Sébastien BONNARD

Sébastien Bonnard is the Managing Partner of Hughes Hubbard’s Paris office and Head of the firm’s Europe, Africa and the Middle East International Arbitration practice. As an experienced International Arbitration attorney, Sébastien has served as counsel for private and public operators, and as arbitrator in numerous arbitration proceedings, both institutional (ICC, ICSID, ADCCAC, LCIA, LMAA, etc.), and ad hoc. Sébastien is registered on the list of arbitrators for ICC France. He also represents his clients in post-arbitral disputes (annulment and enforcement of awards). Sébastien’s practice extends to litigation of commercial disputes, liability and industrial risk and alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

Sébastien is particularly active in complex disputes relating to construction, mining, oil & gas, telecommunications, joint ventures, defense, transport and distribution agreements in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Sébastien also has significant experience in the negotiation and monitoring of construction contracts (including FIDIC contracts), and the settlement of related disputes via adjudication or other forms of ADR. He is Chairperson of a dispute adjudication board appointed in the context of a project for the construction of a nuclear fusion reactor in Europe valued at over €20 billion. He is co-author of “Construction Arbitration: France” in Global Arbitration Review’s (GAR) Know-how Guide (2022 and 2023 editions) and was author of the “Country Q&A: France” in Practical Law Company’s (PLC) Cross-border Constructions and Projects Handbook between 2011 and 2015.

In addition to his active practice, Sébastien has been a lecturer since 2009 for the International Business Law Master 2 program at the University of Paris Saclay.