer and author on international litigation and arbitration issues.