Nikos Lavranos is an internationally recognised expert in investment law & arbitration. He is well-versed in all aspects relating to international investment treaties and arbitration, including the fast-moving developments at the international, European and Dutch domestic level. He has considerable first-hand knowledge of these field, from the perspective of business and states, and combines this with a strong academic track record.

His focus is to ensure that his clients can obtain and maintain optimal investment protection, reduce their risk exposure, and if necessary, defend their rights through international arbitration and litigation.

Experience

Nikos has worked as an arbitrator, mediator, legal consultant, academic and former Dutch policy advisor and chief negotiator for Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and subsequently at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Subsequently, Nikos worked at Global Investment Protection, an innovative consultancy firm that bundled claims by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the renewable energy sector and advised them in their arbitration proceedings against Eastern European countries.

In 2017, Nikos founded the boutique consultancy firm NL-Investmentconsulting, which advises clients on all aspects related to optimal investment protection, investment (re)structuring, investment risk management and dispute resolution. As a legal consultant, he has been involved in several high-profile investment treaty arbitrations involving in particular Dutch investors and Dutch BITs as well as the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).

Academic

Nikos studied law in Frankfurt and obtained his LL.M and PhD in European law and international trade law from Maastricht University. He worked as an Assistant Professor in EU law and Senior Researcher in international law at the University of Amsterdam. From 2016 until 2023, Nikos was a guest professor of International Investment Law at the Free University Brussels. Since 2024, Nikos has been appointed visiting professor at Leiden University teaching International Arbitration in the advanced LLM European Business Law programme.

He has published widely in international law journals and is frequently invited to speak at webinars and international conferences. Nikos is co-editor-in-chief of the European Investment Law and Arbitration Review. The Review is the first and only journal dedicated to European investment law and arbitration and it is the pre-eminent source for ongoing coverage of investor-State dispute settlement reforms. In addition to this, Nikos is Secretary General of the European Federation for Investment Law and Arbitration (EFILA), a non-profit think-tank based in Brussels.

Arbitration and litigation cases

Nikos has contributed to a several arbitration and litigation cases. These include:

• Indian company in an investment treaty dispute against an African state
• Greek investor in an investment treaty dispute against an Arab state
• Dutch B.V. in an investment arbitration dispute against Russia under the Netherlands-Russia BIT
• US company in setting aside proceedings against Ecuador in relation to multiple arbitral awards rendered against Ecuador
• Several European photovoltaic SMEs in investment arbitration disputes against the Czech Republic under several BITs and the ECT
• Dutch company in an investment arbitration dispute against the Czech Republic under the Netherlands-Czech BIT
• Dutch B.V. in an investment arbitration dispute against the Slovak Republic;
• Several investors against Russia in the context of the annexation of Crimea.

Listed Arbitrator and Mediator

• Listed by the EU as Arbitrator for EU trade and investment agreements
• Listed as Arbitrator by the Netherlands Arbitration Institute (NAI)
• China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)
• Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA)
• South China International Arbitration Center (HK) (the SCIAHK)
• Energy Disputes Arbitration Centre (EDAC)
• Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC)
• Listed as Mediator by the Energy Community
• Asia International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)

Recent publications

• International Arbitration and EU Law (Elgars Publishing, 2nd edition), 2024. (co-editor of the book)
• The impact of the EU’s reform efforts for the investment treaty practice of countries in transition seeking EU membership, in: The Future of Investor-State Dispute Settlement – Reforming Law, Practice and perspectives for a fast-changing World 2024. (chapter in the book)
• Saving the Modernized Energy Charter Treaty Helps Save the Climate, 2024. (blog)
• Chronicle 2023 on European Investment Law and Arbitration Developments, in: European Investment Law and Arbitration Review, 2024. (article)

Please contact Nikos if you have any questions or would like to receive a copy of one of the publications.