AHMED ELSISI represents sovereign governments and State-owned entities, as well as foreign investors and multinational corporations, in international arbitration and cross-border disputes. Ahmed also advises clients on matters involving public international law issues, including boundary and maritime disputes, deep-sea mining and joint-exploration agreements, secession and recognition of sovereign States, transboundary river disputes, diplomatic and consular immunity, and State succession. In addition to his work as counsel, Ahmed, a Fulbright scholar, is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches “International Arbitration in the Middle East.”
With nearly 20 years of practice in dispute resolution, Ahmed’s range of experience includes serving in a judicial capacity, providing legal counsel to government, working with international organizations and arbitral institutions, and practicing in a private law firm. He started his career as a district attorney with the Egyptian Public Prosecution Office, and later joined the Egyptian Council of State (Conseil d'État), where he most recently held the position of Vice President of the Council. In this capacity, he served as an appellate judge at the Administrative Court of Justice, resolving investment and tax disputes between domestic/foreign investors and government agencies. Besides his judicial role, Ahmed acted as a legal advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Investment, where he handled investment disputes on behalf of the Ministry, negotiated settlement agreements with foreign investors, rendered advice on bilateral investment treaties (“BITs”), and contributed to the drafting of major investment and financial-related legislation.
Ahmed’s international experience includes working as legal counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (“PCA”), in The Hague, where he was responsible for handling PCA administered arbitration proceedings, including State to State, investor-State, and contract-based arbitrations. In addition, he advised the PCA Secretary-General on institutional matters and on appointing authority requests under the UNCITRAL Rules. Beyond his role at the PCA, his international practice includes working at the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs in New York, the Appellate Body Secretariat of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, and the World Bank in Washington D.C.
Ahmed has dual training in civil and common law, and is licensed to practice law in both New York and Egypt. Prior to joining Sidley, Ahmed was a member of the arbitration team of a global law firm in Washington, D.C.