John Muse-Fisher focuses his practice on international arbitration, including commercial and investor-state disputes. Mr. Muse-Fisher also practices in business litigation, including derivative, legal malpractice, breach of contract, class action, and intellectual property matters, as well as issues relation to international service of process under the Hague Service Convention. He also devotes pro bono time to international issues, including those relating to climate change, criminal justice, and immigration, as well as voting rights issues.
Mr. Muse-Fisher is a member of the Executive Committee for the International Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco. He has participated on panels, and spoken to student groups at UC Berkeley School of Law USF Law, and elsewhere, addressing topics including international arbitration, international trade, and space law.
Mr. Muse-Fisher graduated Order of the Coif from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law with a certificate in international law. During law school, Mr. Muse-Fisher served as the Senior Executive Editor of the California Law Review, participated in the McBaine Moot Court Honors Competition, interned for the Honorable Jane A. Restani of the United States Court of International Trade, and taught intermediate macroeconomics to undergraduates. He also received a Master’s degree in Global (Economic) History from the London School of Economics.
Experience
- Republic of Turkey in an investment arbitration filed at ICSID by Afkel Commodities Pte. Ltd. and I-Systems Global B.V. pursuant to a bilateral investment treaty, involving a dispute in the natural gas and electric power sector.
- Czech Republic in an ad hoc arbitration under the Switzerland-Czech Republic Bilateral Investment Treaty.
- Hana Financial Group in successfully obtaining complete dismissal of $1.4 billion claims by US private equity fund Lone Star and award of attorneys' fees and costs in post-M&A dispute (ICC Singapore).
- Technology company in generic top level domain name dispute between Ireland-based company and ICANN (ICDR).
- Republic of Korea in a multi-billion dollar investor-state dispute filed by Lone Star Funds (ICSID).
- Pharmaceutical company in pre-arbitration advice relating to licensing dispute (ICC).
- Turkish energy company in successfully obtaining arbitration award of nearly $800 million in an investor-state arbitration against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (ICSID).
- Turkish energy company in annulment (ICSID), revision (ICSID), and enforcement proceedings (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia).
- The Republic of the Philippines in an investor-state arbitration involving a multibillion dollar claim by Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (ICSID).
- Asian shipbuilder in dispute involving the sale and charter of a deep sea drill ship (ad hoc, London).
- Czech Republic in several UNCITRAL and ad hoc arbitration disputes in the solar energy sector under bilateral investment treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty.
- Leading mobile device manufacturer in emergency arbitrator and main arbitration proceedings under intellectual property license agreement (ICC, Maui).
Perspectives
Credentials
Education
- J.D., University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, 2014, Order of the Coif
- M.Sc., London School of Economics and Political Science - University of London, 2010, with distinction
- B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2008
Admissions
- California
Activities
- Executive Committee of the International Law Section of the San Francisco Bar Association