Salah Mattoo

Many international arbitration specialists might regard complex cross-border issues and cultural differences as necessary evils of their chosen field. For Salah, they’re a key part of the appeal. His practice is built on intellectual curiosity: it has enabled him to learn his way to specialist status in sectors ranging from M&A/private equity to cryptocurrencies to gas/renewable energy, and to represent clients under all leading arbitration institutional rules (ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, LMAA, SIAC, HKIAC, SCC, ICDR, UNCITRAL, ICSID) and beyond. 

His success in practice depends both on a thorough understanding of his clients’ commercial imperatives, and the broader cultural factors which might shape a dispute. Acting for businesses, state officials and high-net-worth individuals all over the world has required him to get to grips with diverse jurisdictions and the geopolitical forces that shape them.  

Over years of leading small teams, he has finessed a lean and agile working style which enables KEMP to punch well above its weight in complex international disputes. Acting for clients opposite heavily-staffed Big Law counsel has underlined the truth of the mantra about quality over quantity – he credits his focused, efficient approach with achieving the best possible resolution for clients. 

Salah is also actively involved in litigation matters in dubai international financial centre (difc) courts and abu dhabi global market (adgm) courts. Salah has full rights of audience to appear before the DIFC and ADGM Courts. He has appeared as a lead counsel in over 15 cases in the DIFC and ADGM Courts.

Besides his commercial and investment treaty arbitration work, Salah also has a public international law practice; representing government actors has given him an insight into the sensitivities at play in state-level legal work. Salah served as a Counsel to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the Nuclear Disarmament Case before the ICJ.

On top of his responsibilities as Co-Head of KEMP’s international arbitration practice, Salah finds time to publish and is sought-after as a lecturer on arbitration matters, both at UK and Asian universities and on the conference circuit. 

Salah’s philosophy of dispute resolution is simple and 100% commercially-minded: adopt the best strategy to bring about an outcome that enables his client to keep their focus where it should be. 

M.B KEMP LLP, London
Partner
July 2021 – Present

Winston & Strawn (London) LLP
UK Senior Attorney
2017 - 2021

University of California
Berkeley
BA, 2002

London School of Economics
LLM, 2008

London School of Economics
LLB, 2006

Admissions
England and Wales