He commences with the international arbitration practice group
Rodolphe Ruffié-Farrugia has joined the Perth partnership at K&L Gates, making the jump from Clifford Chance.
He will work with K&L Gates’ international arbitration practice group. He specialises in international commercial arbitration, investor-state dispute settlement, and public international law.
Ruffié-Farrugia has advised on high-stakes cross-border disputes and projects across the APAC, sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe and North America regions. He has worked with clients in the resources, energy, infrastructure, space, esports and video gaming industries.
He has appeared before the World Trade Organization in relation to international trade disputes as well as in award enforcement and execution proceedings, such as those related to sovereign states. He has served as a counsel, arbitrator, mediator, and negotiator in common and civil law jurisdictions.
Ruffié-Farrugia has been admitted to practice in WA, New Zealand, New York, Texas, Washington, and Washington, DC. He is fluent in English, French, and Mandarin Chinese while also being conversant in Japanese and Spanish.
He has double bachelor's degrees in French and English Laws, a master’s degree in international arbitration, and an LLM in international business and economic law.
The coordinator of K&L Gates’ international arbitration practice group, partner Christopher Tung, highlighted Ruffié-Farrugia’s multicultural background as an asset for the firm.
“He is a knowledgeable and well-regarded lawyer with an entrepreneurial mindset. His multicultural background and multifaceted experience make him a strong addition to our international arbitration practice, especially with the growing number of global disputes across the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, and investment treaty claims”, Tung said.
Australia regional managing partner Jason Opperman said that Ruffié-Farrugia’s hire was timely given the “increasing volume of complex cross-border commercial and investment disputes”.
“We’re delighted to welcome Rodolphe to the firm. His proven track record of representing mining and energy companies, combined with his ability to advise multinational French corporates with operations across the region, reinforces our commitment to investing in top-tier talent and remaining agile amid evolving market dynamics. This is especially critical as these companies face heightened scrutiny and increasingly complex cross-border disputes”, Asia regional managing partner Ryan Dwyer said.
