Lea Haber Kuck

Lea Haber Kuck has more than 20 years of experience advising clients on the resolution of complex disputes arising out of international business transactions. She represents clients from around the world in federal and state courts in the United States, as well as in international arbitrations conducted under UNCITRAL, ICC, ICDR, LCIA and other arbitration rules.

Ms. Kuck regularly advises clients on a variety of issues relating to international dispute resolution, including forum selection, jurisdiction, service of process, extraterritorial discovery and enforcement of judgments, as well as drafting of arbitration, dispute resolution and choice-of-court clauses.

She co-led the Skadden team that was honored as Arbitration Team of the Year at the 2017 Transatlantic Legal Awards and as International Arbitration Team of the Year at the 2017 Legal and Business Awards for its work on behalf of Japanese telecommunications company NTT Docomo in an LCIA arbitration arising out of a dispute over Docomo’s contractual right to exit an investment in India.

Docomo obtained a $1.2 billion award against Tata Sons Limited of India, and after enforcement proceedings were commenced in India, England and New York, Docomo collected the award in full.

Ms. Kuck is a member of the Working Group on Cybersecurity in International Arbitration, formed by the International Council for Commercial Arbitration; the New York City Bar Association; and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution, which received the “Best Development 2018” award by Global Arbitration Review. Other notable representations include:

• IRB-Brasil Resseguros, S.A., the largest reinsurer in South America, in multiple actions seeking to recover amounts due under certain global notes in which judgments in excess of $100 million were obtained for IRB and affirmed in a seminal case by New York’s highest court dealing with choice of law clauses;
• Atlantic LNG Co. of Trinidad and Tobago in successfully defending against a $250 million claim involving a dispute concerning a long-term LNG supply contract in a UNCITRAL arbitration based in New York;
• an international investment bank in connection with disputes involving proceedings in New York and London relating to several billion dollars of structured finance products;
• an international beverage company in connection with its successful defense against a multibillion-dollar claim in an UNCITRAL arbitration arising out of the terms of an investment agreement with a Mexican company and its stockholders;
• a renewable fuels company in connection with a dispute over construction of a wood pellet manufacturing facility;
• the trustees of CommonWealth REIT in a two-week arbitration arising out of efforts by an activist hedge fund to take control of the trust, which resulted in an award by the arbitration panel invalidating the hedge fund’s consent solicitation;
• an individual in cross-border litigation arising out of the Icelandic banking crisis, including obtaining dismissal on forum non conveniens grounds of an action filed in New York;
• Ms. Kuck frequently writes and speaks on international arbitration and cross-border litigation topics, and is a recipient of the Burton Award for Legal Achievement, which recognizes excellence in legal scholarship.
• She is a former member of Skadden’s Policy Committee, the firm’s governing body, was the firm’s first global attorney development partner, and currently co-leads the firm’s Alumni Relations efforts. She also serves on the board of trustees of Hamilton College.

Education:

• J.D., New York University School of Law, 1990 (Senior Production Editor, Annual Survey of American Law)
• A.B., Hamilton College, 1987 (magna cum laude)

Admissions : New York

Associations :

• American Bar Association, International Law Section, Liaison to the Litigation Section
• New York City Bar Association, Arbitration Committee
• International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), Arbitration Committee
• Institute for Transnational Arbitration, Advisory Board
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation