Berge Setrakian

Upon moving to the United States, Berge developed a strong practice in the Middle East by representing various major corporations in their transactions in that region. As a result of the 1973 oil price increase, the region had become an attractive center for Western companies to engage in business, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. In addition to his work in the Middle East, he also became active in transactions and disputes in France and in French-speaking African countries, including Central Africa and Gabon.

During Latin America's economic crisis of the 1980s, he was heavily involved in financial restructuring in Chile and Argentina as well as transactions involving Brady Bonds. He also worked on real estate and hotel development projects in that region.

In the mid-1980s, Berge expanded his representation of various European and Middle Eastern companies, as well as high net worth individuals and their businesses in the United States. While his main interest remains in the field of corporate and commercial law, he has developed a successful track record in the representation of foreign interests in major litigation and arbitration. He has been involved in proceedings in various European, Middle Eastern, United States and Latin American courts.

In the early 1990s, he represented high net worth individuals from the Middle East in connection with the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) case and became engaged in proceedings in various jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Pakistan, the United States, Panama, the Cayman Islands, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

In the 2000s, Berge worked on major arbitration proceedings involving multi-billion dollar claims in both the United Kingdom and the United States, representing European and Middle Eastern clients. He also led the team representing the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica, SA in its acquisition of all of BellSouth's assets in Latin America.