Sarah Peloux

Multilingual Attorney-at-Law with the New York and California Bars admitted to the Paris Bar

My latest professional experience with GBS Disputes, the boutique arbitration firm recently founded by the late Professor Emmanuel Gaillard along with arbitration stars Yas Banifatemi and Mohamed Shelbaya, has given me the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in international arbitration by teaching me how to manage dispute resolutions in a result-oriented yet innovative manner. During my time at GBS Disputes, I carried out extensive legal research in many different areas of law, ranging from contracts, to commercial law, property law and insurance law under various legal systems, particularly under French, English and Swiss laws. The diverseness of my research strengthened my legal research skills and ability to effectively use different databases, as well as to identify and cover all surrounding legal issues in order to achieve the most thorough and successful research. Not only did I handle the arbitration phase, particularly that of SCC and ICC cases, I also tackled the subsequent phase pertaining to the enforcement of arbitral awards by drafting submissions to the French Court of Appeal. 

Further, my recent experience at Clay Arbitration, an independent boutique arbitration firm based in Paris and led by renown arbitrator and Sorbonne Professor Thomas Clay, has given me hands-on experience in high-stakes international commercial, investment, construction, and sports law arbitration. Given the firm’s twofold practice in consultancy and arbitration, I’ve had the enriching opportunity to learn about both sides’ approach to an arbitration proceeding, the Parties’ approach on one hand, and the Arbitrators’ on the other. Furthermore, by closely studying the Parties’ submissions, drafting their arguments in the Draft Award, and staying informed of all the discussions between Professor Clay and his co-arbitrators, I gained a bird’s eye view of each case prior to attending the Hearings. This experience also trained me in identifying the various legal issues and in adapting my thinking to the specificities of each case. Additionally, in cases where Professor Clay would sit as President of the Tribunal, I’ve had the unique opportunity to weigh the arguments put forward by each co-arbitrator and make a proposal of my own as to how the specific issue should be resolved and which Party should prevail. This experience has been all the more interesting as my handling of cases involved very different clients, ranging from high-profile international companies to Latin American, European, and African states. Additionally, working simultaneously in English and French has significantly strengthened my legal translation skills.

My experience working for King & Spalding’s Corporate, Finance, and Investments group in Paris, which handles investments by Southeast Asian investors in the North African energy sector, has taught me the importance of adjusting writing to the client and their culture with clear language, so as to ensure proper understanding of the drafted agreements. Further, this experience has reinforced my ability to switch from French to English legal writing, as I was in charge of drafting the agreements in both languages for the Anglophone client on one hand, and for the Francophone North African government on the other. 

Additionally, my experience with Cozen O’Connor’s Los Angeles office following my graduation from Cornell Law School strengthened my research skills as I undertook extensive research mainly for the Commercial Litigation team, and occasionally for the Insurance group. Working with different teams helped me develop significant interpersonal skills and gain the ability to work under tight deadlines for two groups simultaneously. This experience also enhanced my legal writing skills by drafting daily complaints, answers, court motions, as well as cross-complaints under California law. Further, writing persuasive and predictive memos, and reviewing deposition transcripts for the purpose of highlighting their inconsistencies strengthened my analytical skills, while reviewing and summarizing responses to interrogatories enhanced my ability to synthesize information. As a newly licensed New York attorney and a then aspiring California attorney, the cases I handled usually involved both New York and California laws and jurisdictions, making this experience all the more interesting.

Finally, working for a Los Angeles based boutique law firm, the WJH Law Group, has been critical in teaching me how to interact with clients regularly and individually, especially as part of court appearances. By first participating in client meetings and later conducting them in the absence of the Managing Partner, I gained valuable soft skills in client relationship management.

LL.M from Cornell Law School (NY)

Master's in International Business Law from the Sorbonne (Paris I)