Profile: Axel H Baum

Commercial Arbitration

Biography: Commercial Arbitration

Axel Baum is counsel to Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, based in the firm's Paris office, which he headed for many years. He is an American lawyer, admitted in New York, Connecticut, and before the US Supreme Court, and an avocat àﾠ la cour in France. He is familiar with both common and civil law. He is also fluent in English, German and French.

Mr Baum has extensive experience in international business transactions and international arbitration. He has participated in more than 100 international arbitrations, serving as counsel to parties, chairman of tribunals, party-nominated or sole arbitrator, and as an expert witness. He acted as counsel in obtaining the first contested award before the Iran-US Claims Tribunal, and as counsel to the prevailing party in the landmark Dutco case.

Mr Baum was the US member on the ICC's International Court of Arbitration (2000 to 2005), and has participated on various working parties of the ICC Commission on Arbitration. He is on the panels of arbitrators maintained by leading institutions, including CPR's panel of distinguished international mediators, and is a frequent speaker at arbitration conferences. In 2005, the leading French journal Décideurs Juridiques named Mr Baum 'Arbitrator of the year'.

The cases in which Mr Baum has acted cover a wide range of industries (eg, pharmaceutical, chemical, automotive, petroleum, high technology) and commercial transactions (eg joint ventures, acquisitions, turn-key projects, licenses, government concessions). They have involved many different countries and rules, including ICC, LCIA, AAA, UNCITRAL, Stockholm Chamber, Vienna Center, and others.

Mr Baum graduated from Amherst College and Yale Law School, where he was managing editor of the Yale Law Journal.