Thomas Snider is a counsel in the Litigation/Controversy Department, and a member of the International Arbitration Practice Group. He joined the firm in 2009.
Practice
Mr. Snider represents clients in a wide range of matters involving international law and dispute resolution. He has represented foreign states and corporate entities in international arbitrations and in US court litigation involving the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) and other matters raising questions of international law in the domestic context. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Snider was a member of the legal team representing the Government of Ethiopia before the Eritrea Ethiopia Claims Commission (EECC), an international tribunal adjudicating state-to-state claims for loss, damage, and injury arising during an international armed conflict. In this context, he worked as a resident attorney in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 2002 to 2004 managing several aspects of the representation.
Mr. Snider's experience also includes:
- Representing a European-based multinational corporation in multiple related Vienna International Arbitration Center (VIAC) arbitrations involving a multi-billion-euro dispute over telecommunications assets in Poland.
- Representing a U.S.-based multinational corporation in an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration relating to the sale of its business operations in South America, resulting in the successful dismissal of all claims against the client.
- Representing a foreign state and its state-owned commercial bank in litigation involving the successful dismissal of a suit under the FSIA alleging expropriation of bank accounts and other property of expelled foreign nationals.
- Representing a foreign state-owned enterprise in the successful dismissal of a petition to confirm a multi-million-dollar foreign arbitral award in a U.S. court on the basis of forum non conveniens.
- Advising Dubai-based companies on disputes related to investments in the oil and gas sector in the Middle East.
- Representing a foreign state before an ad hoc international arbitral tribunal established to delimit and demarcate the international boundary between the state and a neighboring state.
Mr. Snider also provides pro bono representation of the International Business Council, a non-profit organization that provides consulting services to entrepreneurs in developing countries.
Mr. Snider is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as before the United States Supreme Court, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Professional Activities
Mr. Snider is a member of the American Bar Association (Section of International Law and Practice) and the American Society of International Law.
Selected Speaking Engagements
- “Trade and Investment in Africa: Harmony and Disharmony with the International Community,” American Society of International Law Annual Meeting – March 26, 2011
- “Introduction to International Arbitration,” American Society of International Law CLE Webinar – October 21, 2010
- “Confronting Ethical Issues in International Arbitration,” Institute of Transnational Arbitration-Bogotá Chamber of Commerce Americas Workshop – Bogotá, Colombia – October 15, 2010
- “Private Remedies for Corruption,” Government Anticorruption Methods Workshop, International Law Institute – Washington, DC – May 4, 2010
- “Umbrella and Stabilization Clauses,” Foreign Investment Agreements and Investor-State Dispute Settlement Workshop, International Law Institute – Washington, DC – October 26, 2009
- “Confronting Ethical Issues in International Arbitration,” Institute of Transnational Arbitration Workshop – Dallas, Texas – June 18, 2009
- “Challenges to Redressing Corruption Through Litigation and Arbitration,” Seattle University School of Law – Seattle, Washington – April 14, 2009
Selected Publications
- Co-Author, “Combating Corruption Through International Law in Africa: A Comparative Analysis,” 40 Cornell Int’l L.J. 691 (2007).
- Co-Author, “African Boundaries: Resolving Uncertainty for Oil & Gas Projects,” The Africa Journal 38 (Fall 2007).
- Co-Author, “Doing Business in Africa: Navigating the Anti-Corruption Rules,” The Africa Journal 23 (Summer 2006).
