Emmanuel Gaillard (1 January 1952 – 1 April 2021) was a prominent practicing attorney, a leading authority on international commercial arbitration, and a law professor.
In February 2021, along with Yas Banifatemi, Mohamed Shelbaya, Benjamin Siino, Ximena Herrera-Bernal, Maude Dubois, Coralie Darrigade and Daniel Reich, he launched Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes, a global law firm dedicated to the management of international disputes, with offices in London, New-York and Paris.
The academy provides advanced Summer Courses in Paris to students and young practitioners interested in international arbitration.
In 2019, Gaillard had been appointed to the Supreme Court of the People’s Republic of China’s International Experts Committee for a period of four years.
Regarded as a prestigious appointment in China, the role included “providing advice and suggestions on the formulation of judicial interpretations and judicial policies of the Supreme People’s Court,” and, in so doing, contributing to the development of international arbitration in China.
His work experience contributes to elaborate legal theory and research on international arbitration law, especially on the subjects related to Investment Law and Arbitration (ICSID), Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and Anti-Suits Injunctions.
He was also a proponent of the existence of an autonomous arbitral legal order, arising out of but distinct from the laws of national states.
He has been referred to as an "intellectuel de droite" with a strong interest in sociology in the Revue du Crieur, a left-wing journal.
In 2005, he drew the attention of the world's legal community when he began representing the majority shareholders in Yukos Oil Company against the Russian Federation, for compensation up to US$50billion, the largest international arbitration ever.
[17][18] The main proceedings he worked on are the representation of the majority shareholders in Yukos Oil Company as Claimants in a series of three arbitrations against the Russian Federation, Wena Hotels against the Arab Republic of Egypt (ICSID Case No.