Houthoff wins American Lawyer Global Legal Award for Global Dispute of the Year

In late 2017, The American Lawyer chose Houthoff as the winner of its Global Dispute of the Year Award in Investment Arbitration for Russia v. Yukos. With these setting-aside proceedings Houthoff previously won the GAR Award for Most Important Published Decision.

In 2014, in a series of three arbitral awards, the Russian Federation was ordered to pay a total of USD 50 billion (the “Yukos Awards”) to the former shareholders of Yukos. The Russian Federation decided to seek annulment from the District Court of The Hague. Assisted by Houthoff, Hanotiau & van den Berg and White &Case, the Russian Federation won the proceedings in the first instance and, in a highly unusual move, the Court set aside the Yukos Awards.

The former shareholders of Yukos subsequently lodged an appeal against the District Court's judgment, which is now pending before the Court of Appeal of The Hague. On 28 November 2017, the Russian Federation filed a 759-page defence on appeal, which can be viewed on this website. The decision to set aside the Yukos Awards made headlines worldwide, and the proceedings are being followed with keen interest all over the globe.