Irene Petrelli

Ms. Petrelli has represented sovereign States and State-owned entities in connection with international arbitrations under the leading institutional and ad hoc arbitration rules, including those of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

She has represented clients in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America in some of the world’s largest and most publicized arbitrations involving a wide range of sectors, including oil and gas, power projects, infrastructure, taxation, banking, and telecommunications.

In addition, Ms. Petrelli has experience assisting clients before the Court of Justice of the European Union and in State court proceedings ancillary to arbitration. She also regularly advises State clients on various issues of public international law, including treaty interpretation and international human rights. Ms. Petrelli has often delivered capacity‑building trainings in international arbitration for governments, including for Mongolia, Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Ms. Petrelli is the Co‑Chair and a member of the Advisory Board of ArbIt – the Italian Forum for Arbitration and ADR and speaks regularly on issues of international arbitration and public international law. She is also a member of the Italian branch of the International Law Association and a member of the Scientific Board of the Yearbook of the ILA Italian Branch.

Ms. Petrelli is recognized as a Leading Partner for Italy Dispute Resolution by Legal 500, in which she is described as “focused, available, fully committed and able to distil the core of complex issues into concepts that are easy to grasp.” She was also included in the Legal 500 Dispute Resolution Powerlist Italy as a Leading Practitioner. Chambers and Partners has ranked Ms. Petrelli for Arbitration since 2024, and reports that clients recommend her “without any reservation,” “were pleasantly satisfied by her preparation, friendliness and courtesy” and describe her as “100% dedicated to the needs of her clients,” “an excellent partner with a strong commercial acumen and leadership skills in guiding the team,” “perfectly skilled to navigate complex situations with outstanding professionalism and knowledge,” “very to the point,” “thorough, precise and always gets me results.” In addition, she has been ranked in the Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) for arbitration since 2022. Most recently, she was awarded the Lexology 2026 Client Choice – Arbitration recognition.

Prior to joining Curtis, Ms. Petrelli trained in the international arbitration group of a major Italian law firm and interned at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

An Italian national, Ms. Petrelli is admitted to practice in Italy. She holds an LL.M. from Queen Mary University of London, where she served as a research assistant, and a law degree from Roma Tre University, where she worked as teaching assistant in international arbitration.

Published in 2025, Irene Petrelli contributed to a chapter titled “Counterclaims in ISDS: Solution or Distraction?” in the book Foreign Direct Investment, Human Rights and Climate Change: A Multiperspective Approach, available to read here.