Shaparak Saleh

Partner, Three Crowns

Shaparak is a partner in Three Crowns’ Paris office. She has acted as counsel for two decades in a large number of commercial arbitrations, both ad hoc and institutional, including under the DIAC, ICC, IEMA, LCIA, UNCITRAL, and VIAC rules. Her experience includes post-M&A disputes and disputes in the aeronautics, chemicals, construction, energy, food, mining, pharmaceutical, space and telecommunications sectors, relating to projects in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

She has represented a wide range of clients, including States, State entities, major international oil, gas, and mining companies, leading construction groups, an aircraft manufacturer, and electricity companies.

She regularly sits as arbitrator, including as chairperson.

In addition, Shaparak has broad experience in pre-arbitration and post-arbitration litigation before the French courts, having represented clients in approximately 25 set-aside proceedings. She was also involved in enforcement proceedings relating to numerous awards against sovereign States.

Shaparak is listed in the major international rankings. She is notably recognised as a Global Thought Leader and a Thought Leader for France for arbitration in the Lexology Index. She is also featured in Chambers Global and named a Next Generation Partner in The Legal 500. Global

Arbitration Review also listed her as one of the world’s top 45 arbitration lawyers under 45.

In 2024, Shaparak was appointed Delegate to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, comprising experts in the field of international dispute resolution.

For the past 16 years, Shaparak has been a lecturer in international arbitration, teaching courses on enforcement proceedings at a number of prominent universities, including Sciences Po Paris, Paris II – Panthéon-Assas and Aix-en-Provence. She is admitted in Paris and speaks French, English, Italian, and Persian.

Contributed to

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Sanctions in arbitration—from contracting to enforcement—checklist

Practice Notes

Sanctions must be considered throughout the life of a transaction and any resulting dispute. The 50 questions in this Checklist identify practical issues to consider from initial risk assessment and contract drafting through to the commencement and conduct of arbitral proceedings, recognition, enforcement and ultimate recovery.Sanctions issues are rarely neatly labelled as such. A designation or new sanctions measure arising midway through a contract can raise a series of practical questions: Can the contract still be performed? Can payments be made? Can counsel act? Can the institution and tribunal be paid? Can documents be transferred and witnesses heard? And, ultimately, can an award actually be enforced and the proceeds recovered?The existence of sanctions does not, however, necessarily prevent an arbitration from proceeding. Depending on the applicable sanctions regime and the circumstances, the issue may instead be whether particular acts, services or payments are permitted or require an exemption, licence or other authorisation. Sanctions may affect contractual performance, payment, participation in the arbitration, the

Arbitration