Kevin Williams

Counsel

• krwilliams@steptoe.com
• vCard
• London Office

Kevin’s arbitration and litigation experience has included acting as counsel in international arbitral disputes involving the application of customary international law and bilateral investment treaties and in High Court proceedings in South Africa.

Kevin has also provided international law and regulatory advice to states and corporations, with a particular focus on southern Africa. His work for states has included advising an African government on significant reforms to its minerals legislation. His work for corporations has included advising several leading multinational businesses in the mining, oil and gas, banking, insurance, and telecommunications sectors on public international law and on domestic constitutional, administrative and corporate law. 

Representative Matters

• Lead counsel to investors in respect of an investment dispute with The Republic of Zimbabwe arising from alleged breaches of a bilateral investment treaty. Border Timbers Ltd & Ors v The Republic of Zimbabwe. ICSID arbitration.
• Co-counsel to nine investors in respect of an investment dispute with The Republic of Zimbabwe arising from alleged breaches of a bilateral investment treaty. Bernhard von Pezold & Ors v The Republic of Zimbabwe. ICSID arbitration.
• Co-counsel to eleven investors in respect of an investment dispute with The Republic of South Africa involving the application of South Africa’s mineral laws. Piero Foresti and Ors v The Republic of South Africa ICSID Additional Facility arbitration.
• Co-counsel to investors in respect of an investment dispute arising from alleged breaches of a bilateral investment treaty. Trans-Global Petroleum Inc. v The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. ICSID arbitration.
• Advising the Federal Republic of Nigeria on significant reforms to its solid minerals legislation.
• Advising several multinational mining companies on mineral law in southern Africa, and remedies available under international law to protect their investments.
• Advising several oil and gas companies on the application of oil and gas law in South Africa.
• Advising several international private security companies on the application of draft South African legislation imposing criminal sanctions for activities in areas of armed conflict anywhere in the world, including making written and oral submissions on their behalf at Parliamentary hearings on the legislation.
• Making several written submissions on behalf of leading South African and multinational companies to the South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry on legislation and policies aimed at ensuring greater ownership and participation in the economy by previously disadvantaged individuals.

Select News & Events

• Kevin Williams Speaks at ‘Embedding Human Rights into Investment Treaties’ Symposium, May 5, 2011
• David Lorello, Kevin Williams and Ray Werbicki Speak at Informa's Cross Border Arbitration & Dispute Resolution Conference, November 15, 2010

Selected Publications

• Damages in International Investment Law
  December 2008, British Institute of Comparative and International Law (Contributing author)
• Von Abo v The President of the Republic of South Africa: Diplomatic Protection and the South African Constitution
  December 2009, Bulletin of International Legal Developments
• South Africa's Bilateral Investment Treaties, Black Economic Empowerment and Mining: a Fragmented Meeting?
  February 2008, Business Law International
• Chapter on ‘Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment’ in ‘Investing in South Africa’
  September 2006, Webber Wentzel Bowens (now Webber Wentzel)

Professional Affiliations

• British Institute of Comparative and International Law