Barristers & Arbitrators
Admissions
2024 Barrister, Hong Kong
2022 Registered foreign lawyer, Singapore International Commercial Court
2020 Solicitor, Hong Kong
2009 Advocate, the Russian Federation
Academic
2006 Master of Laws, Paris-1 Pantheon-Sorbonne
2005 Bachelor and specialist of Public International Law, Moscow State Institute (University) of International Relations
Rankings
“A hard-working and dedicated arbitration practitioner.”
“A very strong international lawyer”
“Sharp, highly accomplished, and absolutely dedicated”
– Lexology, 2025
Practice profile
Edward Alder is regularly instructed in international arbitrations as counsel and arbitrator. His High Court practice involves commercial trials, injunctions, asset freezing and arbitration-related applications, jurisdictional challenges and ship arrests, often in the international trade and transport and insurance sectors, including a growing aviation and luxury yacht practice.
Edward is also regularly instructed in international insolvency, financial services, shareholder, directorship and senior executive employment disputes.
In the IT / IP / crypto space, Edward acts in software / IT project, confidential information and trade mark and copyright disputes. He has been instructed in three recent IT project disputes, a telecoms network trial and a crypto-mining arbitration. He previously appeared in several telecom related competition cases as sole advocate and led by London silk.
From 2000 to 2006 he was a partner of Bird & Bird Hong Kong focusing on CMT work and from 1997 to 2000 a partner of Holman Fenwick Willan Hong Kong focusing on international trade.The first five years of his career were at Australia’s leading law firm, Allens, in Sydney.
Arbitrator panel Memberships
- Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)
- Asia International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)
- China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)
- Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA)
- Xi’An Arbitration Commission (XAAC)
- Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)
- Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA)
- Tashkent International Arbitration Center (TIAC)
- Thai Arbitration Institute (TAI)
- Thailand Arbitration Center (THAC)
- British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre (BVIIAC)
- Beihai Asia International Arbitration Centre (BAIAC)
- Brunei Darussalam Arbitration Centre (BDAC)
- Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB)
- South China International Arbitration Center HK (SCIAHK)
- Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC)
- Hong Kong Bar Association Arbitrator List
Arbitration work
- Presiding arbitrator in a multi-million dollar HKIAC arbitration with a seat in Hong Kong arising out of a set of oil logging agreements
- Co-arbitrator in a multi-million dollar SCC arbitration with a seat in Stockholm arising out of a set of licensing agreements for manufacturing and distribution of beverages, governed by Danish law
- Co-arbitrator in an high-stake ICC dispute arising out of a supply transaction between Eastern European and Germany entities with respect to a sea port
- Presiding arbitrator in a dispute between a Chinese and a Central Asian entity arising out of a freight forwarding contract, with a seat in Tashkent,
- Uzbekistan, administered by the International Commercial Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Re-appointment: sole arbitrator in a construction dispute arising out of a residential premises construction project in Mongolia, conducted under the arbitration rules of the Mongolian International Arbitration Centre
- Sole arbitrator in a construction dispute between a Russian sub-contractor and an Italian contractor, seated in Moscow and conducted under the Arbitration Rules of the Russian Arbitration Centre at the Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration
- Sole arbitrator in an ICC dispute arising out of a set of supply arrangements between a South Korean manufacturer and a Brazilian supplier, under Hong Kong law with a legal seat in Hong Kong
- Sole arbitrator in a construction dispute under the Mongolian Arbitration Centre Rules arising out of a construction project in Ulaan Batar, under Mongolian law with a legal seat in Ulaan Batar
- Sole arbitrator in an ad hoc arbitration arising out of a set of supply arrangements between a French party and a Malaysian party, with a seat in Kuala Lumpur
- Co-arbitrator in a CIETAC dispute arising out of a set of manufacturing-related arrangements between a Russian party and a Belorussian party, under PRC law with a legal seat in Beijing
- Sole arbitrator in a Russian Arbitration Centre dispute arising under a set of supply arrangements between two Russian parties, under Russian law with a legal seat in Moscow
Counsel and registrar work
- Advising a group of companies (Singapore, Hong Kong, and PRC) on Singapore-seated complex multi-party arbitration under the SIAC rules with respect to manufacturing and distribution of certain retail goods in the PRC
- Advising a Chinese manufacturer on a multi-million USD distribution dispute under SIAC Rules with a seat in Singapore
