Baptiste Rigaudeau

Baptiste Rigaudeau specialises in dispute avoidance and dispute resolution, with a particular focus on arbitration, both commercial and between foreign investors and States. He has significant experience in the mining, banking, pharmaceuticals, hotels, energy, construction and telecommunications sectors. He has been involved, as counsel, tribunal secretary, or arbitrator in ad hoc (notably under UNCITRAL rules) and institutional arbitration (governed by ICC, ADCCAC, HKIAC, LCIA, SIAC, SCC, CIETAC, CMAP, Swiss Arbitration Centre and ICSID rules), governed by diverse procedural and substantive laws.

In addition, Baptiste has experience advising clients on settlement negotiations and on multi-jurisdictional disputes relating to asset tracing and recovery. He also acts as arbitrator.

Before joining Lead up, Baptiste practised over 13 years within litigation and arbitration departments of top law firms in Hong Kong, Houston, Madrid, Paris and Geneva.

He currently serves as the vice-chair of the Global Board of Young Mining Professionals and he is the French Ambassador for Swiss Arbitration. He is also a member of the Board of Africarb. He is also one of the inaugural co-chairs of the dispute resolution group of the African Society of International Law.

He is included on the international arbitrators’ list of the Asian International Arbitration Centre, ICC France and the International Arbitration Chamber of Paris.

Selected Commercial Arbitration Experience as Counsel :

• Counsel for Asian party against African party, ICC arbitration, Sector: mining, Language: English, Applicable laws: local and OHADA law
• Counsel for Middle East party against East African State party, ICC arbitration, Sector: infrastructure, Language: English, Applicable law: local law
• Counsel for French party against US party, LCIA arbitration, Sector: franchising, Language: English, Applicable law: English
• Counsel for German party against Algerian party, ICC arbitration, Sector: construction, Language: French, Applicable law: Swiss
• Counsel for Chinese party against Gabonese party, ICC arbitration, Sector: Oil & Gas, Language: English, Applicable law: Gabonese
• Counsel for English party against Saudi party, ICC arbitration, Sector: construction, Language: English, Applicable law: Saudi
• Counsel for US party against French party, ICC arbitration, Sector: hotels, Language: English, Applicable law: French
• Counsel for international party against DRC party, ad hoc arbitration, Sector: real estate, Language: French, Applicable law: DRC and International Law
• Counsel for German party against French party, CMAP arbitration, Sector: waste management, Language: French, Applicable law: French
• Counsel for Finnish party against Finnish party, pre-arbitral advice, Sector: construction, Language: English, Applicable law: Finnish
• Secretary to Tribunal in ICC arbitration between US and French parties, Sector: pharmaceuticals, Language: English, Applicable law: New York
• Secretary to Tribunal in ICC arbitration between Lebanese and Kuwaiti parties, Sector: Food & Beverage, Language: English, Applicable law: English
• Secretary to Tribunal in HKIAC arbitration between US and Chinese parties, Sector: renewable energies, Languages: Mandarin and English, Applicable law: New York
• Secretary to Tribunal in SIAC arbitration between Chinese and Filipino parties, Sector: geothermal energy, Language: English, Applicable law: English

Selected Experience as Arbitrator :

• Sole Arbitrator in dispute between Mauritian and South African Parties, MARC Arbitration, Sector: Real Estate, Seat: Port Louis
• President of the Tribunal in dispute between French Parties, CAIP Arbitration, Sector: Commodities, Seat: Paris
• Co-arbitrator in dispute between German and Swiss Party, LCIA arbitration, Sector: Shipping, Applicable law: Swiss, Seat: London

Selected Investment Arbitration Experience:

• Counsel for Romania in ICSID case No. ARB/15/31 v. Gabriel Resources et. Al., Sector: mining; Language: English
• Counsel for Swiss Confederation in ICSID case No. ARB/20/29 v. Human Rights Defenders Inc., Sector: real estate; Language: English
• Counsel for Ukrainian investor against Russian Federation, UNCITRAL arbitration, Sector: electricity infrastructure, Language: English
• Counsel for US investor against South American State, UNCITRAL arbitration, Sector: Oil & Gas, Languages: Spanish and English
• Counsel for Australian and Canadian investors against African States, Sector: natural resources, Languages: French and English
• Associate to Tribunal in ICSID case No. ARB/09/18 between US investor and Kingdom of Cambodia, Sector: power generation, Language: English
• Secretary to Tribunal in UNCITRAL arbitration between US investor and South East Asian State, Sector: tourism, Language: English

