Serena Salem

Séréna Salem

Counsel
Paris
About
Séréna Salem represents clients in international commercial and international investment arbitration proceedings. Séréna also represents clients before state courts in proceedings of enforcement or challenges to arbitral awards.

Séréna has experience advising and representing both States and companies in English and French language cases administered by the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, CAREN, as well as ad hoc arbitrations pursuant to the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.

Séréna’s investment and commercial disputes have involved a variety of sectors, including construction / infrastructure, energy, oil & gas, agriculture, telecoms and distribution.

Séréna has been teaching international contracts to DMI Master’s students at HEC Business School since 2017. She has also coached law students for several years for the Willem C. Vis Arbitration Moot competition in Vienna and is a regular speaker and lecturer on arbitration topics.

Séréna has several months on secondment at DLA Piper’s offices in Casablanca (2017) and Dubai (end of 2021/2022).

Séréna is an appointed member of the IBA Arb40 Steering Committee. She is listed by Who’s Who Legal 2024 as a “Future Leader” in international arbitration, as well as by Best Lawyers 2024, in the “Ones to Watch” category in Arbitration. 
Areas of FocusLitigation, Arbitration and InvestigationsRegulatory and Government AffairsInternational Arbitration

EXPERIENCE

Selected commercial / construction matters

  • Representation of a UAE company in a USD 600 million dispute against the contractor in an English language LCIA arbitration seated in Dubai (subject to laws of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the Federal Laws of the United Arab Emirates).

  • Representation of Technip France SAS, a leading engineering and construction company in the energy industry, in an over USD 3.7 billion, French language ICC arbitration seated in Geneva against Sonatrach and related to the cancellation of an EPC contract to expand and upgrade the Algiers refinery (subject to Algerian law).

  • Representation of the North African branch of a State-owned Chinese construction company against its North African subcontractor in the context of a solar power project in an English language ICC arbitration seated in Casablanca, Morocco (subject to Moroccan law).

  • Representation of a French company in a French language ICC arbitration seated in Geneva against an Algerian State-Owned company arising out of a settlement agreement (subject to Algerian law).

  • Representation of a French company in an ICC arbitration seated in Geneva and parallel settlement discussions against an US based company in relation to the execution of a contract entered into for the purposes of a major construction project in Saudi Arabia (subject to Swiss law).

  • Representation of the Congolese branch of an international telecom company against its Congolese sub-contractor, in an ICC mediation and arbitration (subject to Congolese law).

  • Representation of a German global supplier of custom value-added food products in an arbitration against a French supplier in a French language CAREN arbitration (subject to French law).

  • Representation of a Congolese company specialized in the transport and the circulation of merchandise in the Democratic Republic of the Congo regarding the wrongful termination of a maritime agency agreement in an ICC arbitration (subject to Congolese law).
  • Representation of an American glass manufacturer in an ICC arbitration arising out of an acquisition agreement with a Belgian glass manufacturer (subject to Belgian law).
  • Assisting the sole arbitrator in an ICC arbitration in the petrol and gas sector relating to a drilling contract between a Singaporean company and an Emirati company.Representation of the Republic of Moldova in proceedings before the Court of Appeal of Paris, the Cour de cassation, and before the ECJ in support of a petition for annulment of an investment arbitration award issued pursuant to the Energy Charter Treaty.

Selected public international law matters

  • Representation of the Republic of Moldova in proceedings before the Court of Appeal of Paris, the Cour de cassation, and before the ECJ in support of a petition for annulment of an investment arbitration award issued pursuant to the Energy Charter Treaty.
  • Representation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an annulment action before the Paris Court of Appeal against an investment fund seeking to enforce over USD 200 million in sovereign debt.

  • Representation of the claimant in M. Hasanov v. Georgia, an ICSID arbitration brought pursuant to the Azerbaijan-Georgia bilateral investment treaty.

  • Representation of the Respondents in the annulment proceedings brought by the Republic of Madagascar, against the award rendered in favor of the claimants in the underlying ICSID arbitration in De Sutter et al. v. Republic of Madagascar.

  • Representation of the claimants in De Sutter et al. v. Republic of Madagascar, an ICSID arbitration brought pursuant to the Belgium/Luxembourg-Madagascar bilateral investment treaty.

  • Representation of a French investor within the food vouchers industry in relation to an ICSID arbitration against a central European state.

  • Member of the team representing an Eastern European energy company in an ICC investment treaty arbitration against an Eastern European State involving tariff fixing.

 

Languages
  • French
  • English
  • Arabic
  • Spanish

Awards

  • Who’s Who Legal – Future Leader – International Arbitration – 2024
  • Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” – International Arbitration - 2024
Education
  • Université de Versailles Master 2 in international arbitration and business law, cum laude, 2011
  • University of California Hastings College of the Law, LLM in dispute resolution and legal process, cum laude, 2010
  • Panthéon-Assas Paris II, Master 1 in International private law, 2009

Publications

    • Contributor to A guide to third party funding in Africa | Insights | DLA Piper Global Law Firm, November 2022
    • “The ICC Publishes Revised Rules for 2021”, DLA Piper, 19 October 2020
    • “Covid-19 Construction Guide in France, DLA Piper”, 28 May 2020
    • “COVID-19 et protectionnisme : Quelles protections pour les investisseurs étrangers”, Les Echos Executive, 28 May 2020
    • “Arbitrating climate change”, Assas International Law Review No. 3, 2020
    • “L’arbitrage en Algérie en 16 questions/réponses” - October 2018
    • “L’arbitrage au Maroc en 16 questions/réponses” - April 2018
    • “Introduction to the Arbitration Rules of the Casablanca International Mediation and Arbitration Center, the CIMAC”, DLA Piper Insights, 2018
    • “Le règlement d’arbitrage du centre international de médiation et d’arbitrage de Casablanca, le CIMAC”, 14 December 2017
    • “Arbitrabilité et droit des sociétés en droit français”, N° 3838, Fiche Pratique, 29 September 2016, Lexis 360 Entreprises
    • “Arbitration and Company Law in France”, European Company Law vol. 12, No. 3 (2015): 144-150

Prior Experience

Séréna studied in France and in the United States. Before joining DLA Piper, she worked for nearly two years in the international arbitration team at a global law firm in Paris.

ACTIVITES ET AFFILIATIONS

  • Séréna is a member of several professional associations, including the Comité Français de l'Arbitrage et Arbitral Women. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the IBA40.

My latest insights

Publication

Séréna Salem appointed new member of IBA Arb 40

10 August 2022 .1 minute read

Publication

The ICC Publishes Revised Rules for 2021

18 October 2020 .7 minute read

Publication

Introduction to the arbitration rules of the Casablanca International Mediation and...

14 December 2017 .11 minute read

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Phone

+33 (0) 1 40 15 66 79
(Work, Paris)