Profile

Floriane Lavaud is a member of the firm's International Dispute Resolution Group in New York. Her practice focuses on international investment and commercial arbitration and enforcement-related litigation, in particular in the energy and mining sectors. She is admitted to the New York and the Paris Bars, in addition to being a Solicitor in England and Wales.

Ms. Lavaud represents clients in arbitrations conducted under the auspices of the main arbitration institutions and in related court proceedings. She has advised clients in a variety of jurisdictions on issues of civil and common law, public international law, treaty and contract interpretation, and maritime boundary. Her expertise also includes the assessment of damages and the enforcement of arbitration awards, especially under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and other similar legislation. Ms. Lavaud also represents clients in connection with pro bono matters, including asylum and family matters. In 2014, she received the "Pro Bono Service Award" from the New York City Family Court.

Prior to joining Debevoise in 2007, Ms. Lavaud worked at Total, the world's fifth-ranked integrated international oil and gas company. As a member of Total's Exploration & Production legal division, Ms. Lavaud gained in-depth experience with the oil and gas industry and the agreements specific to this industry, such as joint operating agreements and production-sharing agreements.

From 2009 to 2011, she clerked for the Honorable Douglas P. Woodlock of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Ms. Lavaud is among the few civil-law-trained attorneys who served as a federal law clerk. During her two-year clerkship, she was involved in a wide variety of civil and criminal cases under federal and state law and participated in numerous trials and motion hearings.

Ms. Lavaud sits on the Arbitration Committee of the New York City Bar Association and is a member of numerous arbitration organizations, including the IBA Oil & Gas Committee, ICC Young Arbitrators Forum (YAF), ICDR Young & International, Y-ADR Institute, Young International Arbitration Practitioners of New York (YIAP), ASA Below 40, and ArbitralWomen.

Ms. Lavaud received an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2007 and an M.A. in Litigation and Arbitration from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas with honors in 2005. She is a native French speaker. She is proficient in Spanish and speaks basic Dutch.

Education

• University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2007, LL.M.
• Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, 2005, M.A.
• Université de Toulouse, 2003, M.A.

Bar Admissions

• New York
• Paris
• Solicitor, England & Wales