Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes is pleased to announce the election of Paschalis Paschalidis as the firm’s 14th partner, effective 1st June 2026.
Paschalidis brings to the firm his expertise in EU law and matters at the cross-section of EU law and international arbitration. He acts in several proceedings before the EU Courts and institutions, including the challenge of European Commission decisions declaring awards to constitute State aid (e.g., Case T-365/25, Infrastructure Services Luxembourg v Commission), the defence of investors in the renewable energy sector against injunctions sought by Spain to restrain the enforcement of awards outside the EU, and the annulment of awards breaching the EU sanctions regime (Case C-802/24, Reibel).
Based in Luxembourg and an active member of the Luxembourg Arbitration Association, Paschalidis is a key player in the country’s emerging market for arbitration and arbitration-related services. He regularly acts for parties involved in international commercial arbitrations in Luxembourg under the rules of the ICC and the Luxembourg Arbitration Centre.
Upon the completion of his doctorate at Oxford on the intersection of EU law and private international law for corporations, Paschalis Paschalidis began his career as a junior associate at Shearman & Sterling in 2009, working closely with Emmanuel Gaillard and Yas Banifatemi in the ECT arbitrations brought by the former majority shareholders of Yukos Oil Company against the Russian Federation.
In 2012 he joined the Court of Justice of the European Union as référendaire for the First Advocate General Melchior Wathelet. At the heart of the EU’s judicial making process, Paschalidis worked on a series of seminal cases involving EU law and international investment treaty and commercial arbitration, including Achmea and Genentech as well as Rosneft, the first case to address sanctions adopted against Russia by the EU in response to Crimea’s annexation in 2014.
Paschalidis rejoined Shearman & Sterling’s international arbitration team as a senior associate in 2019, and was part of the 38-member spinoff team when Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes was established in February 2021, where he was promoted to counsel. He continued his work in the fields of investment treaty and commercial arbitration, including the defence of Georgia in an investment treaty claim in which a dual Georgian-UK national, Mr Okuashvili, made a controversial attempt to establish jurisdiction through the use of an MFN clause. Paschalidis also was part of the team that defended Algeria against a contract claim brought by a Middle-Eastern investor in connection with a real estate project.
Paschalidis rejoins Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes after 4.5 years at the Luxembourg firm Arendt & Medernach, where he worked towards the establishment of the country’s first arbitration practice and advised parties in relation to the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards.
Yas Banifatemi comments: “Paschalis is nothing short of an absolutely outstanding lawyer and, equally, an exceptional colleague and friend. His return to his second family and home is particularly meaningful to me. From a fresh PhD graduate at Oxford to becoming a market-leader on EU law and on matters sitting at the cross-section between EU law and international arbitration, our team appears to have always been a compass in Paschalis’ path. We are overjoyed to welcome Paschalis back and to continue to build our firm’s future with a talent such as his.”
Amy Frey, partner at King & Spalding’s arbitration practice, observes: “What an honor for GBS to have the highly intelligent Paschalis Paschalidis join their partnership! Not only do I consider him a go-to source on Luxembourg law, but also his unique perspective on matters of EU law and the inter- workings of both the CJEU and the Commission is invaluable for any client doing business in Europe. Congratulations to both him and the firm!”
Mohamed Shelbaya “is very happy to welcome back Paschalis who is a great addition to the team; a sharp lawyer with a deep understanding of the law and a versatility in dialectics of both common law and civil law.”
Andrew Stafford KC and Richard Clarke, partners at Kobre & Kim, add: “Paschalis brings really significant intellectual firepower and judgment – borne of deep experience –to the handling of complex and important client problems, and does so in a highly collaborative and responsive way. We like working with him so much.”
Benjamin Siino adds: “Paschalis’ return to the firm as a partner was a natural step. Since his departure in 2021, we have continued to work together on many cases, including, in particular, the recognition and enforcement of the arbitral awards against the Russian Federation by the former majority shareholders of Yukos in Luxembourg – a matter which is ongoing – and in proceedings before the CJEU. The complementarity of our practice areas and expertise is manifest, and so I am delighted to welcome him back to the firm.”
Paschalis Paschalidis comments: “There is an increasing volume of work flowing from the confluence of EU law and arbitration, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to carry the Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes flag in this new frontier together with my colleagues. On this day, my thoughts go to Emmanuel Gaillard, who would have been proud of the achievements and ground-breaking work accomplished by the team over the past five years. The election to the firm’s partnership is a privilege that carries with it a unique history and legacy. It is also a source of immense joy as I’m reunited with colleagues and friends that mean so much to me, starting with Yas who gave me my first work opportunity, mentored me throughout my most formative years as a young lawyer, and then enabled me to pursue all my professional aspirations.”
