Event 14 Oct. 2022
Curtis Provides Capacity Training to the Government of Uganda
more
Event 21 Sep. 2022
Kalidou Gadio Speaks at AIEN 2022 International Energy Summit
News 15 May. 2023
Curtis represents e-commerce retailer in its fight to recover monies withheld by PayPal, the global payment giant
News 16 Dec. 2022
Curtis Trade Team is top ranked in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2023
Event 08 May. 2023
Partner Irene Petrelli to Participate in ICC YAAF Event
News 02 May. 2023
Curtis Italy with DeA Capital in the Acquisition of Magic S.r.l
Event 23 May. 2023
Partners Luciana Ricart and Fernando Tupa Will Teach a Workshop on Hearings in Investment Arbitration for Arbanza School of Arbitration’s Online Program
Publications 23 Feb. 2023
Fernando Tupa Publishes Book on Forum-Specific Consent to International Arbitration in Investment Agreements
Event 03 May. 2023
Dr. Borzu Sabahi to Speak at ICSID-ADGM Joint Conference: Investment Protection and Armed Conflict
Event 19 Mar. 2023
Sebastiano Nessi speaks at Bahrain Business and Legal Landscape Conference
Event 01 Jun. 2023
Curtis Environmental Chair Charles Howland to Moderate Panel Discussion on Latest Developments in Environmental Due Diligence at ABA Masterclass on Environmental Transactions
News 25 May. 2023
Curtis Files SCOTUS Amicus Brief for Distinguished Law Professors in First Amendment Retaliatory Arrest Case
News 06 Mar. 2023
Russia Sanctions at the First Anniversary: An Overview of Current Sanctions in the US, UK, and EU and How Global Companies Can Navigate Evolving and Conflicting Sanctions Regimes
Client Alert 30 Aug. 2022
The EU Adopts the “Maintenance and Alignment” Sanctions Package
Client Alert 24 Jun. 2021
Update on Virtual Notarization (Executive Order 202.7) During the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic (Updated: June 24, 2021) — U.S. Insight
Update on Virtual Witnessing (New York Executive Order 202.14) During The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic (Updated: June 24, 2021) — U.S. Insight
Partner
New York
P +1 212 696 6128
F +1 212 697 1559
Geneva
P +39 06 6758 2230
F +39 06 6758 2222
Riyadh
P +966 11 297 8101
John M. B. Balouziyeh is an accomplished international lawyer with an acknowledged depth of expertise in public international law, international corporate transactions, dispute resolution and foreign direct investment in the Middle East. Mr. Balouziyeh is a trusted advisor who protects the interests of multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments and private clients on matters relating to international law, global foreign investment, criminal law and human rights. He has represented clients in international investigations, public-private partnerships, international arbitrations, treaty law disputes and government contracts. Mr. Balouziyeh is notable for his expertise in advising international investors doing business and investing in the Middle East and is praised by clients for his ability to “navigate highly complex regulatory hurdles” (Legal 500, 2023) and for his “[v]ery strong expertise in local law” (Acritas Survey 2019).
Mr. Balouziyeh has acted on some of the largest investments in the Middle East, having represented governments or foreign investors in joint ventures and public-private partnerships, some valued at over USD 30 billion, and in foreign military sales, direct commercial sales and government contracts valued at over USD 1 billion. Clients have described him as a “capable and experienced corporate, government contracts and regulatory specialist” (Legal 500, 2023) who “understands the practical implications of his advice and tailors it accordingly” (Chambers 2021). He has represented multinational corporations in both acquisitions in and divestments from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt and the United Emirates, with clients praising him as “one of the smartest attorneys in the [Middle East] region” (Legal 500, 2023).
Mr. Balouziyeh has advised a wide range of clients, including the Public International Law and Policy Group, the United Nations, the International Development Law Organization, the World Bank and the International Law Institute, on matters of public international law.
Mr. Balouziyeh, who currently serves as an International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Instructor with the American Red Cross, previously worked as a Human Rights Officer at the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), reporting to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). He also acted as an International Humanitarian and Criminal Law Consultant at the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ISIL (UNITAD). Mr. Balouziyeh began his legal career as a law clerk for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San José, Costa Rica.
He has advised over two hundred Syrian, Iraqi, Afghan, Yemeni and Libyan refugees and asylum seekers, approximately 70 percent of whom have been granted asylum. He worked as a Project Lawyer with European Lawyers in Lesvos, which maintains a pro bono legal clinic for asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesvos, and he has built strategic partnerships with the Norwegian Refugee Council to advise Syrian refugees on the laws of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. His work, which is the subject of his book, Hope and a Future: The Story of Syrian Refugees (Time Books, 2017), has won multiple awards and recognition by Legal Week, the Association of Corporate Counsel-Middle East (CCME), Chambers, The American Lawyer, the International Financial Law Review, and the Managing Partners’ Forum.
Mr. Balouziyeh has represented foreign investors before arbitral tribunals in the Middle East and in Europe. In advising clients on disputes, he “is pragmatic and understands the needs and risk appetite of multinational compan[ies]” (Legal 500, 2023). Having previously served as an attorney for the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Balouziyeh has represented the United States in international arbitrations involving U.S. corporations and sovereign governments of Latin American states under the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement.
Mr. Balouziyeh has served as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the US Army Reserve (JAG) for more than seven years, holding a number of billets, including International Law Officer, Prosecutor and Defense Counsel. His previous assignments include the Guantánamo Bay war crimes tribunals, the Pentagon and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was competitively selected to represent “unprivileged enemy belligerents” in the 9/11 case, one of the most complex and high-profile criminal cases in U.S. history, tried before the first American war crimes tribunals in over fifty years. Mr. Balouziyeh, who holds a top-secret security clearance, is the recipient of multiple commendation medals by the Department of the Army and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Mr. Balouziyeh is a prolific author who has published over 15 books and 40 articles on international law. His books include Principles of International Law (Vandeplas Publishing), A Legal Guide to Doing Business in Saudi Arabia (Thomson Reuters, Westlaw Gulf), Fundamentos de Derecho español privado (Thomson Reuters Aranzadi), The Government Procurement Review (The Law Reviews, contributor), Les Enfants des Rues au Sénégal (Éditions Biliki, editor), International Agency and Distribution Agreements (LexisNexis, contributor), and Las sociedades mercantiles estadounidenses (Editorial Marcial Pons).
Arabic
English
French
Spanish
Turkish
Corporate
International Arbitration
International and Transnational Litigation
Public International Law
National Security Law
Economic Sanctions
We use cookies on our website to enhance your browsing experience, match your interests and assess our website performance. We do not share information with any third-party for marketing purposes. Please view our privacy policy to learn more about the use of cookies on our website. By continuing to browse our website, you consent to our use of cookies.