Farhadi

Amir Farhadi

Associate
Boston

I represent sovereign States from around the world in high-stakes international disputes.

Amir Ardelan Farhadi focuses his practice on public international law and international arbitration. Amir has advised States, international organizations, and private entities on a wide-range of topics of international law, including human rights, investment law, cultural heritage, immunities, and international criminal law.

Amir previously clerked for a Judge of the International Court of Justice in The Hague and served in the legal office of UNESCO in Paris. He holds the Diploma of the Hague Academy of International Law.

Dual trained in the common law and civil law traditions, Amir also practices both commercial and investment arbitration before most major arbitral institutions. He has acted as counsel in disputes in the mining, oil and gas, telecommunications, and real estate sectors in the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Prior to joining Foley Hoag, Amir practiced arbitration at a leading international law firm in both Washington D.C. and Paris.  

Related Industries

Related Practices

Education

  • The Hague Academy of International Law, Diploma
  • Harvard Law School, LL.M.
  • Sciences Po - Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, Master en droit, summa cum laude
  • Tufts University, M.A.
  • Tufts University, B.A., magna cum laude

Bar and Court Admissions

BAR ADMISSIONS
  • Admitted only in New York

Languages

  • French
  • Arabic
  • Italian
  • Spanish

Experience

Inter-State Arbitration, Litigation, and Advisory Proceedings
  • Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan); Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Azerbaijan v. Armenia). Counsel to Armenia in proceedings before the International Court of Justice arising from allegations of breach of the CERD. Secured critical victories for Armenia on provisional measures and jurisdiction.
  • Bern Convention Arbitration (Azerbaijan v. Armenia).  Counsel to Armenia in PCA proceedings brought by Azerbaijan under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.
  • Energy Charter Treaty Arbitration (Azerbaijan v. Armenia). Counsel to Armenia in PCA proceedings brought by Azerbaijan under the Energy Charter Treaty.
  • Counsel to a Middle Eastern State in advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice. 
Investment Treaty Arbitration 
  • Walnort Finance Limited v. Republic of Armenia. Counsel to Armenia in an ICSID arbitration in the mining sector under the Armenia-Cyprus bilateral investment treaty.
  • Amulsar Investor Ventures LLC v Republic of Armenia. Representing Armenia in a PCA/UNCITRAL arbitration in the mining sector under the Armenia-United States bilateral investment treaty.
  • RWE AG and RWE Eemshaven Holding II BV v. Kingdom of the Netherlands. Counsel to the Netherlands in its first ICSID arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty concerning the phase out of Claimants’ two coal power plants by the state’s climate change legislation.
  • Sanitek S.a.r.l., Sari Haddad and Elias Doumet v. Republic of Armenia. Counsel to Armenia in an ICSID arbitration under the Armenia-Canada and Armenia-Lebanon bilateral investment treaties in a dispute concerning waste management services.
  • IHPG and others v. Egypt.  Represented the Arab Republic of Egypt in an ICSID arbitration in the real estate sector.
  • Glencore and Prodeco v. Colombia.  Represented the Republic of Colombia in ICSID annulment proceedings concerning an award in the mining sector.
  • Glencore, Prodeco and PNSA v. Colombia.  Represented the Republic of Colombia in an ICSID arbitration concerning the maintenance, use and operation of a port on the Caribbean Sea for the export of coal.
  • Perenco v. Ecuador.  Represented the Republic of Ecuador in the partial annulment of an award in the hydrocarbons sector. 
Commercial Arbitration
  • Acted as counsel to private entities in ICC proceedings in a variety of sectors involving applicable laws and parties from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 
International Litigation in U.S. Courts

  • Representing a foreign sovereign before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to defend against efforts to enforce an approximately $300 million ICSID arbitral award.

