Piercy, Heather

John V.H. Pierce is a partner in the firm's Litigation/Controversy and Securities Departments. He is the leader of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group in the New York office, and he divides his time between the firm’s New York and London offices.

Practice

Mr. Pierce has a diverse practice focused on the resolution of international disputes, often with complex, multi-jurisdictional elements. He represents clients in international arbitrations conducted in venues throughout the world, under the laws of both civil and common law jurisdictions. He also represents clients in complex international litigation and securities matters in U.S. courts, often involving parallel proceedings or issues related to the enforcement of international arbitral awards. He has particular experience in international joint-venture, shareholder, telecommunications, transportation, financial services and agency disputes, as well as in complex securities class actions.

Recent Highlights

Mr. Pierce's recent significant matters include representation of: a major European telecommunications company in three related arbitrations sited in Vienna under the Vienna Rules, with Polish and Austrian law applying, as well as parallel litigation proceedings in U.S. district court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals; a leading international transportation company in an ICC arbitration sited in Mexico City, with Mexican and New York law applying, against a leading Mexican railroad; a leading U.S. manufacturer in an ICC arbitration sited in Seoul, with Korean law applying, involving the sale of automobile parts to a Korean manufacturer; a major international chemicals company in an ICC arbitration sited in Geneva, with Swiss law applying, against a group of related French corporations; a major international capital goods manufacturer in related ICC arbitrations sited in New York involving the sale of aircraft equipment to two Latin American airlines; a leading international banking institution in an ICC arbitration sited in Miami, with New York law applying, against a consortium of Latin American investors; a major Latin American company in an ICDR arbitration sited in New York, with New York law applying, against a Luxembourg-based international hotel and resort operator; and a leading U.S. financial services company in litigation in U.S. federal court in connection with a motion to vacate an international arbitral award.

Professional Activities

Mr. Pierce is a founding member of the International Arbitration Club of New York, a member of the Committee on International Commercial Dispute Resolution at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, a member of the Federal Bar Council and a member of various international arbitration associations around the world (the International Bar Association (Committee D - Arbitration and ADR), the Association Suisse de l’Arbitrage, the Section of International Law and Practice of the American Bar Association and the International Arbitration Association in Paris). Mr. Pierce is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Young Leader of the American Council on Germany.

Publications

Mr. Pierce is a frequent writer and lecturer on issues related to international dispute resolution. He is a co-author of "Revision To French Arbitration Law Arrives," New York Law Journal, May 16, 2010; a co-author of "International Commercial Arbitration in New York" (Oxford Press 2010); a co-author of "New York Convention Awards in the Second Circuit," New York Law Journal, April 12, 2010; a co-author of "Trade Finance Fraud: Understanding the Threats and Reducing the Risk," ICC Commercial Crime Services, April 2002; and the author of "The Haitian Crisis and the Future of Collective Enforcement of Democratic Governance," 27 Law and Policy in International Business 477 (1996). He also speaks regularly at international conferences on international dispute resolution, most recently at the Dusseldorf International Arbitration School in Dusseldorf, Germany (September 2010) and an ICC/AIJA Seminar on Written Evidence in International Arbitration in Charleston, South Carolina (August 2010).

Honors and Awards

Mr. Pierce has been recognized as a leading authority in the field of international arbitration and dispute resolution by Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers, Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Euromoney's Guide to the World’s Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration, PLC Which Lawyer?, New York SuperLawyers and Legal Media Group's The Best of the Best. In various editions of the Chambers guides, Mr. Pierce has been described as: 

• a “crucial figure in the firm’s global arbitration practice” with “experience of a raft of high-profile proceedings”
• a “talented, smart and persuasive advocate, both in writing and in the arbitration chamber”
• a “top-notch” and “very knowledgeable” practitioner with “a great ability to understand and execute complex business objectives”
• a "model of calm even under excruciating pressure”