Valentine Chessa

“Valentine has performed outstandingly this year with international commentators describing her as “an excellent practitioner”.

WWL Global Elite Thought Leader Arbitration 2024

“Valentine enjoys an excellent reputation in the field for her notable dispute resolution practice.

WWL Global Elite Thought Leader Construction 2024

“Valentine is very thorough and diligent and a pleasure to work with”

“ She is precise, smart, flexible and knows her case very well”

“She has the ability to quickly understand the key issues of the matter”

WWL Arbitration 2024

Valentine Chessa is a founding partner of Mourre Chessa Le Lay Arbitration – MCL Arbitration, a boutique law firm based in Paris.

Valentine represents clients in complex arbitration matters across a broad range of industry sectors. Her expertise extends to the pre-arbitration and alternative dispute resolution phases, in addition to post-arbitration proceedings.

She regularly acts as an arbitrator, serving as sole arbitrator, tribunal president, co-arbitrator, and emergency arbitrator. She has decided cases under a wide range of arbitration rules, across multiple jurisdictions and applicable laws, and conducts proceedings in English, French, and Italian.

Before entering private practice, Valentine began her career at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, where she supervised hundreds of arbitration proceedings involving parties from around the world and spanning virtually all commercial sectors, with a particular focus on Italy and Switzerland.

Additionally, she serves as a reporter for France at the Institute for Transnational Arbitration, and is a faculty member for the Certificate in International Arbitration at Università degli Studi Roma Tre. She is also a member of the nomination commission of ICC Italy and she is one of the co-chairs of Arbit, the Italian forum for international arbitration practitioners.

Clients and peers say: “She has the ability to quickly understand the key issues of the matter”; “Valentine is very thorough and diligent and a pleasure to work with”; “She is precise, smart, flexible and knows her case very well”.

Arbitrator

President of the arbitral tribunal under the Rules of the Camera Arbitrale di Milano

Seat: Milan (Italy)
Applicable law: Italian law
Language: English

Emergency arbitrator in a case under the Rules of the Swiss Arbitration Centre in the sport industry

Seat: Zurich (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Swiss law
Language: English

President of the arbitral tribunal in an ICC case in the oil industry

Seat: Geneva (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Swiss law
Language: English

Sole arbitrator under the Swiss Arbitration Centre Expedited Rules in the financial services industry

Seat: Zurich (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Swiss law
Language: English

Sole arbitrator under the ICC Expedited Procedure Provisions in the telecommunication industry

Seat: Geneva (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Swiss law
Language: English

Emergency arbitrator in an ICC case in the food and beverage industry

Seat: Geneva (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Swiss
Language: English

Sole arbitrator in a case under the Rules of the Camera Arbitrale di Milano in the tourism industry

Seat: Milan (Italy)
Applicable law: Italian law
Language: English

President of the arbitral tribunal in an ad hoc case in the financial services industry

Seat: Luxembourg (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg)
Applicable law: Luxembourg
Language: English

Emergency arbitrator in an ICC case in the pharmaceutical industry

Seat: Geneva (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Swiss
Language: English

Co-arbitrator in a CMAP case in the defence industry

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: French
Language: French

Sole arbitrator in an ICC case in the construction industry

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: Cameroon
Language: French

Sole arbitrator in an ICC case in the aeronautical industry

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: French
Language: English

Sole arbitrator in an ICC case in the construction industry

Seat: Geneva (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Swiss
Language: French

Co-arbitrator in an ICC case in the energy sector

Seat: Geneva (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Swiss
Language: English

Sole arbitrator in an ICC case in the retail industry

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: French
Language: French

Counsel

Representing a Kuwaiti company in an ICC case in the defense industry

Seat: Rome (Italy)
Applicable law: Italian
Language: English

Representing a company based in Ivory Coast in an ICC case in the defense industry

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: French
Language: French

Representing an Armenian company in an ICC case in the financial services industry

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: French
Language: English

Representing a US company in a Madrid Court of Arbitration case in the energy industry

Seat: Madrid (Spain)
Applicable law: Spanish
Language: English

Representing a leading French company in the tourism industry in an ICC case

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: Italian
Language: Italian

Representing a leading French company in the tourism industry in an ICC case

Seat: Milan (Italy)
Applicable law: Italian
Language: French

Representing an Italian company in enforcement proceedings in France in the maritime industry

Representing an Italian company in an ICC case regarding the construction of steel structures

Seat: Geneva (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Italian
Language: English

Representing an Italian group in an ICC arbitration regarding the construction of a fertilizer plant in The Netherlands

Seat: Milan (Italy)
Applicable law: Italian
Language: English

Representing a group of Italian investors in an ICSID case against the Republic of Albania on the basis of the ECT in relation to a waste management and renewable energy production project

Seat: London (UK)
Applicable law: Albanian law
Language: English

Representing an Italian group in an ICC arbitration relating to the construction of a plant in Iran

