Louise Woods

Louise Woods is an international dispute resolution & arbitration Partner in Vinson & Elkins' London office. Her practice focuses on international commercial and investor-state arbitration and commercial litigation. Her experience includes arbitration under all the major institutional arbitration rules, as well as ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules and litigation before the High Court. She is admitted in England and Wales as a Solicitor-Advocate. Louise represents clients across a wide range of industry sectors, in particular energy, banking and financial services, construction and real estate development. Of particular note is Louise's representation of a Saudi investor in Hesham Al-Warraq v. the Republic of Indonesia, an investor-state arbitration which set a precedent under the Investment Agreement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, allowing foreign investors to take host states to arbitration. Having worked in-house at a leading global automotive finance company, Louise brings a unique understanding of how her clients instruct external counsel. Because of her extensive experience in arbitration, she is known to dive deeply into highly specialized issues in a variety of industries, from the ingredients in infant milk formula to the mechanics of offshore oil rig drilling. Louise also works in support of greater diversity in arbitration. She serves on the board of ArbitralWomen, a nonprofit that supports the promotion of women in international dispute resolution, and mentors younger female associates through the group. Louise is a regular speaker at international arbitration conferences and was included in Legal 500's inaugural International Arbitration Powerlist: United Kingdom.