Carol Sportes
Carole heads the Paris office leads the local International Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She acts for states and state entities in numerous high-profile investment treaty claims, as well as corporations in international commercial arbitrations.
Carole has broad expertise in handling complex multijurisdictional disputes including in proceedings for recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments or arbitral awards in France.
Her practice encompasses the areas of commercial and corporate disputes, aviation, insurance, reinsurance and product liability disputes.
Clients working with Carole are sensitive to her tenacity and extensive experience in dealing with high-value cases; with technical and complex matters; in handling mass tort litigation and the correlative ability to craft and ensure a coherent defence strategy in multidistrict litigation.
Carole began her career in 1995 as a corporate lawyer at a multinational professional services group. She then decided to turn to a litigation practice and joined in 1998 the Litigation and Insurance department of a global law firm.
Before joining Squire Patton Boggs in January 2015, Carole co-founded and contributed for 10 years to the development of a French boutique law firm in Paris specialised in cross-border and domestic litigation.
Recent International Dispute Experience
International Arbitration
• Representing a foreign State in a pending US$ 1,4 billion investment arbitration regarding compensation for the expropriation of the Claimants predecessors’ company in the 1970s.
• Representing a foreign State in a pending €193 million investment arbitration conducted pursuant to ICC Rules relating to several construction projects interrupted by a civil war.
• Representing a foreign State in an ongoing US$69 million investment arbitration conducted pursuant to ICC Rules relating to a settlement agreement and several construction projects interrupted by a civil war.
• Representing a foreign State in a pending US$ 52 million investment arbitration conducted pursuant to ICC Rules relating to several construction projects interrupted by a civil war.
Litigation before French courts
• Representing a foreign Central Bank in a recourse against a French exequatur order of an arbitral award of US$1 billion.
• Representing a foreign Central Bank in relation to various seizure proceedings on its assets.
• Representing a foreign State in a setting aside proceedings before the Court of appeal of Paris relating to an arbitration award where US$ 70 million are at issue.
• Representing a foreign State in a setting aside proceedings before the Court of appeal of Paris relating to an arbitration award where US$ 51 million are at issue.
• Representing a foreign State in relation to an Exequatur judgment of a Serbian judgment ordering the foreign State to pay to the claimant €10 million.
• Representing a major International pharmaceutical company in a massive litigation representing a global risk of €200 million concerning a drug marketed in the occidental countries during the 70’s.
Valerie Ravit
Valérie Ravit is a partner within the dispute resolution department of our Paris office. Her activity is focused on the areas of insurance and reinsurance, industrial risks, environmental liability, product liability especially for health products.
Valérie advises leading insurance companies both regarding policy wording and coverage issues. She is also involved in reinsurance litigation.
Valérie acts for leading companies in sensitive product liability and life sciences litigation. In particular, she acts for large pharmaceutical companies in relation to individual claims but also in large mass claims.
Valérie has also particular experience in complex expert-appraisal proceedings and industrial risks litigation and investigation. She has also developed a recognized practice in environmental liability and has intervened in several of the massive contamination cases in France over the last years.
Recent International Dispute Experience
Advising and representing a European pharmaceutical company in dozens of lawsuits arising out of the use of a drug.
Advising and representing a major US crane manufacturer in a litigation involving a crane collapse on an industrial site.
Advising and representing an insurer and its insured in a case involving a major pollution by crude oil outside the industrial site.
Advising and representing an insurer and its insured in a serial loss involving several mining subsidence.
Advising an insurer and several of its insureds in recourses against suppliers of contaminated food ingredient which caused recall of finished products.
Advising an insurer and its insured in a case involving major contamination of ground water by PCE.
Representing an oil company and its insurer regarding liability incurred by gazole pollution in an industrial site
Representing a reinsurer in an arbitration regarding reinsurance coverage of terrorist attacks on the WTC.
The Firm
Squire Patton Boggs is one of the world’s strongest integrated legal practices. With 45 offices in 20 countries, we are renowned for our local connections and global influence, delivering comprehensive legal services across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
Disputes involving multinationals and multiple jurisdictions can present complex challenges, requiring a deep understanding and practical experience of a range of governing laws and applicable rules. Squire Patton Boggs’ International Dispute Resolution team led by George von Mehren and Stephen Anway, is one of the few international legal practices truly able to serve the needs of clients globally. By partnering with our colleagues with substantive industry-specific expertise, our international arbitration practitioners have in-depth understanding of sectors, including oil and gas, technology, pharmaceutical, franchising, infrastructure, construction, transportation, project finance, financial services and M&A clients.
Squire Patton Boggs’ global litigation and international dispute practice profile includes more than 622 litigators and advocates. With a team of over 145 lawyers with arbitration experience, we are a noted leader in bilateral investment treaty arbitrations and gas price re-openers. We are recognized as one of the top 30 international arbitration firms in the world by leading industry journal Global Arbitration Review Top 100 in its 2020 guide.
Our IDR Paris office led by Carole Sportes comprises of 7 partners and 12 associates, some of whom are dual qualified (across Europe and South America).
We can help you to expertly navigate the complexities of international arbitrations, whether a dispute arises under a common law or civil law regime.
We increasingly find that international disputes (be they arbitration or litigation), will be resolved through mediation. While this is not appropriate for all cases, we have dealt with many cases in which it has worked successfully.
A number of our lawyers are accredited mediators and, in the UK, we are publicly recognized by the Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) and have won the CEDR Award for Professional Excellence in ADR three times running. No other law firm holds this accolade.
We regularly represent clients in ancillary proceedings relating to international arbitrations. These cases often involve motions to compel arbitration or recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards. In addition, we have substantial experience with pre-arbitration attachment of assets and post-award execution.
