Maxime Desplats practices business litigation, in particular international arbitration and commercial litigation, in France and abroad, particularly in the OHADA region.

With over 15 years’ experience with Anglo-Saxon law firms (Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and DLA Piper), he has been involved in complex litigation and arbitration cases with high financial and/or strategic stakes, notably in the energy, construction and telecoms sectors. He assists clients in institutional arbitrations (ICC, SCC, CCJA, VIAC, etc.) and ad hoc arbitrations. He also appears before state courts, notably in arbitration-related proceedings (exequatur, annulment). He has also taken part in internal investigations into allegations of corruption and worked in public affairs.

A member of the Paris Bar since 2007, Maxime is a member of various learned societies specializing in arbitration, including the Association Française d’Arbitrage and the Comité Français de l’Arbitrage. He regularly publishes articles in legal journals, gives training courses and has taught international arbitration at the Université Panthéon-Assas and the École de Formation Professionnelle des Barreaux.

• Representing Australian investors in an ICSID arbitration against the Democratic Republic of the Congo relating to violations of the DRC mining code in connection with one of the world’s most important lithium deposits. Led the advocacy in obtaining provisional measures. (AVZ International Pty Ltd., Dathcom Mining SA and Green Lithium Holdings Pte Ltd. v. Democratic Republic of the Congo (ICSID Case No. ARB/23/20))
• Assisting an Australian mining company in relation to two ICC emergency arbitrations and five ICC arbitrations in connection with one of the world’s most important lithium deposits.
• Advising a major engineering company in the context of an ICC arbitration against a state-owned company regarding the termination of an EPC contract for the expansion and upgrading of a refinery with an amount in controversy of over 3 billion USD (subject to Algerian law)
• Representing a European contractor against a state-owned energy company in a Paris seated, ICC arbitration relating to a contract for the design and construction of a gas compression unit.
• Assisting a specialized UN agency in relation to a UNCITRAL Rules arbitration relating to its procurement operations.
• Assisting a real-estate fund in an ad hoc arbitration relating to the termination of over a hundred lease contracts
• Advising an African telecom company in the context of two UNCITRAL ad hoc arbitration brought by one of its super-dealers for wrongful termination of (i) a contract for the production on paper recharge vouchers entitling users to buy airtime and (ii) a super-dealer agreement (subject to Tanzanian law).
• Advising the French operator of an industrial plant specialized in the production of alumina, in the context of ICC arbitration proceedings relating to claims for indemnification of losses arising out of an environmental guarantee granted as part of a corporate transaction.
• Advising the Mauritian and South African subsidiaries of a major telecom company in the context of the enforcement of an ICC award handed down against a minority shareholder of a joint venture in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order, in particular, to ensure the recapitalization of the joint venture company and the exclusion of the minority shareholder (subject to DRC law).
• Representing Hungary in a multi-million dollar ICSID arbitration brought by British investors, Magyar Farming Company Ltd, with respect to an investment in the agricultural sector (Magyar Farming Company Ltd, Kintyre Kft and Inicia Zrt v. Hungary (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/27)).
• Representing a German agricultural company in an English language, Paris seated, US$60 million ICC arbitration against its former distributor in Saudi Arabia.
• Representing a German company before the Paris court of appeal to oppose a setting-aside application of an arbitral award.
• Assisting a French investor before the Commercial court of Paris against a fund involved in the Madoff scandal
• Assisting an NGO in a death penalty case in Kenya
• Assistance to the Republic of Madagascar in the negotiations held during COP 16 on biodiversity at Cali in Columbia

• Paris Bar (2007)
• Sydney University (Master of International Relations, 2005)
• Paris II University Panthéon-Assas / University of Montreal (Master in business law, 2004)

• Association Française de l’Arbitrage – Association For Arbitration
• Comité Français de l’Arbitrage
• The Climate Fresk

Recognized as a futur leader by Lexology (Who’s Who Legal) in:

• Arbitration / International arbitration (2024, 2025, 2026)

Identified as a key lawyer by The Legal 500 in:

• International arbitration (2019, 2023, 2024)

Recognized by Global Arbitration Review in:

• GAR30