Other Publications

  • “International Commercial Arbitrations Involving State Entities” in G. Bermann and K. Duggal (eds), Research Handbook on International Commercial Arbitration, Elgar (forthcoming 2027) (with D. Schimmel) 
  • “Les immunités de l’organisation internationale” and “Les immunités des personnes participant à l’activité de l’organisation internationale” in P. Bodeau-Livinec and M. Forteau (eds), Droit international des immunités, CEDIN, 2026 (with A. Garcia-Marquez)
  • “Anational Arbitration” in F. Ferrari and F. Rosenfeld (eds), Encyclopedia of International Commercial Arbitration, Elgar, 2025 (with D. Huong Ho)
  • “Immunity from Execution” in F. Ferrari and F. Rosenfeld (eds), Encyclopedia of International Commercial Arbitration, Elgar, 2025 (with N. Nicolas)
  • “Reasoning Requirement” in F. Ferrari and F. Rosenfeld (eds), Encyclopedia of International Commercial Arbitration, Elgar, 2025 (with I. Padeanu Mellon)
  • “Fair Trial Rights in International Criminal Proceedings” in C. Binder et al. (eds), Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Elgar, 2022 (second edition forthcoming 2027)
  • “Autonomie du droit de l’Union ou privatisation du droit international public ? Achmea” in H. Muir-Watt, D.P. Fernández Arroyo et al. (eds), Le tournant global en droit international privé, Pedone, 2020
  • “Reconciling International Investment Law and European Union Law in the Wake of Achmea”, International & Comparative Law Quarterly, Vol. 69, No. 4 (2020) (with D. Restrepo Amariles and A. Van Waeyenberge)
  • “Article 48” in R. Gérbay, G. Alvarez, and J. Fourret (eds), The ICSID Convention, Rules and Regulations: A Practical Commentary, Elgar, 2019 (with E. Silva Romero and A. Caminades)
  • “El arbitraje de las inversiones en juicio ante el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea: perspectivas internacionalistas y europeístas sobre los TBIs intra-UE” in K. Fach Gómez (ed), La política de la UE en materia de derecho de las inversiones internacionales, Bosch, 2017 (with D. Restrepo Amariles and A. Van Waeyenberge)
  • “Lessons from the Deathbed of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Are Recent Critiques of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement System Warranted?”, Dispute Resolution International, Vol. 11, No. 1 (2017) (with L.-M. Velarde Saffer)

Honors & Involvement

HONORS
  • Harvard Law School, Dean’s Award for Community Leadership (2018)
  • Harvard International Law Journal, Executive Board and LL.M. Chair (2017-2018)
  • US Fulbright Scholar in France (2012-2013)
INVOLVEMENT
  • Officer of the International Bar Association (IBA) Arbitration Committee and Co-Chair of ESG Sub-Committee (2026-2028)
  • Steering Committee Member, International Courts and Tribunals Interest Group (ICTIG) of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) (2026-2028)
  • Steering Committee Member, IBA under 40 Arbitration Group (IBA Arb40) (2022-2024)
  • Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition: Problem Co-Author (2020)

Events

Speaking Engagements

  • “Legal Privilege in International Law,” American Society of International Law Annual Conference, Washington, D.C. (April 2026)
  • “Drafting Dispute Resolution Clauses: Basics and Beyond,” ICC YAAF at Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts (February 2026) 
  • "Public Entity, Private Act? SOEs and the Puzzle of Attribution," 15th Conference on Investment Treaty Arbitration, Prague, Czech Republic (September 2025)
  • “International Law and the Israel-Palestine Conflict,” Bench and Bar Conference of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Newton, Massachusetts (September 2025)
  • "Resetting the Clock: International Legal and Economic Challenges Facing Syria in Transition," Washington, D.C. (May 2025)
  • “Rulemaking in International Law,” American Society of International Law Annual Conference, Washington, D.C. (April 2025)
  • “New Horizons in International Arbitration,” International Bar Association Arb40 Symposium, Mexico City, Mexico (September 2024) 
  • “Incidental Proceedings: Provisional Measures,” American Society of International Law, Webinar (September 2024)
  • “The International Legal Implications of Conflict in the South Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Armenia,” Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medford, Massachusetts (March 2024) 
  • “National Security Issues in International Arbitration,” 10th Annual Harvard International Arbitration Conference, Cambridge, Massachusetts (February 2024)
  • “This House believes that international claims commissions are the best mechanisms for addressing post-conflict reparations for foreign investors,” American Society of International Law / Freshfields Young Arbitrator Debate Series, Washington, D.C. (February 2024)

Contact Info

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