What we do
7SA resolves disputes for its clients—in international and domestic arbitral proceedings, before courts, and through mediation.
7SA serves clients big and small, from both the private and the public sectors. Having worked on industry-changing cases in a geopolitical context, the partners at 7SA seek to establish a diverse client portfolio, which includes small and medium sized companies (SMEs).
Industry Sectors
The collective experience of the partners at 7SA covers the major industry sectors, including:
Legal systems
7SA operates in the legal systems that form the basis of international arbitration—civil law, common law, and public international law.
Civil Law
7SA is located in Munich, Germany, a civil law jurisdiction in which both founding partners are qualified. In addition to cases governed by German law, 7SA’s founding partners have gained vast exposure to arbitrations involving other continental European law systems.
Common Law
The influence of the common law on many arbitration proceedings is strong. 7SA has a thorough practical understanding of the relevant principles, and one of its founding partners is a US-qualified lawyer. Its international network allows 7SA to team up with other firms whenever additional foreign law expertise is required.
Public International Law
Public international law (PIL) plays a central role in international arbitration—from the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York Convention) to international treaties as the applicable law in investor-State arbitrations. The PIL expertise of 7SA is outstanding, as evidenced by a PhD of one of its partners with a former judge at the International Court of Justice, Bruno Simma.
Methods of dispute resolution
7SA brings to bear its forensic skills in multiple international and domestic fora:
Arbitration
7SA focuses on arbitration—international and domestic, commercial and investment.
The collective experience of the 7SA partners covers all major arbitral rules, including cases under the ICC, DIS, VIAC, SCC, SCAI, FAI, ICSID and UNCITRAL Rules.
7SA’s expertise goes beyond having worked with these rules:
One of the founding partners of 7SA was privy to 850 arbitrations during his time at the International Court of Arbitration and has been confronted with virtually every procedural situation that may arise in arbitral proceedings. His lessons learned include invaluable insights on how institutions and tribunals reach and reason their decisions. The same partner was part of the twelve-member committee drafting the new DIS Arbitration Rules (which saw their first cases in 2018).
Both founding partners of 7SA act as arbitrators.
Litigation
7SA is at your disposal to litigate cases before international and domestic courts.
The founding partners of 7SA spent the bulk of their careers with arbitration, but their collective experience includes high-value court proceedings. For example, they have worked on electricity-pricing disputes in the range of €30 to €90 million and several liability cases, including one resulting from a €1.7 billion M&A-transaction in the financial sector.
Mediation
Adversarial proceedings are the bread and butter of 7SA, but sometimes mediation or negotiations offer a more efficient and less costly way to resolve disputes. 7SA accompanies its clients in exploring and facilitating amicable solutions. One of the founding partners of 7SA is a business mediator (MuCDR).