Pierre-Olivier Stanislass Savoie

Pierre-Olivier is the founding partner of Savoie Arbitration, which has existed in different forms since 2016. He has over fifteen years of experience acting as international arbitration counsel both in private practice and as counsel for the Government of Canada’s Trade Law Bureau.

Pierre-Olivier specializes in investment treaty arbitration, having acted for both investors and over half a dozen states in over 30 matters. He primarily acts as lead counsel for states or investors and has done so since 2017. He has also negotiated over 15 bilateral investment treaties (including as a member of the Canadian team negotiating the investment chapter of the Canada-Europe Comprehensive Trade and Economic Agreement) and advised several states on their international investment obligations.

Pierre-Olivier’s experience as counsel at Canada’s Trade Law Bureau gives him particular insight on how states implement and defend investment treaty obligations. Over the course of his career, Pierre-Olivier has advised or acted for clients in over 40 international arbitration matters, including as lead counsel or co-lead counsel in arbitrations under the ICC, ICSID, OHADA, SCC and UNCITRAL rules.

Pierre-Olivier also has significant experience as lead counsel in international commercial arbitrations, including under the ICC, SCC and OHADA rules, as well as in matters involving the setting-aside or enforcement of arbitral awards and associated asset tracing. Pierre-Olivier frequently appears before French courts, in particular before the Paris first instance and appellate courts, in matters ancillary to arbitration proceedings, whether in respect of recognition or set aside of awards, or their enforcement.

In addition to his counsel work, Pierre-Olivier frequently sits as arbitrator, including as sole arbitrator and presiding arbitrator in ICC commercial cases, and has also been appointed as panelist in disputes under the NAFTA Chapter 19 (now the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement) for state-to-state trade disputes.