Irene Petrelli

Ms. Petrelli’s practice focuses on investment treaty arbitration, international commercial arbitration and public international law. She has represented sovereign states, state-owned entities and private companies in numerous arbitrations under the rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Chamber of Arbitration of Milan (CAM), as well as in ad hoc proceedings under United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) rules.

In addition, Ms. Petrelli has experience assisting clients before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Notable cases include representation of Venezuela and its oil company against the multibillion-dollar claims brought by the oil companies ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil. Other recent arbitrations include disputes in the field of energy (oil and gas and power projects), taxation, banking, and telecommunications for clients in Africa and Asia.

Ms. Petrelli also regularly advises State clients on various issues of public international law, including treaty interpretation and international human rights.

Ms. Petrelli is recognized as a Leading Individual for Italy Dispute Resolution by Legal 500 EMEA 2022 and 2023, in which she is described as “dependable, self-assured and meticulous.” She was also included in the Legal 500 Dispute Resolution Powerlist Italy 2023 as a Leading Practitioner. Chambers and Partners Global Guide 2024 has ranked Ms. Petrelli in its “Up and Coming” category for dispute resolution, and reports that clients recommend her “without any reservation,” “were pleasantly satisfied by her preparation, friendliness and courtesy” and describe her as “thorough, precise and always gets me results.” In addition, she is recognized among Who’s Who Legal – Arbitration Future Leaders 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Ms. Petrelli is part of the faculty of the Certificate in International Commercial and Investment Arbitration organized by the University of Roma Tre, together with AIA, ICC and CAM, and speaks regularly on issues of international arbitration and public international law. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of ArbIt – the Italian Forum for Arbitration and ADR.

Before joining Curtis, Ms. Petrelli trained in the international arbitration group of a major Italian law firm and interned at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. She also worked as a teaching assistant in international arbitration at Roma Tre University and as a research assistant at the School of International Arbitration of the Queen Mary University of London.