Contact
Biography
David’s practice in the oil and gas and extractives industry focuses on advising states and national oil and gas and mining companies on their disputes, settlements, upstream activities, as well as international tenders, refinery projects, cost recovery compliance, farm-out agreements and other contracts in the petroleum and petrochemical industries. His practice includes numerous international commercial arbitration matters advising over 20 states and state entities in North, East and West Africa before international institutions including the ICC and ICSID as well as under the UNCITRAL Rules.
David holds DEUG, Licence and Maîtrise law degrees from the Universite de Paris I - La Sorbonne and a Masters degree from Columbia University Law School in New York, and is a recognized lawyer in Chambers Global and Legal 500. He also served as an Associate Professor at the Universite de Paris II – ASSAS.
In addition to his role as Honorary Lecturer with the CEPMLP at the University of Dundee, David is a lecturer at the CWC School for Energy. He is a regular speaker at international arbitration and energy conferences, including Juris Conference, GAR Energy Disputes and GAR Live.
Research
Representative Experience includes:
- Advising Tanesco and the Government of Tanzania in connection with an annulment of a USD 148 million award against Tanesco (ICSID)
- Advised the Government of Tanzania in connection with a $600m claim by Standard Chartered Bank (ICSID)
- Advised NNPC as lead international counsel and supporting Nigerian counsel in connection with an arbitration claim brought by a major IOC
- Advised Sonatrach in connection with a USD 8 billion claim by Anadarko and Maersk for recovery of an Algerian windfall profits tax under a PSA (UNCITRAL)
- Advised the Government of Algeria in connection with the USD 2.75 billion under the Denmark-Algerian BIT claim by Maersk as a result of an Algerian windfall profits tax (ICSID)
- Advised the Government of Uganda in defeating USD 400 million claim by Heritage Oil disputing a capital gains tax assessment (UNCITRAL)
- Advised the Government of Uganda in a USD 12 million claim by Total under the Netherlands-Uganda BIT in connection with a stamp duty tax assessment (ICSID)
- Advised the Uganda Revenue Authority in connection with appeals filed by Heritage Oil before the Ugandan Tax Courts in connection with the USD 400 million in capital gains tax assessment under a PSA
- Advised the Government of Uganda in settling a USD 400 million claim by Tullow Oil (ICSID), in connection with a capital gains tax assessment
- Advised the government of Gabon in connection with their revised gas regime policy
- Advised the former President of Mozambique in connection with the capital gains tax assessment against Cove Energy
- Advised the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) and the Libyan African Investment Portfolio (LAP) in connection with a number of cases following the Libyan Revolution in 2011