About Us

Photo of Andrea Pinna Pinna-Legal law firm

Andrea Pinna

Andrea’s practice primarily focuses on international commercial and investment arbitration. He has participated as counsel in more than 50 arbitration proceedings in several different areas, including arising out of M&A transactions, joint-venture agreements, oil and gas, mining, military and satellites.

Andrea has extensive experience in representing Sovereign States in international arbitration proceedings and before domestic Courts, including arguing sovereign immunities.

He appears frequently before French Courts handling disputes related to arbitration such as set aside applications or enforcement of arbitral awards.

Andrea’s practice also concentrates on international litigation and the management and coordination of multijurisdictional parallel proceedings, often related to arbitration.

He speaks Italian (native), French (fluent), English (fluent) and Spanish (working knowledge).

e-mail: apinna@pinna-goldberg.com

David Goldberg

David is the founding partner of Pinna Goldberg’s practice in London. He is a solicitor-advocate whose practice focuses on international commercial and investment arbitration. He is recognised by the leading legal directories for the strength and particular expertise in complex investment disputes and disputes involving states, as well as those arising out of corporate transactions. He was ranked Band 1 for “Dispute Resolution-Russia (Expertise Based Abroad)” by Chambers 2022 and is featured in the Hall of Fame by the Legal 500 UK, 2023.

David has conducted arbitrations under all major arbitral institutions and rules, including LCIA, ICC, ICAC, ICSID, SCC and UNCITRAL arbitrations. He also has experience representing clients in court proceedings concerning the conduct of arbitral proceedings, including the enforcement or challenge to arbitral awards, the appointment of arbitrators and applications for interim measures such as disclosure and worldwide freezing orders. His experience covers a broad range of sectors, including oil and gas, metals and mining, telecommunications, manufacturing, financial services and insurance.

David is also regularly appointed as an arbitrator, with recent appointments including arbitrations conducted under the LCIA, ICC, SCC, ICAC and UNCITRAL rules.

David is a board member of the LCIA, a co-founder, trustee and the Secretary General of the Anglo-Russian Law Association, a founder and past Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Russian Arbitration Association.

David speaks English and Russian fluently.

e-mail: dgoldberg@pinna-goldberg.com

David P. Riesenberg

David is the founding partner of Pinna Goldberg’s practice in Washington, D.C.

In arbitrations, David has acted before ICSID and UNCITRAL tribunals, as well as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.  In 2022, he was recognized by International Financial Law Review as a Rising Star in Commercial Arbitration.

David has litigated international disputes before U.S. trial and appellate courts.  With local counsel, he has advised clients regarding transnational disputes before the courts of Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Switzerland.

David has been appointed to mediate commercial disputes and is accredited as mediator by the Supreme Court of Virginia.  He has authored or co-authored commentaries published by Oxford University Press, Brill, Kluwer, Thomson Reuters, and the American Society of International Law.  He has taught international arbitration as Adjunct Professor for University of Miami and made presentations for ICC-YAF and ICCA.

David worked as law clerk to Judge W. Eugene Davis of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Judge Kathleen Cardone of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.  He speaks English (native), Russian (fluent), and Spanish (intermediate).

e-mail: driesenberg@pinna-goldberg.com

Pratyush Panjwani

Pratyush is Counsel in Pinna Goldberg’s Paris office.

His practice focuses on international commercial and investment arbitrations. He has acted as counsel in several arbitrations as well as in related annulment and enforcement proceedings. Particularly, he has expertise in advising and representing sovereign States in such cases. Prior to joining Pinna Goldberg, Pratyush worked with Prof. Albert Jan van den Berg, having assisted him as tribunal secretary in arbitrations spanning various sectors.

Pratyush has frequently published in journals of repute on issues relating to commercial arbitration (such as the arbitrability of disputes and the adaptive understanding of arbitral consent) as well as investment arbitration (such as the interpretation of bilateral investment treaties under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and the viability of investor-State mediation). He also regularly lectures at the National Law University, Delhi (India) and the School of Law at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam (The Netherlands), having taught courses on international law and arbitration.

Pratyush has been recognized as a Future Leader in International Arbitration by Who’s Who Legal in 2024. He obtained an LL.M. from the Geneva LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS) in 2016. He is qualified to practice in India with effect from 2014.

Pratyush speaks English, Hindi and Sindhi fluently.

e-mail: ppanjwani@pinna-goldberg.com

Dara Shagal

Dara is a counsel of Pinna Goldberg’s practice in London. She has over 14 years of experience in international commercial and investment arbitrations and cross-border disputes received at a top-tier global law firm.

She has represented states and large multinational companies in investment and commercial arbitrations and arbitration-related court proceedings, such as annulment and enforcement proceedings, interim measures such as freezing orders, and disclosure. She has experience in construction, international trade, manufacturing, oil and gas, metals and mining, financial services and other sectors.

Dara has represented clients in Russian courts at all levels, including in several precedent-settling cases at the Russian Supreme Court. She has expertise in Russian insolvency law, asset tracing, sovereign immunity issues, and cross-border litigation. With local counsel, he has advised clients regarding transnational disputes before the courts of Austria, Belarus, BVI, Cyprus, England, Kazakhstan, France, Germany, China, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Uzbekistan and other jurisdictions.

In 2011, she worked for the London Court of International Arbitration, where she administered international commercial arbitration disputes and advised on the arbitration procedure.

Dara graduated with honours from the Moscow State Academy of Law in 2008 and studied at Jean Moulin Lyon III University. She will finish her LLM studies in International and Comparative Dispute Resolution at Queen Mary University of London in 2024.

Dara speaks English and Russian fluently and has a working knowledge of French and basic Spanish. She is a member of the Moscow Region Bar.

e-mail: dshagal@pinna-goldberg.com

Raphaelle Haik Pinna Legal law firm

Raphaelle Haïk

Raphaelle’s main practice is dispute resolution.

