Louis Degos
Louis Degos is a highly regarded litigation and arbitration lawyer. He heads the Litigation and Arbitration practice at K&L Gates Paris. Louis Degos was elected as a member of French National Bar Council for two mandates: from 2015 to 2017, and from 2018 to 2020. During his six years of mandate, he was notably Chairman of the Commission on Future, Prospective, and Innovation of the legal profession (CNB) and directed the Future, Prospective, and Innovation magazine, published at Lexis Neixs. From January 2012 to December 2014, Louis has served with distinction as an elected member of the elite Council of the Paris Bar Association.
In his areas of expertise, Louis has two official professional accreditations from National Authorities: he holds the national certificate of specialist lawyer in Arbitration Law, and he has been accredited by the French Lawyers National Mediation Centre to practice as Mediator. These professional qualifications reflect his strong experience and practice in commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution. He pleads regularly before French state courts and arbitral (ad hoc and institutional) tribunals in domestic and international disputes.
Louis has taken part in more than 100 arbitrations as counsel or arbitrator (President of Arbitral Tribunal, co-arbitrator or sole arbitrator) in domestic and international arbitrations, ad hoc or following arbitration rules (e.g. ICC, CMAP, AFA, Swiss rules of international arbitration, UNCITRAL).
Louis frequently represents parties in alternative dispute resolution proceedings. He advises parties within the framework of mediations and other alternative dispute resolution modes, such as assisted negotiation or mini-trial.
He is also a regularly appointed mediator, both in domestic and international disputes, on high profile cases in a wide range of industry sectors (aerospace, automobiles, chemicals, construction, energy, engineering, high-tech, mining and metals, oil & gas, telecom, transportation).
Louis is also known for his particular knowledge in arbitration law and his experience in disputes following or related to arbitration. He represents parties before state courts within the framework of proceedings related to arbitration (temporary and protective measures, appointment of the arbitral tribunal, appeal, annulment recourse and execution of awards). He has been counsel, co-counsel or consultant, in numerous recourses against or enforcements of arbitral awards in France and abroad. He is also the regular counsel of important institutions of arbitration and often represents arbitrators whose liability is engaged before courts.
Louis is a member of the Board of Directors of the French Arbitration Committee as well as many other institutions and learned societies (e.g. Association Française d'Arbitrage, Association Suisse d'Arbitrage, Paris The Home of International Arbitration).
His university career has turned to arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, which he still teaches at the University. Louis is also a teacher at the CMAP as part of the arbitrator training and He is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences on arbitration, mediation, ADR, but also on legal innovations and professional practice. Louis is a Chevalier in the National Order of Merit.
Before joining K&L Gates LLP in 2009, Louis was a partner since 2001t in a French law firm with a significant pleading practice in commercial litigation and international arbitration. In 2005, he joined an international law firm of British origin as a partner in charge of the litigation practice in France.
INTERNATIONALLY
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in France™ for over 11 consecutive years
- Arbitration and Mediation
- International Arbitration
- Litigation
- Recognized by Chambers Global for International Arbitration in France, 2021-2024
- Recognized by Chambers Europe for International Arbitration in France, 2021-2024
- Recommended in The Legal 500 EMEA for Commercial Litigation and International Arbitration, 2022
- Listed in Who's Who Legal, 2022
- Global Leader - Commercial Litigation
- National Leader (France) - Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Mediation
- Listed by the GAR, 2021
- Arbitration as one of the top 55 best lawyers in France
- Arbitration - Future Leaders amongst the top 33 Best Partners in France
- Quoted in Global Arbitration Review as the "first international arbitration specialist for decades to be elected to the Paris Bar Council."
IN FRANCE
- Ranked by Décideurs - Leaders League, 2022
- Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration International Arbitration
- Dispute Resolution: Mediation
- Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation
- “Africa Desk – International Arbitration & Litigation”
- Industrial risks & liability litigation – Product liability
- Recognized by Option Droit & Affaires amongst leading France Arbitration lawyers
Professional Institutions
- Member of the French Delegation of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (Conseil des Barreaux Européens - CCBE) (2012-Aujourd’hui)
- Former member of the elite Council of the Paris Bar Association (2012-2014)
- Former member of the French National Bar Council (two mandate: 2015-2017 and 2018-2020)
- Former chairman of the Commission on Future, Prospective, and Innovation of the legal profession (CNB)
University
- Professor in civil procedure (Free Faculty of Law and Economics), ARD and arbitration (University of Versailles -Saint-Quentin and HEC)
Associations and Societies
- Member of the Board of Directors of the French Arbitration Committee, former General Secretary
- Member of the Board of the French Committee of Arbitration (CFA) since 2001
- Member of the International Arbitration Institute (IAI), of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), of the French Association of Arbitration (AFA) and of the Swiss Association of Arbitration (ASA)
- Conference “La collaboration a-t-elle encore un avenir ?”, ACE Paris, 21 June 2022
- Conference “Certificat de coutume: pratiques en droit des affaires internationales”, Conseil supérieur du notariat, 13 April 2022
- Conference “regards Croisés France-Brésil sur l’Arbitrage”, Université Panthéon-Assas, 12 April 2022
- Conference about Esports & Arbitration for the Paris Arbitration Week, 29 March 2022
- Interview about commercial mediation for Le Monde du Droit “L'essor de la médiation commerciale et la création du CNM”, 16 March 2022
- Intervention on Intelligence Artificial at the 1st edition of Paris Legal Makers, 6 December 2021
- Intervention on “lawyer of the future”, at the 6th edition of Etats Généraux de la Prospection et de l’Innovation, 2nd December 2021
- Science & Law Conference on “Legal Technology: it's not just about lawyers anymore”, 10 and 11 September 2021
- Intervention ont “Les enjeux de l'utilisation et de la diffusion des données numériques judiciaires” at the CADEJ of ENM, 17 June 2021
- Legal Intellect Conference, 14 June 2021
- Symposium about Arbitration in OHADA law, 10 and 11 June 2021
- Ce que la confidentialité des consultations de juristes aurait pu apporter aux entreprises, Option Finance, December 2023
- Code du numérique 2023, LexisNexis, November 2022
- “Paris Confident in its Role as Arbitration’s Safe Seat”, CDR, April 2022
- “Digital Code 2050,” Revue Pratique de la Prospective et de l’Innovation, 12 November 2021
- “Creation of the National Council of Mediation: a Good Idea for the Public Service of Justice,” L’Opinion, 8 November 2021
- Esports: from the consols to the Olympics, La Semaine Juridique, 25 October 2021
- Digital Code 2022, Lexis Nexis, 19 August 2021
- “Creation of the Legal Services and Law Sector Association”, Affiches Parisiennes, 1 April 2021
- “Could a "Legal Sector" materialize in France?”“, Village de la justice, 1 April 2021
- "Do not miss the turn of the lawyer in business", Le Point, 3 March 2021
- "Lawyer in a company, a matter of status", Agefi Hebdo, 15 February 2021
- "The lawyer (employee) in a company: Totems and Taboos", La Semaine Juridique, p. 377 du n°239, 22 February 2021
