David Roney

DAVID RONEY, co-leader of Sidley’s Global Arbitration, Trade and Advocacy practice, has more than 30 years of experience as an advocate in a broad range of complex international disputes around the world.

Clients report that David “provides that edge you are looking for at the top of the arbitration market; he is brilliant regarding commercially sensitive proceedings” (Who’s Who Legal Arbitration 2016).

David has extensive experience as lead counsel before international arbitral tribunals in commercial and investment disputes across many different sectors and activities, including construction, infrastructure, energy and mining projects, life sciences and technology co-development and licensing agreements, sports and entertainment broadcasting arrangements, share purchase and asset purchase transactions, and international joint ventures.

A diverse group of clients trust David with their most business-critical disputes before the major international arbitral institutions, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC) and the Swiss Arbitration Centre (Swiss Rules). His experience extends to a host of different applicable laws and places of arbitration, ranging from London to Stockholm to Hong Kong.

David has gained a reputation for addressing high profile and politically-charged international disputes by delivering sophisticated multi-front international strategies involving, as appropriate, commercial arbitration, investment arbitration, international trade proceedings, court litigation in numerous jurisdictions, and government advocacy in the U.S. and EU.

David also maintains an active practice as presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator in numerous international arbitrations under the ICC Rules, the LCIA Rules, the SCC Rules, the Swiss Rules, and in ad hoc arbitration, including under the UNCITRAL Rules.

Featuring prominently in the international arbitration rankings of the leading bar publications, recent market sources report that David is:

• “an excellent advocate and counsel to clients, who thinks strategically [...] and has strong leadership skills.” (Legal 500 EMEA 2025 – Dispute resolution: arbitration – Switzerland)
• “an excellent partner to work with, possessing extraordinary expertise in international arbitration. He is devoted to the case and client” and “is an extremely impressive lead on the case.” (Chambers Europe and Chambers Global – Arbitration Counsel – Switzerland, Arbitrators – Switzerland, and Arbitration (International) — Europe-wide 2025)
• “highly professional and result-driven,” and “his hands-on approach and responsiveness is impressive.” (Chambers Global–Arbitration (International) 2023)
• a “well-established practitioner who is handling big cases,”  “very nimble at moving between the common and civil law systems, and he is excellent at helping clients understand where the differences lie,” and “is excellent in terms of his advocacy skills.” (Chambers Europe and Chambers Global – Arbitration Counsel – Switzerland and Arbitration (International) — Europe-wide 2022)
• “very bright, clever and adept,” and “very amenable, but below the surface there’s an edge of steel, which is what you need.” (Chambers Europe and Chambers Global – Arbitration (International) — Europe-wide 2021)
• “very sharp and leaves nothing to chance. Every last detail is covered and he ends up knowing the facts of the case better than the client he represents.” (Chambers Europe and Chambers Global – Arbitration (International) — Europe-wide 2020)
• “straightforward and brilliant.” (Chambers Global – Arbitration Counsel – Switzerland 2018)

Co-Founder and President of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy (FIAA), David has provided training in the examination and cross-examination of fact and expert witnesses to hundreds of international arbitration practitioners around the world.

As part of his active pro bono practice, David led Sidley’s engagement with the USAID/Mongolia Business Plus Initiative to support the Mongolian Ministry of Justice in the development of a new state-of-the-art arbitration law adopted by the Parliament of Mongolia in early 2017. He was awarded the Mongolian Minister of Justice’s Medal of Office for his contribution to this important law reform project.

David is also a Formula One Co-Opted Judge of the FIA – Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile International Court of Appeal and a Member of the ICC National Committee for Canada and the Users Council of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and a former Member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Arbitration Centre.

In addition, he is an adjunct faculty member at the prestigious Geneva MIDS – LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement offered by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, where he leads workshops on written and oral advocacy for international arbitration. He speaks and publishes regularly on international arbitration topics.

David is fluent in English and French.

Highlights of David’s experience include:

• Acting for global sports and entertainment broadcaster, beIN Corporation, in an investment arbitration claiming more than US$1 billion against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for unlawfully forcing the Qatar-headquartered broadcaster out of the local market and supporting a notorious broadcast pirate known as beoutQ, including the coordination of a multi-faceted international strategy involving legal proceedings in numerous fora and government advocacy in the U.S. and EU.
• Acting for TC Energy Corporation, a major North American energy company, in a US$15 billion USMCA-NAFTA investment arbitration against the U.S. in relation to the Biden administration’s decision to revoke the Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project.
• Securing an important victory for the European organizer of a major motorsport race series in a Paris-seated ICC arbitration by establishing the wrongful termination of an anchor sponsorship agreement and recovering substantial damages.
• Successfully acting for USADA – U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in securing the withdrawal of a Swiss court action for defamation brought by WADA – World Anti-Doping Agency in relation to a high-profile dispute over WADA’s failure to sanction 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance.
• Representing South African Olympic gold medalist runner Caster Semenya in appellate proceedings before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court against the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s award upholding controversial IAAF regulations requiring certain female athletes to undergo compulsory hormonal drug interventions.
• Successfully representing one of the world’s largest energy companies in obtaining and securing payment of a €625 million award in an ICC arbitration in Geneva with claims and counterclaims related to the cancellation of a nuclear power plant project. For this victory, Sidley received the 2017 American Lawyer Global Award for “Global Dispute of the Year: Commercial Arbitration (Europe).”
• Securing complete victory for a European equipment manufacturer in an ICC arbitration by defeating an Iranian company’s claim for a mandatory injunction compelling our client to continue supplying goods and services in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
• Successfully representing a major European semiconductor company in an ICC arbitration relating to a US$143 million purchase price dispute arising out of the wind-up of a semiconductor joint venture.
• Securing a favorable settlement for an Asian corporate group of US$30 million ICC arbitration relating to the termination of an EPC contract for the construction of a cement facility.
• Acting for an aluminum company in securing a US$275 million award and successfully defending against over US$800 million in counterclaims in a complex Swiss Rules arbitration against an important State-owned entity in Central Asia.
• Prior to Sidley, acting for the estate-in-bankruptcy of a multinational group in securing an arbitral award of more than US$100 million under a debt restructuring contract relating to the construction of an industrial plant in the Middle East.

In addition, David has served as presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator and co-arbitrator in numerous international arbitrations under the ICC Rules, the LCIA Rules, the SCC Rules, the Swiss Rules and in ad hoc arbitration, including under the UNCITRAL Rules.

• American Bar Association 
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
• Foundation for International Arbitration Advocacy
• ICC Commission on Arbitration
• ICC National Committee for Canada
• London Court of International Arbitration
• Singapore International Arbitration Centre — Users Council Member
• Swiss Chambers’ Arbitration Institution — Arbitration Court Member
• Swiss Arbitration Association