Tim Smyth

Tim advises investors, sovereign states, multinational corporations, and high-net-worth individuals in relation to international arbitration and public international law disputes. 

Tim’s experience includes representing clients in arbitrations under a wide range of arbitral rules, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, and before the Iran-US Claims Tribunal. He has advised clients from all over the world in a variety of different sectors, particularly mining, energy, telecoms, and pharmaceuticals. Tim is especially well-known for investment treaty disputes and he has represented clients in several of the most high-profile investment treaty cases of recent years. 

Tim is recognized as a rising star in many of the leading legal directories, including Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, and Who’s Who Legal. He is ranked as “Up and Coming” in Chambers UK, which describes him as “excellent,” and “a very bright lawyer who can provide an accurate analysis of any complicated legal problem and develop the best possible legal arguments.” Legal 500 notes that “Timothy Smyth strongly impresses with his deep and precise analysis of the legal issues in every case, and his eloquent and effective advocacy.” 

Tim's notable cases includes:

• Representing Silver Bull Resources in a $300 million claim under the North American Free Trade Agreement against Mexico
• Representing Almaden Minerals Ltd. and Almadex Minerals Ltd. in a $1 billion claim against Mexico under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is the first ever case to be brought under that agreement
• Representing Khemisset Limited and Potasse de Khemisset in a high-value claim against the Kingdom of Morocco under the UK-Morocco Bilateral Investment Treaty in relation to a major potash project
• Successfully representing the Republic of Panama in securing the dismissal of a $2 billion investment treaty claim brought by Sacyr in relation to the construction of the third set of locks for the Panama canal
• Representing Colombia in a $500 million claim brought by one of the world’s largest mining companies under the Colombia-Switzerland BIT
• Representing Peru in the successful defense of a $150 million claim brought by a U.S. gold trader under the United States-Peru TPA
• Representing Turkey in claims of over $1 billion by Singaporean and Dutch investors in relation to a natural gas distribution business
• Representing Tara Resources in its claim against Montenegro under the Switzerland-Montenegro Bilateral Investment Treaty in relation to the Brskovo zinc mine
• Representing Costa Rica in the successful defense of a $400 million investment treaty claim brought by a Canadian gold mining operator
• Representing Thailand in the defense of claims of over $350 million brought by an Australian gold mining operator under the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement
• Representing Bulgaria in defending claims of more than €1 billion in an Energy Charter Treaty arbitration in the electricity sector
• Representing Sweden in the defense of a $1 billion claim brought under the Sweden-China BIT by a Chinese company in the telecoms sector
• Representing Bulgaria in the successful defense of a €80 million investment treaty claim by a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund

Saying Goodbye to the ECT, New Law Journal (2024)

Arbitration Contracts, Jus Mundi WikiNotes (2020)

What to Do When You Receive a Coronavirus-Related Force Majeure Notice, Client Advisory (2020)

Pride and Without Prejudice: Examining the Scope of Privileged Communications, Lexology (2016)

International Arbitration Africa Style, Global Legal Post (2014)

They Think It’s All Over... The Rights Of Non-Participants In Arbitration Under English Law, Mealey’s International Arbitration Report (2014)