Who Is Robert Amsterdam?

Robert Amsterdam is an international lawyer with 40 years of experience working on high-profile disputes in emerging markets. His law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP, with offices in London and Washington DC, is well regarded for its innovative approaches to complex litigation, arbitration, and white collar defence in matters featuring political and policy dimensions.

Amsterdam has been retained by numerous governments and multinational corporations to advise on disputes, His unique blend of political advocacy and international law has led to his retention by several world leaders, such as the Government of the Republic of Turkey, the former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra, former President of Zambia Rupiah Banda, Ugandan MP Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, Cameroonian politician Maurice Kamto, former Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, among other high profile figures.

With significant experience on the ground in emerging economies across Africa, Asia, Eurasia, and Latin America, Robert Amsterdam specialises in “bet the company” cases. He has achieved major arbitration awards for major corporations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Four Seasons Hotel & Resorts Group, while also advising companies on opening new markets and managing political risk.

In addition to its commercial practice, the law firm is well known for its pro bono human rights work. The firm is the recipient of the Global Pro Bono Dispute Award from the American Lawyer for its work in Zimbabwe, and has represented opposition figures in places as diverse as Singapore, Uganda, and Venezuela.

Amsterdam has also represented high profile political prisoners, such as the former head of the Yukos oil company in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and the Venezuelan businessman Eligio Cedeño, both of whom were successfully freed.

As a prolific columnist and blogger, Amsterdam’s writings have been published in the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Forbes, among other publications. Amsterdam has made several television appearances on networks such as CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, BBC, and Fox News.

Amsterdam is a member of the Canadian and International Bar Associations, and is qualified as a solicitor in the United Kingdom. He earned his BA from Carleton University in Ottawa, and studied law at Queen’s University in Ontario (LLB).