18 April 2023
Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) is delighted to announce that international disputes expert Nathan Eastwood has joined the firm as Partner in Sydney. He joins from Clifford Chance in Australia, where he was Counsel in their Global Investment Treaty Arbitration and Mining team.
Nathan specialises in public international law, international commercial and investment treaty arbitration and cross-border disputes. He is a recognised expert in the law of the sea, most notably as regards to the regulatory framework for seabed mining. He represents states, international organisations and multinationals in bet-the-country and bet-the-company disputes.
As a former legal advisor to the governments of Australia and the United Kingdom, Nathan has significant expertise in bilateral and multilateral treaties and drafting and reviewing regulatory instruments. He has acted for both the United Kingdom and Australia in domestic and international dispute resolution proceedings and represented other states before the International Court of Justice and other international dispute resolution mechanisms. Most recently, Nathan advised and represented Australian mining companies in investment treaty arbitration disputes against the Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of Egypt.
WFW Asia Pacific Dispute Resolution Head and Partner Steven Burkill commented: “Nathan is an exceptional lawyer and a true expert in is field. His arrival fits perfectly with the firm’s strategy of adding dispute resolution capabilities to complement our sector focus. His recognised experience in seabed mining aligns with our longstanding expertise in maritime, energy and mining and commodities. We are looking for Nathan to play a leading role for us in building out our investor-state arbitration offering”.
Sydney Office Head Robert Williams added: “I am delighted to welcome Nathan to Sydney where his arrival highlights to both the Australian and APAC legal markets WFW’s commitment to building our platform in Sydney and a first-class global arbitration practice across our international network”.
Nathan commented: “I am thrilled to be joining WFW which, with its longstanding maritime and energy sector expertise, provides a truly exciting and distinct platform from which to expand my international disputes practice, especially in energy transition and mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction. I greatly look forward to working with all my new colleagues to help cement WFW’s standing as the firm to watch in the international arbitration space”.
