The Founder

Gillian Carmichael Lemaire is dual-qualified as a Member of the Paris Bar and a solicitor (Scotland). Having started out as a litigator in Scotland, Gillian has spent most of her 35-year career in international arbitration and, more recently, mediation.

Gillian’s work spans both private and public international law. She has had significant exposure to major international construction and infrastructure projects and disputes involving public and private parties and handles both commercial and investor-State arbitrations in English and French, including advocacy. She has extensive experience of the principal arbitration institutions and rules, as well as deep knowledge and practical experience of both common and civil law systems.

In addition to acting as advocate and counsel, often as co-counsel with fellow law firms, Gillian serves as arbitrator and mediator. She has been appointed as co-arbitrator in cases administered by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC). She is an arbitrator and mediator panel member for Squaring Circles, an online dispute resolution service for business.

Gillian is committed to promoting access to justice, equality and diversity through better public knowledge of dispute resolution processes, notably in schools. Whenever there is an opportunity, she enjoys helping clients resolve conflicts through walking.

Peer recommendations:

“Gillian is a true international lawyer who is wonderful to work with. She provides strong, thoughtful and considered leadership whatever the project or dispute and is unflappable whatever the issue or crisis. She can draw on her understanding of, and familiarity with, common and civil law systems and her significant experience of projects and disputes all over the world to find ways through the most complex legal and procedural problems.” Partner, Law firm, London.

“Gillian is a highly experienced, dual qualified, arbitration counsel and arbitrator.  She has extensive experience of commercial as well as investor state disputes and having seen her work up close on two investor-state disputes and a commercial arbitration, I can vouch for her as a first class operator. She is quick to the issues and strategic in her approach whilst retaining a firm grasp of the detail.”  Partner, Law Firm, London.

“Gillian impresses with her encyclopaedic knowledge of international arbitration and many years of practical involvement conducting hearings. She is accomplished in the drafting of pleadings and applications and guiding parties through the process, and is skilled as arbitration counsel, drawing on a wealth of experience to ensure the best outcome for the client. She is equally adept sitting as a tribunal panel member.”  QC, London Chambers.

“Gillian led the claim team with skill and professionalism.  Her ability to capture the essence of the new method of analysing disruption that we had pioneered, distil the salient findings, and explain lucidly the complex massively disrupted Middle Eastern construction dispute to an international arbitral tribunal while working remotely with a worldwide team of experts was impressive. The way she coordinated the input from different experts (design, planning/schedule, quantum, system dynamics simulation and management professors) and integrated their findings into an effective comprehensive claim story contributed significantly to the successful results of the arbitral award. I would like to thank her for her professional and effective efforts and have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending her to lead any legal team in developing a claim.”  Contractors Claims Coordinator.

“Gillian is an excellent, very clear and professional communicator. She can readily put people at their ease and has significant practical knowledge and understanding of conducting arbitration and mediation processes. Gillian is also an accomplished educator, having taught arbitration practice at Masters level to students from across the globe in a highly engaging way.” Professor in Dispute Process Law, Top 6 UK Law School.

Please contact us if you would like to receive Gillian’s CV in English or French.