Vasilis Pappas is Co-Head of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group, and practices in the areas of domestic and international commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration, with a particular emphasis on construction disputes.
In this capacity, Vasilis represents multinational companies all over the world in complex commercial disputes in a diverse range of sectors, including oil and gas, mining, banking, insurance, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals. He has acted as arbitration counsel under the world's leading international arbitration rule systems including ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, ICDR, and AAA, and as litigation counsel before the courts of the United States and Canada. Vasilis also represents sovereign states and multinational companies worldwide in investor-state disputes under NAFTA Chapter Eleven, the ICSID Convention, and other bilateral and multilateral investment treaties.
Prior to joining Bennett Jones, Vasilis practiced for eight years in New York City with a leading international law firm. He also practiced with the Government of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, representing Canada in investor-state arbitrations and investment treaty negotiations.
Vasilis now works out of the firm’s Vancouver, Calgary, and Doha offices. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Law in the field of international commercial arbitration, and is on the Canadian roster of arbitrators of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. He also publishes and speaks regularly on topics pertaining to international commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration.