Devika Khopkar

Ms. Khopkar has experience in arbitrations under various arbitral rules, including those of the ICC, LCIA and ICSID, as well as arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Rules administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

In recognition of her work, Ms. Khopkar has been named repeatedly as a Rising Star by The Legal 500 for International Arbitration (2023 and 2024 editions) and Public International Law (2022, 2023 and 2024 editions).

Her notable experience includes:

• acting for Vodafone International Holdings B.V. in its landmark victory against the Republic of India under the Netherlands-India bilateral investment treaty. In its September 2020 award, an UNCITRAL tribunal held that India’s attempt to impose a $5.5 billion liability onto Vodafone and its Indian subsidiary — through retroactive withholding taxes, interest and penalties — was in breach of international law
• acting for a large Middle Eastern company in the construction and real estate sector in its dispute with an Indian property developer
• acting for a major supplier of manganese ore in an LCIA arbitration against a Chinese company arising out of the breach of a commodity purchase agreement
• representing a French entity previously operating in the pharmaceutical sector in a post-acquisition dispute relating to indemnity payments
• successfully representing a European telecommunications company in a multibillion-dollar ICC arbitration relating to a patent licence agreement governed by New York law; and
• advising a leading international telecommunications company in a multibillion-dollar investment treaty claim against a South Asian state, resulting in a favourable settlement