Seat: Geneva (Switzerland)
Applicable law: Iranian
Language: English

Representing a French company in an ICC arbitration relating to the construction of a gas facility in Iran

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: Iranian
Language: English

Representing an Italian company in the tourism industry in an ICC arbitration

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: Tunisian
Language: French

Representing an Italian company in an arbitration before the Foreign Trade Court of Arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia relating to the sale of natural gas compressors

Seat: Belgrade (Serbia)
Applicable law: Serbian
Language: English

Representing an Albanian company in an ICC arbitration relating to the construction of a dam in Albania

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: Italian
Language: Italian

Representing a US manufacturer of furnaces in an ICC arbitration relating to the sale of furnaces in the nuclear energy sector

Seat: Brussels (Belgium)
Applicable law: French
Language: English

Representing two Italian companies in the railway sector in a VIAC arbitration relating to the termination of a contract for force majeure

Seat: Vienna (Austria)
Applicable law: Russian
Language: English

Representing a French company in the sugar industry in an ICC arbitration relating to the construction of conditioning silos

Seat: London (UK)
Applicable law: English
Language: English

Representing an Italian company in the renewable energies sector in an ICC arbitration relating to a JV dispute

Seat: Paris (France)
Applicable law: Italian
Language: English

Representing an Italian company in the aeronautical sector in an ICC arbitration arising out of the termination of a supply contract

Seat: Frankfurt (Germany)
Applicable law: German
Language: English

Representing an Italian company in annulment proceedings of an ICC arbitral award before French Courts

Representing an Italian group in several interim measure proceedings for the enforcement of a LMAA award in France

Representing an Italian company in enforcement proceedings of an ICC arbitral award in France

Representing an Egyptian JV in annulment proceedings of an ICC arbitral award before French Courts

Representing an Albanian company in enforcement proceedings of a foreign decision before French Courts

Representing Italian investors in the enforcement of an ICSID award in France

Representing a French company in annulment proceedings of an ICC arbitral award before French Courts

ITA Arbitration Report for France

Authors: V. Chessa, N. Barysheva
Publisher: KluwerArbitration
Date: since 2015

Investment Treaty Arbitration 2022 – Italy

Authors: V. Chessa, N. Barysheva, F. Iorio
Publisher: Lexology

Walking the Extra Mile on the “Extension” of the Arbitration Agreement to non-Signatories? A French Perspective

Authors: V. Chessa, A. Mourre
Publisher: Liber Amicorum Professor Piero Bernardini, Brill
Date: 2024

L’Arbitrato in Francia

Authors: V. Chessa, A. Mourre
Publisher: Trattato di Diritto dell’Arbitrato, Volume XI, Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane
Date: 2021

ICCA Research Project – Does a Right to a Physical Hearing Exist in International Arbitration? National Report for France

Authors: V. Chessa, N. Barysheva, A. Camillacci
Date: 2020

International Arbitration Country Comparative Guide, France

Authors: V. Chessa, N. Barysheva, M. Matousekova
Publisher: The Legal 500
Date: 2020

Construction Arbitration – Italy

Authors: V. Chessa, A. Musella
Publisher: GAR Know how
Date: 2016, 2017, 2018

La convenzione arbitrale

Authors: V. Chessa, A. Mourre
Publisher: in Commentario breve al diritto dell’arbitrato nazionale ed internazionale by Massimo V. Benedettelli, Claudio Consolo, Luca G. Radicati di Brozolo, Parte II Titolo II

Impecuniosity and Denial Of Justice: Walking On Eggshells

Authors: V. Chessa, N. Barysheva
Publisher: KluwerArbitration Blog
Date: 16 November 2016

ICC Arbitration, New Rules for a New Era in Current Issues and Future Challenges in International Arbitration

Authors: V. Chessa
Publisher: International Bar Association (IBA) ebook
Date: 2016

Non-Participating Parties and Burden of Proof: French Cour de Cassation Quashes a Paris Court of Appeal Decision Refusing Enforcement. Yukos Capital v. Tomskneft

Authors: V. Chessa
Publisher: KluwerArbitration Blog
Date: 3 August 2015

A comparative Approach to the Standards of Review of Arbitral Awards under Substantive Public Policy

Authors: V. Chessa, A. Mourre
Publisher: in Liber Amicorum Professor Jerzy Rajski
Date: 2015

Enforcement of Investment Treaty Arbitration Awards – Italy

Authors: V. Chessa, J. Fouret, A. Musella
Publisher: Globe Law and Business
Date: 2015

Report on The new IBA Guidelines on Party Representation

Authors: V. Chessa
Publisher: Global Arbitration Review
Date: 25 July 2014

Arbitrato e Concorrenza, Limiti e Prospettive di una Convivenza

Authors: V. Chessa, S. Migliorini
Publisher: Bocconi Legal Papers N°3
Date: June 2014

