Peter has long experience resolving commercial and other disputes through mediation, negotiation, litigation, or arbitration.

Representative matters as an arbitrator and mediator include:

• Serving on a three-person panel in a New York arbitration involving a number of family trusts and a family foundation alleging, among other things, breach of fiduciary duties
• Mediator in an international licensing, manufacturing, and distribution dispute involving two Europe- based corporations and a US entity.
• Acting as sole arbitrator in several arbitrations under the Arbitration Act 1996 (UK).

Representative matters as counsel include:

• Two construction arbitrations in Africa.
• A patent rights international arbitration between two pharmaceutical companies and consequential unwinding of the parties’ joint venture for drug development and marketing.
• A US construction dispute arising out of a non-operable nuclear power plant.
• New York lawsuits to recover real estate assets purchased by a former head of state of a foreign government.
• An international construction arbitration between a Nordic construction company and a Latin American government.
• A claim by a UK company against a US company arising out of the sale of assets in Brazil.
• A London arbitration between a US oil exploration company and a South-East Asian government.
• A successful trial in the High Court of Malaysia of an intellectual property infringement case representing an international bank.
• Claims in New York by a UK-based investor against an international accounting firm alleging auditing irregularities with regard to a fund established by a California-based investment advisor.
• Successful criminal prosecution in Norway of an individual who had defrauded UNICEF, and successful tracing and recovery of the convicted’ s assets in multiple jurisdictions including the Channel Islands.
• A New York dispute between a Nordic company and a US company about a license of industrial technology
• Mass tort litigation in London and in a South Asian country resulting from water programs conducted in that country
• Contested proceedings in Iran between a UN organization and a supplier
• High-value dispute between a UN organization and a supplier with regard to contamination of foodstuffs purchased for humanitarian relief programs
• Dispute between a UN organization and a supplier of therapeutic products for failure to meet relevant regulatory requirements
• A major will contests in New York courts and associated trust construction proceedings.
• A legal malpractice suit in New York courts arising out of a contested will proceeding.
• Will contest in Paris courts disputing the bequest to UNICEF of a major art collection.
• Proceedings in a tax-haven jurisdiction with regard to a testamentary gift to UNICEF of funds to support programs in a Latin American country
• Appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia; authored amicus curiae brief to the Special Court for Sierra Leone at the Court’s request (submission was adopted in full by the Court).

Academic

• Ll. B., University of Sydney Law School 1984; B. Ec. (Hons.), University of Sydney 1982

Bar Admission

• Australia (New South Wales)
• USA (New York State)

Professional

• International Commercial Disputes Lawyer in Private Practice (Sydney and New York) 1985-98
• Global General Counsel of UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, 1998-2021

 Memberships

• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London: admitted as a Fellow (FCIArb) June 2022.
• London Court of International Arbitration: member.
• International Arbitration Club of New York: admitted to this invitation-only group of senior international arbitrators.
• United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL): Member of NYSBA Observer Delegation to 2021/2 sessions on amendments to ICSID rules and new UNCITRAL arbitration rules for expedited international arbitrations.
• Previously a member of the New York State Supreme Court Roster of Neutrals and of the US Federal Court (SDNY) Panel of Mediators
• Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA) Panel of Arbitrators
• British Virgin Islands (BVIIAC) Panel of Arbitrators & Mediators.
• FINRA Accredited Arbitrator.
• Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) List of Arbitrators.
• Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Panel of Arbitrators.

Associations
 

• Association of the Bar of the City of New York: previously served on the Association’s Council on International Affairs, Council on Children, and Asian Affairs Committee.
• New York State Bar Association: member of Dispute Resolution Section and Trusts and Estates Section.
• Previously Co-Chair of the United Nations Committee of the New York State Bar Association.
• American Society of International Law: Executive Council Counsellor since 2017 and member of the Audit Committee since 2018; member of the Annual Meeting Program Committee 2016.
• World Economic Forum (Davos) General Counsel Global Community: founding member 2021 and subsequently an Advisor to the group.
• The Conference Board Chief Legal Officers’ Council: member 2017-2020.
• National Association of Corporate Directors: member since 2019.
• The Children’s Radio Foundation: Board member since 2014 and Chair of the Audit Committee 2015-19; member of the CEO search committee.
• The University of Sydney USA Foundation: Board member since 2019; Board Chair and President since 2020.

Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, “Guidelines for optimizing Board cyber security oversight: realization, mitigation, protection and resilience” session, Governance Intelligence’s Corporate Governance Forum; New York NY, October 2024
• Panelist, British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Conference panel on Arbitration of Off-Shore Disputes and Trust Disputes; BVI, March 2024
• Invited Participant, High-level Roundtable on Arbitration of Construction Disputes, British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Conference, March 2024
• Moderator, United Nations Member State second consultation with UNCITRAL Secretariat on UNCITRAL research project (supported by the Government of Japan), “Dispute Resolution in the Digital Economy”; New York, February 2024
• Invited Participant in UK Government Roundtable discussion on “Key Issues Confronting International Commercial Arbitration in the UK and Globally”; Paris, October 2023
• Invited Participant in State of Qatar Roundtable discussion, co-hosted by the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General for Public Private Partnerships and the Islamic Social Financing and the Global Humanitarian Action Executive Alliance, on “Redefining Public Private Partnerships and SDG 17 in Humanitarian Response”; United Nations Headquarters New York, July 2023
• Invited Lecturer, Exeter College, Oxford (Occasional Lectures series), “Human Rights from an International Perspective”; Oxford, May 2023
• Panelist, London International Disputes Week 2023 panel on “Arbitrating International Commercial Disputes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi”; London, May 2023
• Moderator, United Nations Member State consultation with UNCITRAL Secretariat on UNCITRAL research project (supported by the Government of Japan), “Dispute Resolution in the Digital Economy”; New York, February 2023
• Panelist, LMA Conference panel on “Addressing Clients’ ESG Needs”; New York, November 2022
• Invited Participant in UK Government Roundtable discussion on “International Commercial Arbitration in the Southern Hemisphere”; Miami, October 2022
• Panelist in plenary panel “General Counsel’s Criteria for Selecting Dispute Resolution Providers and Arbitrators”; Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Americas Conference, Miami, October 2022
• Panelist in plenary panel, “Latest Legal Trends in Climate Finance”; NYU’s Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship conference, Washington DC, June 2022
• Co-presenter, Enterprise GC Conference Plenary Session on “Working with Outside Counsel”; London, April 2022
• Panelist, Tackling the World’s Humanitarian Needs Through Impact Finance; McDermott Will & Emery webinar series, March 2022
• Featured Guest in conversation with firm Chairman Ira Coleman: “Leaders Moving Business Forward”; McDermott Will & Emery webinar series 2021