US Chief of Investment Arbitration Joins Jenner & Block And Chairs New Public International Law Practice

"Patrick has significant insight into the interplay of governments and global commerce, and his cross-border experience adds additional capabilities for our clients with international interests," said Terrence J. Truax, Jenner & Block's managing partner. "His addition, along with those of several other high-ranking government officials in recent months as well as new partner Jason Yardley in London, builds on our ability to offer cutting-edge, world-class legal representation."

The Public International Law Practice focuses on international disputes, treaty interpretation, and global investment protection and represents clients in the negotiation, enforcement, and implementation of international agreements. The practice group adds to the capabilities of the firm's renowned litigation, international arbitration and public policy services for clients in a wide array of industries.

While at the State Department, Mr. Pearsall led a team of lawyers who represented the United States in investor-state and state-to-state disputes. His team successfully defended a $15 billion North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Chapter 11 claim brought by TransCanada in connection with the Keystone XL Pipeline. Mr. Pearsall successfully defended the US in a NAFTA Chapter 11 claim brought by Canadian pharmaceutical company Apotex and in a state-to-state case brought by Ecuador under the US-Ecuador bilateral investment treaty. He also oversaw several important submissions on behalf of the US that clarified key treaty obligations, perhaps most notably in the groundbreaking Eli Lily v. Canada NAFTA Chapter 11 dispute. 

Mr. Pearsall was the lead lawyer for the US on several significant cross-border infrastructure project permitting reviews, including the Keystone XL Pipeline.  He participated in the negotiation for the US of several major trade and investment agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the Mauritius Convention and the bilateral investment treaty with China. He also served as the lead negotiator on several multilateral treaties relating to ocean and fisheries issues.

"We are thrilled to have Patrick on board, as he will enhance our capacity in the important investor-state sphere of international arbitrations.  In his eight years at the State Department he took a leadership role in many high-stakes public international law arbitrations, projects and agreements and is deeply familiar with the process and the players on a global basis," said New York Partner Richard F. Ziegler, co-chair of the firm's International Arbitration Practice.

Charlie Lightfoot, International Arbitration Practice co-chair and London office managing partner, added, "Patrick brings a sought-after dimension to the sophisticated representation we already offer clients in their cross-border matters. He has negotiated the treaties that currently govern some international arbitrations.  In addition to his role in investor-state disputes, Patrick will also be a key player in our international commercial arbitration practice."

"Jenner & Block's reputation in international arbitration and public policy, along with its values of professional excellence and public service, make it an ideal firm for me to further develop my practice," said Mr. Pearsall. "I am excited for this new chapter in my career and I look forward to working with the firm's highly regarded lawyers across practices."

The Global Arbitration Review/Who's Who Legal identified Mr. Pearsall as a "Future Leader (Under 45)" earlier this year.  He served as the US delegate to the International Court of Arbitration's (ICC) Task Force on Arbitration with States or State-Owned Entities and served on its Special Drafting Committee for revisions of the 2012 ICC Rules. He is a steering committee member of the International Bar Association's Sub-Committee on Investor State Arbitration.  Mr. Pearsall also has published articles and papers on both commercial and investor-state arbitration, and is a frequent speaker at conferences on cross-border dispute resolution and international investment issues.  Mr. Pearsall is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center on public international law dispute resolution and investment arbitration; he has also lectured on international arbitration at Columbia Law School, Harvard Law School, and Yale Law School, among others. 

Before joining the State Department, Mr. Pearsall was a lawyer in in private practice in New York. He served as a law clerk for the ICC in Paris after a judicial externship for the Hon. Sonya Sotomayor in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Pearsall earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School, serving as head articles editor for the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law and senior editor for the American Review of International Arbitration. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Columbia College.

In addition to Mr. Pearsall, Jenner & Block has hired five lawyers into the partnership from government since January, including Ian Gershengorn (DC, September 2017 start), David Bitkower (DC), Kali Bracey (DC), Brandon Fox (LA), and Howard Symons (DC). The firm has a long tradition of its lawyers moving between private law and government service.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK'S PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW PRACTICE
Jenner & Block's Public International Law Practice provides counsel on international disputes, treaty interpretation, and global investment protection. The practice offers pre-dispute strategies for resolving matters prior to litigation or arbitration, and representation in negotiations between sovereigns and private entities.  We also represent clients in the enforcement and implementation of international agreements, both investment and commercial, and have successfully served as counsel to both sovereign states and claimants in disputes under the rules of the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), International Court of Arbitration (ICC), and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). In addition to providing clients with strategic counsel on all aspects of international disputes and negotiations, our lawyers work seamlessly with the firm's other practice groups, providing insight into how international law affects trade, commerce and public policy, both domestically and abroad.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK'S INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION PRACTICE
Jenner & Block's lawyers frequently act for parties in international commercial arbitrations seated in Europe, North America and Asia, both ad hoc and administered by numerous arbitral institutions. The firm uses best-in-class legal analysis, skillful advocacy and decades of international and domestic experience to obtain successful outcomes for our clients in arbitrations worldwide.  Chambers USA has said of the practice, "Market sources admire this terrific disputes team: 'It quickly identifies the weakness in the other party's case and goes after it to win.'"  In 2015, the practice was ranked as a "Tier 1" practice, nationally, by U.S. News-Best Lawyers, in its annual ranking of more than 9,600 law firms across the country. Our lawyers have particular experience advising in relation to disputes in the financial services, real estate, energy and resources, construction, defense, telecommunications, automotive, healthcare and life sciences/pharmaceutical sectors.  Our international arbitration lawyers have acted in cross-border commercial and investment arbitrations administered by institutions, including the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), International Court of Arbitrations (ICC), International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), American Arbitration Association/ International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA/ICDR) and the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC).

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK
Jenner & Block (www.jenner.com) is a law firm with global reach, with more than 500 lawyers and offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC.  The firm is known for its prominent and successful litigation practice and experience handling sophisticated and high-profile corporate transactions.  Firm clients include Fortune 100 companies, large privately held corporations, financial services institutions, emerging companies and venture capital and private equity investors.  In 2016, The American Lawyer named Jenner & Block to the A-List, which recognizes the top 20 US law firms.  The American Lawyer also recognized the firm as the #1 pro bono firm in the United States six of the past nine years; the firm has been ranked among the top 10 in this category every year since 1990.

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