Valeriya Tsekhanska

Valeriya Tsekhanska is a Partner at Averites and a triple-qualified international disputes lawyer admitted to practice in New York, England & Wales, and Ukraine.

She has experience representing private corporations, high-net-worth individuals, and States in matters spanning a variety of sectors, including energy, construction, and manufacturing, under most major arbitral institutional rules. Valeriya has also advised international organizations and NGOs on questions of international public law, European law, and human rights.

Valeriya has developed her international disputes practice at leading U.S. and international law firms in Washington DC, London, and Paris, working on high-stakes cross-border arbitration and litigation matters.

Prior to her legal career, Valeriya served at the Embassies of Ukraine in Paris and Berlin, as well as at the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations in New York, where she represented Ukraine in the Second (Economic and Financial) Committee during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

Valeriya holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, where she served as President of the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association and worked as a research assistant at the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (HLS PILAC).  She also holds a Master’s degree in Global Business Law and Governance from Sciences Po Paris jointly taught with Columbia Law School, and an advanced Master’s degree (M2) in Finance and Asset Management from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Valeriya is also certified by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) to give financial advice, complementing her disputes experience with a strong understanding of financial markets and the commercial issues underlying complex investment and corporate disputes.

She is fluent in English, Ukrainian, Russian, and French, with intermediate proficiency in Spanish.

• England & Wales
• New York
• Ukraine

• Harvard Law School, LL.M.
• Sciences Po Paris, Master’s Degree in Global Business Law & Governance
• Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Master 2 in Finance & Asset Management, with Honours
• Columbia Law School, Certificate in Global Business Law & Governance
• Sciences Po Paris, Bachelor’s Degree in Transatlantic Relations

• AMF Certification, Financial Adviser

Energy and Oil & Gas

• Two confidential oil & gas field cost recovery arbitrations (US$140bn and US$30bn) —Represented two international oil & gas consortia against a Central Asian State in a series of cost-recovery disputes with an aggregate value of US$170+bn arising from Production Sharing Agreements, including an application for interim relief to stay enforcement of a US$5bn environmental fine.
• Confidential oil & gas tax dispute (US$10bn)—Represented an international oil & gas consortium against a Central Asian State in a tax dispute arising from the State tax authorities’ attempt to audit the State’s share of profit oil as defined in the applicable Production Sharing Agreement. The tribunal accepted client’s case in full, including granting the reimbursement of all legal fees.
• DEPA v. Gazprom — Represented DEPA, Greece’s principal natural gas supplier, in an SCC arbitration arising from a long-term gas sale and purchase agreement, governed by Swedish law. Out-of-court settlement was reached on terms fully favourable to the client.

Construction and infrastructure

• INPEX LNG project arbitration (US$40bn) – Represented INPEX, the developer of a major Australian LNG project, in an ICC arbitration concerning delay, disruption, cost overruns and pricing disputes arising from the construction of an onshore LNG processing facility.
• Georgian Roads Department construction disputes – Represented the Georgian Roads Department in two ICC arbitrations concerning the termination of FIDIC-based highway construction contracts, involving claims relating to contractor performance, advance payments and guarantees.

Investment Arbitration

• Pugachev v. Russian Federation (US$14.5bn) – Represented Mr Pugachev in a UNCITRAL investment arbitration under a BIT concerning the alleged expropriation of his coking coal mining, heavy manufacturing, banking and real estate investments in Russia.
• Confidential ICSID BIT arbitration (US$70m) – Represented a Dutch investor in an investment arbitration against an Eastern European State concerning the alleged judicial expropriation of an aluminium plant, obtaining over US$70m in damages for the client.
• Confidential ICSID BIT arbitration (US$75m) – Represented an investor in an investment arbitration against an Eastern European State concerning the alleged expropriation of a railcar manufacturing business.
• Confidential UNCITRAL BIT arbitration (US$300m) – Represented a ministry of a CIS State in an investment arbitration against an Eastern European State concerning the alleged judicial expropriation of its shareholding in a major oil refinery.
• Amlyn v. Croatia – Represented Croatia in an ICSID investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty concerning the construction and operation of a biomass power plant.
• Gardabani Holdings and Silk Road Holdings v. Georgia – Represented Georgia in coordinated ICSID and SCC investment arbitrations concerning electricity tariff regulation.
• Three confidential ICSID annulment and revision proceedings – Represented a CEE State in two annulment and one revision ICSID proceedings that involved concepts of a serious departure from a fundamental rule of procedure, manifest excess of power, mitigation of damages, and the Achmea objection.
• Confidential Ukrainian state-owned energy company advice – advised Ukrainian state-owned company on potential investment arbitration claim and enforcement in the US courts.
• Confidential U.S. digital corporation advice – Advised a leading digital corporation against a Commonwealth state on investment claims available to it in response to a legislation that imposes a payment obligation for local news content.

International Organisations and NGOs

• Human rights advice  –  Advised an international NGO for protection of journalists on lodging an application before ECtHR in respect of Oleh Baturin, Ukrainian journalist who was abducted and tortured by the Russian army in Kherson (region in Southern Ukraine) after the region was occupied by the Russian Federation.
• Confidential PCA arbitration  –  Represented a family of an abducted executive of an international organisation against the international organisation in a PCA arbitration relating to an alleged failure by an international organization to protect its employee.