Sergey Okoev

I am qualified to practice law in England and Wales, New York and Armenia.

My practice focuses on high-value, complex and multi-jurisdictional arbitration and litigation matters particularly stemming from the CIS region, acting for clients in energy, metals and mining, financial services and other sectors. 

My experience includes representing private and corporate clients, as well as sovereign States, in international arbitration proceedings, dealing with investor-State and commercial disputes under the UNCITRAL, ICSID, SCC and LCIA Rules. I have also advised clients in high profile commercial litigation in England and have represented multinational corporations in matters involving internal investigation and compliance review under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the UK Bribery Act.

Selected Arbitration Experience:

• Representing investors in an investment arbitration claim brought against Ukraine in the SCC under the Energy Charter Treaty (the claim relates to investments made into the largest Ukrainian oil and gas company);
• Acting for minority shareholders of a major Ukrainian oil and gas company, in their claims against a majority shareholder (the claims are made under an SHA which is governed by English law and contains an LCIA arbitration agreement);
• Represented investors in the oil and gas industry in three separate claims under UNCITRAL rules against the Russian Federation in disputes related to alleged breaches of the Energy Charter Treaty;
• Part of a team representing the Slovak Republic in investment treaty arbitration under UNCITRAL Rules initiated by a Dutch claimant in relation to the electricity tariff measures;
• Part of a team representing the Republic of Hungary in two ICSID investment arbitration proceedings under Hungary-UK bilateral treaty.

Selected High Court Litigation Experience:

• Acting for one of the defendants in a US$350 million Commercial Court dispute involving claims under Article 1064 of the Russian Civil Code, with multiple interlocutory hearings challenging the Court’s jurisdiction, discharge of the world wide freezing and security for costs.
• Acting for one of the defendants in a high profile $1.9 billion fraud case seeking to discharge a world wide freezing order and challenging the Court’s jurisdiction.
• Acting for a private Kazakh client in High Court proceedings brought by a Russian counterparty in a dispute arising out of alleged breaches of an oral agreement.

Prior to entering private practice, I clerked for the Hon. John A. Jarvey at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, interned at the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the New York State Attorney General's Office and worked at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia.
I am fluent in English, Russian and Armenian.

In my spare time I enjoy discovering the gastronomic gems of London and traveling around the world.