Overview
(June 7, 2021, Washington and Los Angeles) — Steptoe is pleased to announced the further expansion of its International Arbitration and Commercial Litigation practices with the arrival of Juliya Arbisman and Robby Mockler as partners. Arbisman, a UK-qualified lawyer, joins both the firm’s London and Washington offices, while Mockler will be resident in the Los Angeles and New York offices. The duo has a thriving arbitration and litigation practice with a focus on natural resources and energy industries.
Steptoe Chair Phil West commented: “Juliya and Robby bring tremendous experience and a reputation for providing a broad range of advice and counsel to clients in multiple arenas, including the natural resources and energy sectors. They will add further depth to our litigation and arbitration practices, as well as our energy and other practices that have long represented clients in these industries. Juliya’s arrival will also further expand our litigation team in London, which this past week also welcomed Leigh Mallon. This is an exciting time for our London office, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.”
Arbisman has a broad international law practice that includes private and public law matters. These cases often concern complex jurisdictions (CIS, Africa, and Middle East), complex industries (mining and energy), and complex claims (billion-dollar bet-the-company matters, or parallel criminal and civil proceedings). She has handled arbitrations under all the major rules as well as a number of court-based applications regarding arbitration, including injunctions, set-aside claims, and enforcement proceedings.
Arbisman also has a robust practice with protection of property and fair process cases in international and regional courts across EMEA. She holds a non-executive director position in a mining advisory firm in London. Arbisman has been recognized in Chambers for her active role in the field of business and human rights.
Mockler focuses his practice on complex litigation and arbitration matters in California, throughout the United States, and across the world. He has extensive experience in a wide variety of business disputes, from investor-state disputes over mining concerns in Africa to multi-billion-dollar energy disputes over power purchase agreements to complex business fraud cases. Along with the mining and energy industries, he has substantial experience in the financial sector, having represented clients in disputes involving a variety of fraudulent schemes, director and officer liability, and breach of contract.
Arbisman commented: “Steptoe provides our practice with a strong international brand and footprint. I am thrilled to be re-united with several former colleagues and to enhance our platform with the firm’s talented roster of practitioners from the UK and US.”
Mockler added: “Steptoe’s Los Angeles office has been a home for litigators for more than 20 years, and I’m delighted to be among the next generation of lawyers building upon that history.”
Steptoe’s Complex Commercial Disputes and International Arbitration Groups handle virtually every kind of complex business dispute in courts and arbitrations throughout the United States and abroad. The firm has conducted arbitrations, in whole or in part, in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, and Mandarin Chinese, and is capable of handling arbitrations in a number of other languages. Steptoe’s commercial litigation practice is ranked Tier 1 nationally in US News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms," is ranked in Washington, DC by Chambers USA, and has been described by Law360 as a “Litigation Powerhouse.” The firm’s international arbitration practice has been recognized by Global Arbitration Review on its GAR 100 for the past four years. In addition, many of Steptoe's first-chair trial lawyers have been recognized as "MVPs" or "Trial Aces" by Law360, and litigators have garnered accolades from Chambers USA, The Legal 500, The Lawyer, and Global Arbitration Review. The firm’s investor-state disputes practice in London has been recognized by The American Lawyer and Global Arbitration Review for its pathbreaking representation against the government of Zimbabwe in a long-running land dispute.
Fluent in Russian, Arbisman earned her B.A., with honors, from Wesleyan University, a certificate in international public law from Oxford University, and her LL.B from the College of Law of England and Wales. She is admitted to practice in England and Wales as a solicitor and solicitor advocate (both civil and criminal), and is registered with the District of Columbia as a foreign legal consultant.
Mockler received his B.A. from Stanford and his J.D. from U.C. Berkeley School of Law, where he was elected to Order of the Coif. He is admitted to practice in California, New York and the District of Columbia.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
