Sophia Von Dewall

Sophia von Dewall is a founding partner of Vanguard International Dispute Resolution.

Sophia has acted in numerous international arbitration proceedings, as well as in legal proceedings before Netherlands state courts. She has handled arbitrations conducted under the arbitration rules of the NAI, CEPANI, ICC, HKIAC and ICSID. Her areas of practice include international investment disputes and international commercial disputes arising out of international contracts, joint-venture and shareholder relationships and large infrastructural projects. She also acts as arbitrator in international arbitration proceedings.

Prior to founding Vanguard International Dispute Resolution, Sophia worked at Freshfields (Amsterdam, London, New York) before moving to Derains & Gharavi Paris, where she became partner in 2022. Sophia is admitted to the Amsterdam Bar and registered in the Paris Bar. She obtained an LL.M. in Public International & European Law (cum laude) and an LL.M. in Dutch Law (cum laude) from the University of Amsterdam.

Illustrative experience as Counsel°

• Representing a Greek construction company in an ICC arbitration against an American/Italian software house concerning a dispute arising out of a malfunction of the control system of a co-generation plant.
• Representing an Italian company specialized in equipment for the production of wood-based products in an NAI arbitration against a Dutch company arising out of a contract regarding the provision of engineering services concerning a “green” power plant in The Netherlands.
• Representing two Russian companies in a HKIAC arbitration against a Cypriot company in a post-acquisition dispute regarding a petrochemical plant in Russia
• Representing an African State Ministry in an ICC arbitration against a Croatian company, arising out of the performance of a contract regarding the development of water and irrigation projects.
• Representing two Italian companies in two SCAI arbitrations against a German company and the Luxembourg and US subsidiaries of one of the largest wood-based panel manufacturers relating to the construction of two plants in Luxembourg and the USA.
• Representing an Eastern European State in an ICSID arbitration initiated by a Cypriot investor in relation to its investment in the renewable energy sector (solar) (ICSID Case No. ARB/22/13).
• Representing a Middle Eastern State in an ICSID arbitration initiated by a Dutch investor in relation to alleged acts and omissions of the host State pertaining to the regulation of its market for pipes used for sewage and potable water engineering projects (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/31).
• Representing an Eastern European State in an ICSID arbitration initiated by a Cypriot investor in relation to its investment in the renewable energy sector (wind) (ICSID Case No. ARB/20/15).
• Representing an Eastern European State in an ICSID arbitration initiated by a Dutch investor in relation to the alleged expropriation of its investments in the insurance and media sectors (ICSID Case No. ARB/16/19).
• Representing a Balkan State in an ICSID arbitration initiated by a Greek investor in relation to an investment in the oil and gas industry (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/24).
• Representing a Balkan State in an ICSID arbitration initiated by an Italian investor in relation to an investment in the gambling industry (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/18).
• Representing Belgian investors in an ICSID arbitration against a Balkan State over a dispute concerning an investment in the touristic real estate sector (ICSID Case No. ARB/13/12).
• Representing a Turkish investor in an ICSID arbitration against a Middle Eastern State in relation to the expropriation of its investment in the oil & gas sector, comprising an Off Plot Delivery Contract (ICSID Case No. ARB/16/7), including in ICSID annulment proceedings.
• Representing an oil company (Applicant) in ICSID annulment proceedings against a Central Asian State concerning a dispute related to an oil concession (ICSID Case No. ARB/08/12 (annulment)).
• Representing a European media group in a dispute against a multinational content provider about licensing fees on worldwide revenues generated with television formats under licensing and content agreements.
• Representing a major Dutch bank in a CEPANI arbitration against two Belgian banks concerning a post-acquisition dispute.
• Representing one of the largest Portuguese private investment groups in preliminary relief proceedings brought by a joint venture partner on the issue of the nomination of a board member in Portugal’s largest energy company.
• Representing a South African telecom company before Dutch courts in its action for infringement of its contractual shareholder pre-emption rights. The proceedings were part of a multi-jurisdictional dispute, involving UNCITRAL and LCIA arbitrations.
• Representing a Dutch pension fund in an NAI arbitration against an insurance multinational in a post-acquisition dispute.

_{° The above counsel cases were handled as mandates of previous firms, prior to founding Vanguard International Dispute Resolution.}

Experience as Arbitrator

• Chair in an ICC arbitration between a French service provider and an Indonesian company arising from a distribution contract
• Co-arbitrator in an ICC arbitration between a Dutch Entity and an African transport company arising from a construction contract
• Sole arbitrator in an ICC arbitration between a Spanish and a Belgium transport company arising from a distribution contract
• Sole arbitrator in an ICC arbitration between a Chilean export fruit company and a Dutch distributor arising from a distribution contract
• Sole arbitrator in an ICC arbitration between a German trading company and a Dutch agent arising from an agency contract
• Sole arbitrator in an ICC arbitration between an international consortium and a French Entity arising from a data sharing agreement
• Emergency arbitrator in a NAI arbitration between an international company in the industrial gas sector and a Dutch engineering company pertaining to the construction of a nitrogen plant
• Emergency arbitrator in an NAI Arbitration between two Dutch companies in relation to the construction of a geothermal installation

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• University of Amsterdam | LL.M. Public International & European Law (cum laude) | 2004
• University of Amsterdam | LL.M. Dutch Law (cum laude) | 2003

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Sophia is listed as a ‘Future Leader’ in the Lexology Index for 2025.

 Peers and clients have described Sophia as:

• “great to work with, gifted not only with superb analytical skills but also with lots of humor. She is very smart and unbelievably hard working.”;
• “an excellent counsel of the type that I find most effective. She has thorough knowledge of the file, is factual and elegant in presentation and responsive to the questions of the tribunal” with one arbitrator looking back at her performance “with pleasure and admiration”;
• “thorough, independent, critical legal mastermind, who has never lost a case for us”. “She gets to the bottom of a legal case by dissecting each piece of documentation and evidence and then builds irrefutable strong and compelling legal argumentation.” “She is eloquent in all of her languages as well as in writing.”