The New French Arbitration Law: Innovation & Consolidation

Authors: V. Chessa, A. Mourre
Publisher: Dispute Resolution Journal
Date: May-July 2011

Arbitrators’ Discretion and Powers with respect to Evidence

Authors: V. Chessa
Publisher: Quaderni dell’Arbitrato N°1 La Prova nell’Arbitrato Internazionale
Date: 2010

Advocacy excellence, ethics and procedural misconduct

Event: GAR Live Turkic Region
Date: 23 April 2026
Location: Almaty (Kazakhstan)

Paris Meets Rome – Lex Arbitri and the Fate of Arbitral Awards

Event: Paris Arbitration Week 2026
Date: 25 March 2026

Selecting, analyzing and drafting the arbitration clause

Event: Certificate in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration, Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Date: November 2025
Location: Rome (Italy)

Selezione e nomina degli arbitri dal punto di vista delle parti

Event: ICC Italia Executive Course
Date: since 2024
Location: online

MACI-Atelier: Le rôle de l’avocat dans l’arbitrage international

Event: Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Date: since 2023
Location: Paris (France)

Appointment of arbitrators

Event: ICC Israel workshop
Date: October 2025
Location: Tel Aviv (Israel)

The Evolving Landscape of Arbitration: Armenia’s Global Position

Event: Armenian Arbitration Week 2025
Location: Yerevan (Armenia)

La responsabilité des arbitres

Event: Paris Arbitration Week 2025
Date: April 2025

Arbitrating Small and Middle-Sized Claims, Challenges and Opportunities: A Mediterranean Perspective

Event: Paris Arbitration Week 2025
Date: April 2025

Witnesses in international arbitration

Event: CEPANI Arbitration Academy – Expert Level
Date: November 2024
Location: Bruxelles (Belgium)

Instruments of Settlement

Event: ICC Italia Arbitration Forum
Date: October 2024
Location: Milan (Italy)

The Emergency Arbitrator

Event: Certificate in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration, Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Date: September 2023/ September 2024
Location: Rome (Italy)

In Good Faith? Competing concepts of good faith in international arbitration

Event: New York Arbitration Week 2023
Date: November 2023

MIDS/Lambadarios law firm event on advocacy

Date: 18 October 2023
Location: Athens (Greece)

Presentation of the ICCA publication Does a Right to a Physical Hearing Exist in International Arbitration?

Event: ICCA Congress 2022
Date: October 2022
Location: Edinburgh (U.K.)

The Arbitration Agreement: formal and substantive validity

Event: Certificate in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, 9th edition
Date: September 2022
Location: Rome (Italy)

Emergency arbitration proceedings from the arbitrator’s prespective

Event: ASA – Geneva group
Date: June 2022
Location: Geneva (Switzerland)

Towards a new arbitration law in Italy

Event: Paris Arbitration Week 2022 – Associazione Italiana per l’Arbitrato
Date: April 2022

Preparation and collection of evidence

Event: International Construction Projects Committee of the IBA-CEA – Online Training Course on Construction Arbitration
Date: January 2022

Due process and virtual hearing: is the marriage going to last after covid?

Event: Paris Arbitration Week 2021 – CEPANI40 & CFA40
Date: September 2021

Construction Disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and the role of good faith

Event: Paris Arbitration Week 2021 – Kroll

Les biais inconscients dans les professions du droit

Event: Atelier AFJE
Date: Decembre 2020
Location: webinar

Drafting the arbitration clause

Event: Certificate in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration, Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Date: September 2020/September 2019
Location: Rome (Italy)

Force Majeure and Other Contractual Remedies in a Time of Pandemic: A French perspective

Event: Arbit (webinar)
Date: June 2020

7th Biennial Conference on Construction Projects from Conception to Completion

Date: 1-2 November 2019
Location: Berlin (Germany)

Sguardi incrociati sull’arbitrato internazionale

Event: Italian Embassy in France, Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne – Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Date: 24 June 2019
Location: Paris (France)

Legal privilege and arbitration

Event: XI Belgrade Arbitration Conference
Date: 4 April 2019
Location: Belgrade (Serbia)

Third Global Conference of the Co-chairs’ Circle (co-organiser)

Date: 18 May 2018
Location: Rome (Italy)

Top tips for the best awards in construction disputes

Event: IBA 6th Construction Projects from Conception to Completion Conference
Date: September 2017
Location: Brussels (Belgium)

Recent developments in France and Switzerland

Event: 29th Annual ITA Workshop
Date: June 2017
Location: Dallas (Texas, U.S.A.)

The parties’ and counsel’s legal background and its impact on arbitral practice

Event: CIArb European Branch Conference
Date: April 2017
Location: Rome (Italy)

Recent developments in France

Event: Luiss University
Date: April 2017
Location: Rome (Italy)

⇓ CURRICULUM VITAE

⇓ V-CARD