Afia M. Kwakwa

Afia Kwakwa advises global clients on international arbitration disputes, regulatory challenges and a wide range of international law matters, with a particular focus on complex commercial disputes spanning multiple jurisdictions.

Ms. Kwakwa has represented clients in proceedings before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration, the American Arbitration Association (AAA)/International Center for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) and the Centre de Médiation et d’Arbitrage de Paris (CMAP). She has also advised on disputes in federal courts.

Her work has included:

• acting for a French reinsurance company in a major dispute governed by French law, conducted in French and venued in Paris
• representing companies based in Delaware and Argentina in a post-acquisition ICC arbitration against a U.S. company governed by New York law
• advising a U.S. energy company in an investor-state dispute and concurrent negotiations with a Latin American government
• counseling a technology company on antitrust matters and dispute strategies in South Korea, India and Japan
• representing a Canadian medical device company in an ICDR arbitration against a U.S. distributor
• advising the estate of an Asian multibillionaire in connection with multijurisdictional claims to trace trust assets

Ms. Kwakwa also has an active pro bono practice in which she represents clients in immigration matters.

Before joining Skadden, Ms. Kwakwa clerked for the Hon. Judge Julia Sebutinde at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, where she worked on numerous contentious disputes and advisory proceedings. Prior to beginning her legal career, Ms. Kwakwa worked at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland.