AMSTERDAMANDPARTNERS.COM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior International Policy Advisor
Alfredo W. Forti has more than 30 years of experience advising on international public affairs, foreign and defense policy, and human rights, among other practice areas.
Mr. Forti served for seven years (2007-2013) as Vice Minister of Defense of the Republic of Argentina, implementing successful reform and modernization programs for the country's international defense policy. He negotiated cooperation agreements with 31 countries; created the first Regional Center for Advanced Training in Peace Operations; equipped and launched the primary binational peace force in Latin America; and coordinated Argentine participation in UN peacekeeping operations.
In 2003, he was appointed Ambassador to Honduras. During his three-year tenure, he focused on improving cooperation and trade. Honduras became the largest recipient of Argentine international cooperation programs, while Argentine exports to Honduras grew nine-fold.
More recently, he was Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in charge of designing a new policy to fight sexual exploitation and abuse by UN military and civilian personnel in field missions. Mr. Forti has also served as Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States on regional security and defense policy (2015-2017).
Among various special assignments in crisis situations, Alfredo Forti was designated by the President of Argentina as a Special Envoy to carry out negotiations with the Government of Ghana for the successful recovery of a Navy Frigate, embargoed at the port of Tema (2012). He was also appointed as a Special Presidential Envoy successfully negotiating the resolution of a bilateral crisis with Cuba involving a dissident entering the Argentina Embassy in Havana (2004).
In the human rights arena, Alfredo Forti has been a prominent activist in the broader Latin America truth and justice movement post-Cold War. In such endeavors, he has professionally advised the governments of Haiti, Peru, Honduras, El Salvador, Suriname and others in the design of mandate, structure, and implementation strategies of Truth Commissions charged to investigate past human rights violations.
Alfredo Forti holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and a BA Degree in International Relations from The American University, Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner at the International Law Firm
Cameron Ashouripour is a Partner at the international law firm Amsterdam & Partners, LLP, where he also advises on the firm's business development and strategy. Based in the Washington DC office, his practice focuses on United States domestic and international corporate, arbitration and disputes, including notable experience in advising clients in jurisdictions with high financial risk, from stages involving pre-dispute risk assessment through dispute resolution.
Cameron has represented corporations and individuals in investigations and has provided white collar defense counsel in prosecutions by the UK authorities, including Interpol; as well as clients who are subject to investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and SCC. He has also advised governments and corporations on AML policy and compliance; individuals, and corporations on law enforcement investigations regarding money laundering; and has successfully secured monetary damages, including one of the highest arbitration settlements ever awarded.
Cameron helps clients navigate the complexities of the law while emphasizing practical, business-focused solutions. He has counseled clients across of an array of industries and markets, working on cases in the United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Malaysia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the Balkans, Pakistan, and South Korea, among others.
Prior to joining Amsterdam & Partners LLP, Cameron worked as a judicial law clerk for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Cameron holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ohio State University and an J.D. from Georgetown University/ He is a member of both the D.C. Bar Association and the Solicitor's Regulation Authority, England and Wales. Cameron is also fluent in conversational Farsi and French.
Job Titles:
- Legal Consultant at Amsterdam
Davika Suphakiri is a Legal Consultant at Amsterdam and Partners LLP. She primarily focuses on East and Southeast Asia, applying her knowledge in multi-jurisdictional disputes and political communications to offer strategic legal advice. Starting as a Senior Political Analyst for the same firm, she has applied her expertise to important cases such as the 2010 Bangkok Massacres.
Afterwards, she shifted to media and campaign strategy, orchestrating successful campaigns in diverse locations like Hong Kong and Thailand. Davika's work in Thailand's 2019 General Election was particularly significant, where she campaigned for the first openly LGBTQ+ candidate from the Puea Chat Party.
Currently, she merges her political communications expertise with her legal know-how to guide clients in investment-related concerns, particularly in East and Southeast Asia.
Davika is a graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London, with a Master's degree in political communications, and also has a GDL Law degree from City University of London. She's fluent in Thai and English, offering a truly global perspective to her clients.
Jake Amsterdam is an Associate in the Washington D.C. office. Joining the firm in 2015, Jake specializes in United States public policy disputes as well as international human rights issues, and anti-corruption cases. Jake has been involved in the firm's award-winning pro bono practice and has represented clients on issues of political persecution and freedom of speech.
Jake has notable experience on complicated investigations, with a comprehensive approach from the initial discovery stage, through to data collection and finally a presentation of findings, often in the form of a "white paper" on behalf of clients. Jake's work often intersects with political advocacy, interacting with media outlets and providing clients with an approach to public relations strategically, as well as legal representation. Jake is also involved in the firm's business development and strategy projects.
As part of his work representing the Republic of Turkey in an international fraud investigation, Jake co-authored Amsterdam & Partners publication "Empire of Deceit" a comprehensive study of corruption in the charter sector of American Education. Jake is currently working on the second volume of the book series.
Jake earned his BA at Wilfrid Laurier University, and his law degree at Bond University, in Australia. He is also a certified mediator, completing his studies at Cornell University.
Marc Becker is a senior litigation and arbitration practitioner with 30 years experience in complex commercial matters. He began his practice at the Los Angeles firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson in 1989 following a clerkship with a U.S. District Judge and graduation from UC Berkeley School of Law.
In 2008, Marc helped to open and establish the London office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan where he was involved in major arbitration and litigation matters, often with an African nexus.
In 2017, Marc formed his own consultancy practice working with major international disputes practices on high value matters in various jurisdictions.
