Nahi El Hachem

Partner

  • Nahi El Hachem
  • Phone: +44 20 7786 2170

    Import to Address Book

  • Duane Morris
    Citypoint, 16th Floor
    One Ropemaker Street
    London, UK EC2Y 9AW

Nahi El Hachem is a partner in the firm's Trial Practice Group, focusing his practice on international arbitration and complex cross-border disputes. Triple qualified in England and Wales, New York and Lebanon, he brings extensive international experience to matters spanning common law and civil law jurisdictions. Mr. El Hachem has represented clients in various investment and commercial arbitrations under a variety of rules, such as the UNCITRAL, ICC, ICSID and LCIA rules, sited in both common and civil law jurisdictions, including Beirut, England, New York, France and Switzerland.

In addition to his arbitration work, Mr. El Hachem represents clients in commercial litigation in England and Wales and in Middle Eastern jurisdictions, including Lebanon and the UAE. He advises clients across the construction, energy, oil and gas and financial services sectors and has significant experience in disputes arising out of M&A transactions. He also assists clients in enforcing international arbitral awards in courts around the world.

Mr. El Hachem practices in Arabic, French and English.

Admissions

  • England and Wales
  • New York
  • Beirut

Experience

  • Duane Morris LLP
    - Partner, 2025-present
  • Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
    - Senior Associate, 2021-2025
  • WilmerHale
    - Senior Associate, 2020-2021
    - Associate, 2018-2020
    - Visiting Foreign Lawyer, 2017-2018
  • Hachem Law Firm
    - Associate, 2015-2016
  • EIKhoury Law Firm
    - Junior Associate, 2011-2014

Education

  • University of Pennsylvania, LL.M., 2015
  • Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, LL.B., 2011

Honors and Awards

  • Recognized as a “Future Leader” in Lexology Index: Arbitration (formerly Who’s Who Legal) (2025 and 2026)

Language Skill

  • English
  • French
  • Arabic

Selected Publications

Selected Speaking Engagements

  • IBAArb 40 (International Bar Association) and Young Energy Arbitration Club London, 1 December 2025: “The Next Generation Arbitration in the Era of Energy Transition: Risks, Regions and Remedies”:  Nahi EL Hachem covered the Middle East region, speaking on how arbitration is likely to evolve amid the global shift toward decarbonisation.  The session focused on emerging types of disputes in the energy sector highlighting common trends in the renewable energy space.
  • Queen Mary University of London, 25 April 2019, “The Latest Trends in Arbitration Around the World: Spotlight on Asia, Africa and the Middle East”: Nahi El Hachem covered the Middle East region, speaking on the latest laws enacted in several countries in the Middle East and the latest arbitration rules of arbitral institutions in the Middle East with a focus on the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain; and recent developments in investment arbitration in the Middle east with a focus on claims initiated under the auspices of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) treaty.

Representative Matters

    Arbitration

  • Represented a Lebanese distributor of electrical power generating sets in an approximate US$ 100+ million ad hoc arbitration arising out of an exclusive distribution agreement with a British provider of diesel engines.

  • Represented a Chinese insurance company in an approximate US$ 1 billion post M&A dispute with a South Korean private equity firm in an ICC arbitration seated in Hong Kong.
  • Represented a Middle Eastern government in one of the largest LCIA arbitrations ever pursued by value, with claims quantified at over US$ 35 billion.

  • Represented a State and State-owned entity in a US$ 18 billion UNCITRAL arbitration over the cross-border supply of pipeline gas.

  • Represented a European construction company in an ICSID arbitration against a Middle Eastern state concerning the construction of a power plant.
  • Represented a Saudi Arabian investor in an ICC arbitration of a dispute with a Lebanese corporation over the ownership and management of a Lebanese television station.

    • Commercial Litigation

  • Represented the Man Group in one of the largest disputes ever heard in the English Commercial Court, in which the Kuwaiti Public Institution for Social Security sought over $800 million from approximately 30 defendants arising from alleged secret commission payments involving its former director-general. The case was named one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2025.

  • Represented the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and its Minister of Natural Resources in proceedings before the English High Court over an approximate US$ 1.6 billion dispute with an international oil company arising out of a production sharing contract. The case was listed in The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases to watch in 2021.
  • Acted for a British-Dutch professional services firm facing regulatory scrutiny and civil litigation across multiple jurisdictions including the UAE and U.S.
  • Represented a Chinese investment company in proceedings to enforce a multi-million dollar CIETAC award in the U.S.
  • Advised a leading Chinese private property developers on resisting enforcement of a CIETAC award in proceedings before the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.