Nikolay A. Ouzounov, Esq.​

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND AWARDS​
  • LL.M., Columbia Law School, New York, New York
    Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
    Parker School Recognition of Achievement in International and Comparative Law
    Columbia International Arbitration Association (CIAA) – Board Member
  • The Hague Academy of International Law, the Hague, the Netherlands
    Certificate in Private International Law
  • J.D., cum laude, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois
    Law Review Board – Lead Articles Editor
    Dean’s Merit Scholarship
  • B.A., magna cum laude, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri
Admissions
  • New York
  • Illinois
languages
  • English (fluent)
  • Bulgarian (fluent)
  • Russian (intermediate)

About me

I am a seasoned international counsel with over 15 years of experience across the United States and Europe, focusing on high‑stakes international arbitration and cross‑border transactions. As international arbitration counsel, I advise companies and investors in commercial and investor‑state disputes under the ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, and LCIA Rules. I have advised Scandinavian, Dutch, and Lithuanian investors in disputes against Central and Eastern European states in sectors ranging from oil and gas to real estate and waste management. As arbitration counsel, I am fully involved throughout the life cycle of a case – from fact development and evidence gathering through the request for arbitration, written pleadings and hearings, and the issuance of the final award. In addition to my arbitration work, I also advise start‑ups and early-stage companies on cross‑border transactions and on corporate, commercial, and compliance matters in the tech, telecom, manufacturing, and transportation sectors with a focus on enabling scalable growth and international expansion.

 

I began my career at the Chicago office of a boutique law firm where I practiced international trade law and appeared before state and U.S. federal courts. Subsequently, I was a senior associate at the Sofia office of a London-based international law firm where I was involved in cross-border transactions and international investment disputes on behalf of foreign investors. I hold an LL.M. from Columbia Law School in New York and a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law where I served as a Lead Articles Editor on the Law Review Board.
  • Vasilisa Ershova and Jegor Jeršov v. Republic of Bulgaria, ICSID Case No. ARB/22/29 (Mr. Jan Paulsson, Prof. Juan Fernández-Armesto, Mr. Toby Landau, KC)(opp. counsel White & Case LLP)Investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty arising out of the wrongful taking of the shares in the country’s legacy and largest fuels distributor and fuels storage facilities operator from Mr. Denis Jeršov – a Lithuanian national, and the largest foreign investor in Bulgaria’s oil and gas industry in the post-communist era.

  • Scandinavian Investor v. Eastern European Government (opp. counsel White & Case LLP)Represented investor in an investment arbitration case arising from the termination of long-term waste management concession agreements. Proceedings were voluntarily discontinued pursuant to ICSID Arbitration Rule 45.

  • Dutch Investor v. Eastern European Government (opp. counsel White & Case LLP)Represented investor in an investment treaty arbitration arising from the unlawful termination of waste management concession agreements. Participated in all stages of the dispute from fact-finding to drafting the request for arbitration, memorials, witness statements, and the final hearing.

  • French Investor v. Eastern European Government (confidential)Assisted French investor with evidentiary issues in an investment treaty arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules. The arbitration involved expropriation of assets in the real estate, banking, mining, and shipbuilding sectors. The amount in dispute was in excess of $10 billion.
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