She is considered one of the leading French experts in procedural law, including enforcement law and arbitration, which are fields of the law that Raphaelle has been teaching for more than 15 years, to French and foreign lawyers.

Raphaelle collaborates on a regular basis with a major legal publishing company concerning these topics.

Raphaelle has obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Paris XI (Sceaux – Paris Sud) in 2008 and she is member of the Paris Bar.

She speaks French (native) and English (fluent).

e-mail: rhaik@pinna-goldberg.com

Gabriele Mecarelli

Gabriele’s main practice is international business litigation and enforcement.   

He is associate professor at the University Paris-Saclay (Paris XI) where he co-directs the Master diploma in international business law (Master 2 droit des affaires internationales).

During the past 15 years, Gabriele has acquired a unique expertise in enforcement of arbitral awards and judicial decisions in France and internationally and has been director of the legal department of the National Chamber of the French Bailiffs (huissiers de justice). 

Gabriele has a law degree from the University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) and Bologna (Italy) and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) under the supervision of Philippe Fouchard.

Since 2003, he has been the editor of the « Revue pratique du recouvrement » (EJT/Lefebvre Dalloz), formerly known as « Droit et procédures – la revue des huissiers de justice » (until 2020) 

He speaks Italian (native), French (fluent) and English (fluent).

e-mail: gmecarelli@pinna-goldberg.com  

Photo of Olga Cucu Pinna-Legal Law Firm

Olga Cucu

Olga’s main practice is public international law and international arbitration.

She achieved a Master in international law at the University Paris 2 (Pathéon-Assas), a diploma from the prestigious Institute of Higher International Studies (Institut de Hautes Etudes Internationales – IHEI) in Paris and followed the course of The Hague Academy of International Law.

Before joining Pinna Goldberg, Olga had experience as intern in major international law firms and worked for the agency of the Moldavian government in charge of the representation and the defense of the State before the European Court of Human Rights.

She speaks Romanian (native), English (fluent), French (fluent), Russian (fluent) and Italian (working knowledge). She is member of the Paris Bar.

e-mail: ocucu@pinna-goldberg.com 

Aleksandra Fedosova

Aleksandra’s main practice is international arbitration and peri-arbitral litigation.

Before joining Pinna Goldberg, Aleksandra practiced in the fields of international arbitration and litigation in several law firms in Paris. She has been involved in complex international matters across different jurisdictions and in various industries, including the energy, sales and service contracts, distribution and license agreements, pharmaceuticals and corporate sectors. In addition, she has developed a strong practice in peri-arbitral litigation and more particularly in proceedings for the annulment and enforcement of awards before French courts. Aleksandra also has experience as secretary of arbitral tribunals.

Aleksandra holds a degree from the University Paris Saclay where she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in International Business Law. She also studied at the University in St. Petersburg, Arcada University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki and Ca’ Foscari University in Venice.

She speaks Russian (native), French (fluent), English (fluent), Spanish (fluent), Chinese (fluent) and she is member of the Paris Bar.
 

Accolades

Andrea Pinna acts on a range of arbitration matters and is especially noted for his expertise in setting aside proceedings. “Andrea Pinna is an outstanding legal mind and an excellent advocate” says one source. “Andrea Pinna is very pragmatic, solution-oriented and great at thinking outside the box.”​
Chambers UK, 2023 - Leading individual “David [Goldberg] has a tonne of experience in dealing with CIS-related matters and has excellent judgement.” “He’s a very experienced litigator. He’s especially strong in cases where you have to coordinate cross-border disputes.
The Legal 500 UK, 2023 - Hall of Fame “David Goldberg is not only extremely well connected in the CIS legal world, but is also extremely able and has good judgement - a strong advocate with a wealth of experience.”
The Legal 500 - Pinna Legal
Legal 500
Andrea Pinna has an exceptional ability to think ‘outside of the box, to be imaginative and at the same time be attentive to detail. He has a quick mind. He is also very attuned to what the client really needs and focuses his services exactly on that.’
The Legal 500 - Pinna Legal
Legal 500
Sommet du Droit 2023
Trophée d'argent
Arbitrage International

Download a selection of press articles

Jack Ballantyne, Goldberg leads Pinna expansion in London, Global Arbitration Review, 2 May 2024 (requires subscription)

Susannah Moody, Pinna opens in US with White & Case hire, Global Arbitration Review, 13 March 2024 (requires subscription)

Jack Rodgers, Paris-Based Pinna Legal Launches 1st US Office in DC, Law360, 12 March 2024 (requires subscription)

Benjamin Jérôme, Avocats d’Etats, un métier hors normes, Le Parisien Magazine, 23 June 2017

Chloé Enkaoua, Andrea Pinna, le cosmopolite, Dalloz Actualité, 17 January 2022

Toby Fisher, Pinna leaves Foley to launch Paris boutique, Global Arbitration Review, 23 June 2022 (requires subscription)

Laurence Neuer, L’avocat qui n’a pas lâché la Russie, malgré la guerre, Le Point, 26 July 2022 (requires subscription)
PORTRAIT. Andrea Pinna fait cavalier seul en continuant de s’impliquer dans les dossiers russes. Qu’est-ce qui motive cet électron libre du barreau ?

Contact Us

Address

Andrea Pinna
Pinna Goldberg
4, rue Brunel
75017 Paris, France

Pinna Legal U.S. PLLC
10 G Street NE, Suite 600 (Room 648)
Washington, D.C., 20002, U.S.A.

Pinna Goldberg Ltd
New Derwent House, 69-73 Theobalds Road
London, WC1X 8TA, U.K.

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