Marc is qualified in California, Washington D.C. and England & Wales.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- International Senior Associate
- Member of the Firm
Maya Dagan is an International Senior Associate at Amsterdam & Partners LLP. She focuses her practice on multi-jurisdictional disputes including international arbitration and litigation, anti-corruption, white-collar criminal defence and human rights. She has been active representing clients facing legal and political issues around the world, including matters involving the United States, Canada, Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, the United Kingdom, France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Turkey, Zambia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kazakhstan, Russia and Australia.
Maya's recent work at the firm has centred around defending clients in anti-corruption matters in both Eastern and Western Europe and representing multiple extractives clients in Sub-Saharan and Western Africa in both dispute resolution and political analysis.
Maya is also a member of the firm's award-winning pro bono practice where she has represented clients on issues of criminal defence and human rights (natural justice and free speech). She has broad experience in political advocacy both on a European and international level and is also well versed in submissions and communications under the UN Human Rights Council complaints procedure.
Maya graduated with a BA Hons (First Class) in Journalism from the University of the Arts London. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Law and an LLM LPC with Distinction from the University of Law. Maya is fluent in both English and Hebrew and reads and writes French at an intermediate level. She is qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Partner
- Member of the Canadian and International
According to the former British Ambassador to Russia, Andrew Wood, "The word that best describes Bob is courage, both moral and actual. He raises questions that are not always welcome, and that is often the proper business of a lawyer."
Robert Amsterdam is an international lawyer with 40 years' experience working on high-profile cases in emerging markets. He is the founding partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, a boutique international law firm with offices in London and Washington DC.
With an innovative practice exploring synergies between public international law, international criminal law, and political advocacy, Amsterdam has been retained by numerous sovereign governments, political parties and candidates, high-net-worth individuals, foreign investors, and multinational corporations. Current and past clients include the Republic of Turkey, former Prime Minister of Mongolia Chimed Saikhanbileg, former President of Zambia Rupiah Banda, former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra, and Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, among others.
With significant experience on the ground in emerging economies across Africa, Asia, Eurasia, and Latin America, Amsterdam has successively settled disputes for major corporations such as PWC and the Four Seasons Hotel & Resorts Group, while also advising companies on opening new markets and managing political risk.
The law firm is well known for its pro bono practice in human rights, including the defense of Ilya Ponomarev, an exiled Russian State Duma Deputy, Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Bobi Wine, a Ugandan MP and opposition leader, and Tundu Lissu, leader of the CHADEMA party in Tanzania. The firm has also represented Georges Tadonki, a United Nations employee who survived a campaign of intimidation by officials in Zimbabwe - a case which resulted in Amsterdam & Partners LLP being awarded the Global Pro Bono Dispute of the Year Award from The American Lawyer.
Robert Amsterdam is a member of the Canadian and International Bar Associations, and is licensed as a solicitor in the United Kingdom. He earned his BA from Carleton University in Ottawa, and studied law at Queen's University in Ontario (LLB).
Founding partner Robert Amsterdam is a leader in international law and has been defending and advising leading corporations and governments leaders for 40 years. Amsterdam has represented numerous mining and extractive industry companies when facing expropriation, intervention, and harassment by governments, and has also represented corporations such as the Four Seasons Resort and Hotels Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is well known for his deep experience advising clients in emergency situations, including extraditions, exfiltrations, sanctions issues, and international criminal law.
Utibe has a broad experience in international commercial arbitration and litigation in multi-jurisdictional disputes. Utibe has been active in representing clients facing political and legal issues in emerging markets, including matters involving Zambia and Nigeria. Utibe holds an LLB from University of Hull and an LLM in International Commercial Law from University of Nottingham. Her work as part of the firm's Political Advocacy team includes representation of Zambian Opposition Members of Parliament before the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), leading to an IPU mission in Zambia in September 2014. Utibe recently participated in an arbitration under LCIA rules. She currently acts in disputes involving commercial transactions in the oil and gas industry and bilateral investment treaties.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Senior Advisor to
- Senior Fellow With the Centre for International Governance Innovation
William Burke-White serves as Senior Advisor to Amsterdam & Partners. Burke-White is Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he teaches courses in public international law, international investment law, human rights, and climate change. He is widely regarded as a leading expert on issues of public international law and US foreign policy. He has particular expertise on the design and implementation of complex global governance solutions that involve multiple countries, international institutions, and multilateral legal regimes. He has significant regional expertise on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.
Burke-White is also a Senior Fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) in Canada. Previously, Burke-White served as Inaugural Director of Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania's interdisciplinary international affairs institute, and as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.
From 2009-11, Burke-White served in the Obama administration on the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, where he was principal drafter of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, Secretary Clinton's hallmark initiative to reform the Department of State and reshape U.S. foreign policy. While at the State Department, Burke-White was also responsible for issues related to U.S. engagement with international institutions, including the G-20, the G-8, and the United Nations, as well as U.S. policy toward the Russian Federation.
Burke-White has advised a range of governments, law firms, and investment funds on international legal issues including investor-state arbitrations, U.S. policy toward foreign policy hotspots (including Russia, China, Venezuela, and Iran), U.S. and international sanctions regimes, sovereign debt enforcement and sovereign bankruptcy processes, and the impact of international legal rules and institutions. Burke-White has served as an expert witness in a number of international arbitrations under the auspices of the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes and before both US and foreign tribunals.
Burke-White holds both a bachelor's and law degrees from Harvard University, and a doctorate in international relations from Cambridge University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He has served as visiting professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Harvard Law, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and Mofid University in Iran. He is admitted to practice in New York.