- Advising an Eastern European shipbuilder on a contentious situation arising out of a blocked vessel in the PRC
- Advising an Italian contractor in a large-scale infrastructure dispute in South Asia
- Representing a major international agricultural business in a large-scale funds recovery effort in Hong Kong
- Advising an Eastern European client on regulatory matters relating to trading gold in Hong Kong
- Representing a party in a contentious situation involving blocked credit limits with respect to an agricultural trade transaction
- Acting for a buyer in a potentially contentious acquisition of a substantial stock in a Hong Kong listed company
- Advising an Eastern European bank on acquisition of a stake in a Hong Kong listed company
- Advising Russian shareholders of a Hong Kong incorporated holding company on a shareholders dispute in Hong Kong with accompanying winding-up proceedings
- Advising a Paraguayan entity in recovering amounts defrauded from the company in a large scale email scam
- Advising a Chinese shareholder in a shareholders dispute relating to a JV in Hong Kong with main assets in the mainland China
- Advising a Chinese shareholder in a shareholders dispute relating to an acquisition of a technology business in Europe
- Representing a Chinese State-owned enterprise in investor-State negotiations of a dispute arising out of a large-scale nationalisation of an infrastructure investment project in Africa
- Representing a European investor against a sovereign State in set aside proceedings before Hong Kong courts with respect to a Hong Kong-seated treaty arbitration
- Representing a Russian individual in a dispute over bitminers and other cryptocurrency equipment in Hong Kong
- Representing Armenia against a US national in an ICSID dispute under the US-Armenia BIT arising out of Armenia’s alleged breach of the BIT’s full protection and security standard
- Representing AFK Sistema an ICSID arbitration against Turkmenistan arising out of Turkmenistan cancellation of mobile telecommunication licences
- Representing Ukraine in ICSID Case ARB/06/18 Joseph Charles Lemire v Ukraine
- Representing Ukraine in ICSID Case ARB/09/11 Global Trading Resources Corp. and Globex International, Inc. v Ukraine
- Representing a Ukrainian state agency in a dispute under the PCA Environmental Rules over the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol in Ukraine
- Acting as a PCA legal counsel in a set of ECT arbitrations against the Russian Federation over the expropriation of the Yukos Oil Company
- Advising a major Russian bank on strategic issues of a large-scale transnational debt recovery effort
- Representing a Japanese vehicle manufacturing company in a Brussels based ICC arbitration in a dispute arising out of a FIDIC construction contract
- Representing a French construction company in a Stockholm based ICC arbitration in a dispute over a FIDIC construction contract
- Representing a French Michelin star restaurant group in an IP dispute against a Hong Kong entity over multiple breaches of a licensing agreement
Expert witness work
- Issued a legal opinion with respect to compliance of a complex supply contract with laws and regulations of Hong Kong SAR
- Issued a legal opinion under Hong Kong law on the impact of sanctions imposed by various jurisdictions on contract performance
- Appeared as a Russian law expert witness in set aside proceedings in the Federal Courts of Australia
Publications
- “Balancing the Protection of Foreign Investors and States’ Responses in the (Post) Pandemic World: An Introduction”, Balancing the Protection of Foreign Investors and States Responses in the Post-Pandemic World, edt. by Y. Levashova, P. Accaoui Lorfing, 2022, Olga Boltenko
- “Arbitration in Russia: Investment Law – Inception and Evolution”, International Arbitration: Issues, Perspectives and Practice, Liber Amicorum Neil Kaplan, January 2019; Olga Boltenko
- “Investment Protection in China’s SEZs: Lee Jong Baek Case Study”, International Economic Law and the Challenges of the Free Zones, edt. by J. Chaisse and Jiaxiang Hu, 2019; Olga Boltenko
- “Investment Protection in China’s Special Economic Zones: Lee Jong Baek Case Study”, Hong Kong Lawyer, January 2019; Olga Boltenko
- “The Protection of Foreign Investment in Mongolia: A Bumpy Ride for Overseas Mining Investors?”, Asian Dispute Review, 2019; Olga Boltenko
- “Political Risk Insurance on the Rise along the Belt & Road: A viable alternative to investment arbitration?”, Hong Kong Lawyer, October 2017; Olga Boltenko
- “Political Risk Insurance along Belt & Road”, Asian Dispute Review, December 2017; Olga Boltenko
- “A Russian roulette: the future of Russian investment law”, Offshore Investment, October 2017; Olga Boltenko
- “Arbitrating with Russia – ways to minimize sanctions-related risks”, Corporate Disputes, April 2015; Olga Boltenko, Karen Tan
- “Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards in Russia and China”, Asian Dispute Review, January 2015; Olga Boltenko
- “Hong Kong: Lord Hoffmann’s rule of law musings”, Global Arbitration Review, December 2014; Olga Boltenko
- “Hong Kong emerges as Russia’s Refuge while the EU Sanction Cripple Major Russian Businesses”, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, November 2014; Olga Boltenko