Selected International Litigation and Asset Recovery Experience:

• Counsel for French company in annulment proceedings before Paris Court of appeal regarding an LCIA award relating to a franchising contract
• Counsel for a bank against a high profile individual in relation to multi-jurisdictional dispute (France, US, Cyprus, BVI) over the non-reimbursement of loans
• Counsel for French telecommunications company against a US startup before the US courts in relation to a dispute relating to allegations of unfair competition
• Counsel for a magazine editor against its distributor before French courts in relation to IP misappropriation allegations

• Admission to the Paris Bar
• Master 2, Arbitration and International Trade, Versailles University, France
• LL.M., European Legal Studies, Cardiff University Law School, UK
• Licence, French-British Section, Nantes University, France

Recent Publications :

• “Commentary of CASS 1ere Civ, 7 June 2023: When Abiding by the Applicable Arbitration Rules and Jurisprudence on Arbitrator Challenges Is Still Not Enough for the French Cour de Cassation” Romanian Arbitration Journal, volume 65, Issue No. 4/2023
• “Mining Projects and Tax Disputes: What Remedies can be Achieved Through International Arbitration”, Jus Mundi Mining Arbitration Report, March 2023
• “ Projets d’Infrastructure en Afrique de l’Ouest et Règlement des litiges”, Revue du Droit International des Affaires no. 1, 2023
• “Mali Ecowas Sanctions: the Impact on Foreign Investors”, Lexology Online, 31 January 2022
• “Guinea: Outlook on investment protection one month after the coup”, Lexology Online, 11 October 2021
• “Projets d’Infrastructure en Afrique de l’Est et Règlement des litiges”, Revue du Droit International des Affaires no. 4, 2021

Recent Speaking Engagements:

• “The competition for critical resources: recent developments in the mining sector in Africa”, co-organized by Keidan Harrison and Quadrant Chambers, London International Disputes Week, 6 June 2025
• “Navigating Disputes in Times of Conflict: Focus on Africa and the mining sector”, Paris Arbitration Week, African Society of International Law, 11 April 2025
• “Mining Disputes”, Young Mining Professionals Switzerland/London, 13 February 2025 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coj-ZK07WLQ)
• “La Licence sociale d’exploitation”, Podcast No. 2, Académice Africaine de Pratique du Droit International, January 2025
• “Arbitration and Tax Law”, PBA Podcasts, Paris Baby Arbitration, January 2025 (https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/parisbabyinvestigation/episodes/Arbitration-and-Tax-Law–with-Anne-Sophie-Tonin–Baptiste-Rigaudeau-e2tct2h/a-abnm0ot)
• “How to best prepare and manage a fact heavy case from the investigation to trail – Panel session with views from lawyers and experts”, AIJA 3rd Annual Litigation Conference, London, UK, 18 October 2024
• “Protection des investissements étrangers face aux coups d’états en Afrique subsaharienne”, 50th Mensuelle Paris Bar Commission Afrique OHADA, Paris, France, 7 March 2024
• “Provisional Measures in International Investment Arbitration”, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Geneva, Switzerland, 9 November 2023
• “AI in international arbitration and mediation”, Asia Arbitration Week, virtual, 24 August 2023
• “Corruption et arbitrage international”, Weekend Africain du Droit Minier et de l’Energie, Conakry, Guinea, April 2023
• “La résolution des litiges liés à l’initiative des Nouvelles Routes de la Soie en Afrique”, 43rd Mensuelle Paris Bar Commission Afrique OHADA, virtual, 7 April 2022

Academic involvements :

• Seminar on tax disputes and international arbitration, LLM Contentieux International des Affaires approfondi, UPEC, 2025
• Seminar on the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa, Master 2 Droits Africains, Sorbonne University, 2022
• Seminar on environmental issues in International Investment Law, Paris Bar School, 2020-2022