Vasilis F. L. Pappas
Canada
Bennett Jones LLP
666 Burrard Street, Suite 2500
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6C 2X8 Canada
Tel: 604.891.5114
Email:
pappasv@bennettjones.com
Web:
www.bennettjones.com/
Vasilis has represented companies all over the world in complex commercial disputes worth many billions of dollars in a diverse range of sectors, including energy, mining, banking, insurance, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals. He has particular expertise in construction disputes, acting for owners, contractors, subcontractors, and engineers in a wide range of disputes arising from large construction projects.
Vasilis has acted as arbitration counsel under the world’s leading international arbitration rule systems including ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, ICDR, and AAA, and as litigation counsel before the courts of the United States and Canada. Vasilis also represents sovereign states and multinational companies in investor-state disputes under NAFTA Chapter Eleven, the ICSID Convention, and other bilateral and multilateral investment treaties.
Prior to joining Bennett Jones, Vasilis practiced for eight years in New York City with a leading international law firm. He also practiced with the Government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, representing Canada in investor-state arbitrations and investment treaty negotiations.
Vasilis now works out of the firm’s Vancouver and Calgary offices. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law in the field of international commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration, is on the Canadian roster of arbitrators of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He also publishes and speaks regularly on topics pertaining to international commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration.
Arbitration is often selected as an alternative to court to achieve important objectives: to promptly resolve a commercial dispute, in a confidential setting, using a tribunal that controls its own procedures and that may have industry expertise relevant to the disputed issues. In cross-border matters, arbitration has distinct advantages over traditional courts – including an award enforceable in over 140 countries under the New York Convention.
As experienced advocates and advisors who know both the arbitration and litigation processes, we work with our clients to understand their business objectives and to develop an effective strategic plan to achieve the desired results.
Bennett Jones lawyers have both Canadian and international experience in providing strategic advice and handling complex disputes under all major ad hoc and institutional arbitral regimes, including Canadian federal and provincial legislation and institutional rules, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), American Arbitration Association (AAA), International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Rules, and bilateral investment treaties.
Our roster includes lawyers who are trained in both the common law and civil law traditions; have authored textbooks on arbitration; advised Parliamentary Committees, WTO and NAFTA working groups and CD committees on international trade and investment law; and speak many languages including French, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish, German, Greek and Korean.
For over a century, Bennett Jones has been an internationally recognized Canadian law firm founded and focused on principles of professional excellence, integrity, respect and independent thought. Our firm’s leadership position is reflected in the law we practise, the ground-breaking work we do, the client relationships we have and the quality of our people.
Bennett Jones is home to more than 500 lawyers and business advisors in seven offices—Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, Ottawa, Vancouver, Montréal and New York. Our professional practice encompasses virtually every sector of business, industry and government. Operating seamlessly across our geographic locations, our business practice is to assign lawyers to work on client files who have the skills and experience that best meet our clients’ needs.
Our ranks are filled with leaders in the fields of mergers and acquisitions, energy and natural resources, corporate finance and banking, bankruptcy and restructuring, commercial litigation, climate change, environment, ESG, construction, technology and intellectual property, tax, competition, international trade and public policy. Members of our exceptional Public Policy group have served at the highest levels of office and been invaluable for their leadership in shaping public policy in Canada—and in developing business responses to those policies.
Among our group we count a former governor of the Bank of Canada, two former deputy prime ministers of Canada, a former Supreme Court of Canada justice, a former Canadian ambassador to the United States of America and a former commissioner of the Canadian Competition Bureau.
“Vasilis heads the international arbitration practice group at Bennett Jones. He is widely esteemed for his skilled handling of disputes arising from the natural resources and energy industries.”