Marie Berard

Partner | Head of International Arbitration (London), Clifford Chance | LCIA Board Member

London, England, United Kingdom

About

I am a Partner at Clifford Chance LLP, where I lead the London International Arbitration team. With 25 years’ experience, I act as counsel and advocate in complex, high-value international disputes for multinational corporations, sovereign states, and high-net-worth individuals. My practice spans arbitrations under all major institutional rules, including LCIA, ICC, SIAC, SCC as well as ad hoc proceedings under UNCITRAL Rules. I also sit as a sole arbitrator, panel member and chair. Alongside my practice, I am also a member of the LCIA Board and the Vice-President of the LCIA European Users' Council, and a member of the City of London Law Society Arbitration Committee. I am a former member of the LCIA Court (May 2021- May 2026), ICC UK Arbitration and ADR Committee, and previously served ICC UK Selection Subcommittee. I have experience across a broad range of sectors, with particular focus on energy, oil and gas, construction, and financial services. I have acted in disputes governed by a wide variety of laws, including English, French, Swiss, Spanish, Cypriot, New York, Russian, Ukrainian, Latvian, and Saudi law. I speak regularly on international arbitration at conferences, seminars and deliver guest lectures at Universities. I have published a number of articles in the field of international arbitration and litigation. I am on the Editorial Board of the International Arbitration Law Review and Kluwer’s Journal of International Arbitration. I also contribute to arbitration-related practice notes from Lexis+ Arbitration and PLC. I have been recognised as a Global Leader by Who’s Who Legal Arbitration and featured in the Legal 500 International Arbitration Powerlist UK and the Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators. I have been ranked by Chambers UK since 2017. I am a British and French national. I hold law degrees from King’s College London and Université Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Experience

  • Clifford Chance (26 yrs 6 mos)
    • Head of London International Arbitration Group
      May 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 3 mos

    • Partner
      May 2012 - Present · 14 yrs 3 mos

    • Associate / Senior Associate
      Mar 2002 - Apr 2012 · 10 yrs 2 mos

  • London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) (7 yrs 7 mos)
    • Board Member
      Jul 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 1 mo

    • Court Member
      2021 - 2026 · 5 yrs

    • Vice-President of the European Users' Council
      2019 - 2026 · 7 yrs

  • Guest lecturer at Queen's University
    May 2007 - Jun 2007 · 2 mos

    Guest lecturer in International Commercial Arbitration at the International Study Centre of Queen's University (Summer 2007)