Valikhan SHAIKENOV

Valikhan Shaikenov is qualified in Kazakh law and other post-Soviet legal systems.

With 19 years of experience, he brings 19 years of expertise to the field, specializing in both domestic and international dispute resolution. He has managed intricate transnational disputes, requiring substantial evidence handling, and has served as a legal expert in foreign court proceedings as well as in commercial and investment arbitration contexts. Valikhan has represented clients and assisted them in other forms in international arbitrations under the auspices of various arbitration institutions, including the SCC, LCIA, ICC, UNCITRAL, GAFTA, AIFC, and CIETAC, in addition to several Kazakhstan arbitration institutes.

His appointments as arbitrator have spanned major arbitration rules such as the LCIA, SCC, TIAC, and UNCITRAL, covering arbitration proceedings seated in London, Washington, D.C., Geneva, Stockholm, Tashkent, and Astana. These cases have involved a range of governing laws, including Swiss, English, New York, Uzbek, and Kazakh laws.

Valikhan’s professional experience extends beyond transactional work to include specialised expertise in sectors such as construction, focusing on FIDIC contracts; international supply of goods, incorporating maritime shipping; energy projects; oil and gas; shareholder disputes; banks’ debt restructuring; professional negligence; derivative transactions; insolvency and rehabilitation; tax litigation; and sovereign immunity.

He serves as a delegate to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, having been appointed by ICC Ukraine. His recognition in the field is substantial; he is highlighted as a Thought Leader in the 2024 Who’s Who Legal report for Germany, where he is listed among the top 25 arbitration practitioners based in Germany and 433 lawyers worldwide, including 28 barristers. Furthermore, Valikhan has earned individual recognitions from prominent legal directories such as Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, Asialaw Profiles, IFLR, and the Legal 500 Arbitration Powerlist: CIS 2020.