Lead up avocats is a Paris-based dispute resolution boutique advising SME, multinational corporations, investors, States and State-owned entities on complex international and domestic disputes. Our practice spans international arbitration, arbitration-related litigation, business litigation, alternative dispute resolution and commercial contracts, with particular depth in cross-border matters involving the mining, energy, infrastructure, industrial, distribution and technology sectors. We act as counsel before arbitral tribunals and French courts, and our lawyers are regularly appointed as arbitrators in commercial and investment proceedings.
Expertises
We advise claimants and respondents in commercial and investment treaty disputes under the rules of the leading arbitral institutions — the ICC International Court of Arbitration, ICSID, UNCITRAL, the LCIA, the SCC, the SIAC, the HKIAC, the CIETAC, the CMAP and the Swiss Arbitration Centre — as well as in ad hoc proceedings.
- Commercial arbitration
- Investment arbitration
Arbitral awards do not exist in isolation. We assist clients in the proceedings that surround them — challenging awards before national courts, defending them against challenges, and securing their recognition and enforcement across jurisdictions. Our practice is built around the Paris seat and the French enforcement framework, but extends to coordinated international strategies involving multiple jurisdictions.
- Annulment of arbitral awards
- Recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards
We represent clients in complex commercial litigation before French courts and coordinate cross-border litigation strategies.
Our litigation practice also complements our arbitration work, particularly where parallel court proceedings, provisional measures or enforcement steps are needed.
- General commercial litigation
- Industrial risk
- Enforcement of foreign judgments
- Provisional measures
Litigation and arbitration are not always the right answer. We help clients identify, structure and conduct alternative routes to resolution, whether through mediation, conciliation, expert determination or structured negotiation.
- Commercial mediation and conciliation
- Pre-litigation advice
Our advisory practice in commercial contracts is shaped by what we see in disputes. We draft and negotiate contracts with their litigation potential in mind, helping clients anticipate, allocate and manage risk.
- General contractual advice in international and contract law
- Negotiation and drafting of commercial contracts
- Contract management
Sectors
Although our practice is primarily defined by the type of work we do, we have particular depth in:
- Mining and metals (gold, base metals, critical minerals)
- Oil, gas and energy
- Construction and infrastructure
- Industrial and manufacturing
- Distribution and consumer products
- Technology and telecommunications
We have a particular geographic focus on West and Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.