Pierre-Olivier Savoie

Pierre-Olivier is the founding partner of Savoie Arbitration, which has existed in different forms since 2016. He has over fifteen years of experience acting as international arbitration counsel both in private practice and as counsel for the Government of Canada’s Trade Law Bureau.

Pierre-Olivier specializes in investment treaty arbitration, having acted for both investors and over half a dozen states in over 30 matters. He primarily acts as lead counsel for states or investors and has done so since 2017. He has also negotiated over 15 bilateral investment treaties (including as a member of the Canadian team negotiating the investment chapter of the Canada-Europe Comprehensive Trade and Economic Agreement) and advised several states on their international investment obligations.

Pierre-Olivier’s experience as counsel at Canada’s Trade Law Bureau gives him particular insight on how states implement and defend investment treaty obligations.  Over the course of his career, Pierre-Olivier has advised or acted for clients in over 40 international arbitration matters, including as lead counsel or co-lead counsel in arbitrations under the ICC, ICSID, OHADA, SCC and UNCITRAL rules.

Pierre-Olivier’s investment arbitration experience includes:

• Lead counsel to Latvian investors SIA North Star and Peteris Pildegovics in the first ever investment treaty claim against the Kingdom of Norway, in an ICSID arbitration, under the Latvia-Norway bilateral investment treaty, in the fisheries sector regarding snow crab
• Lead counsel to another Latvian company in a dispute against Norway, under the Latvia-Norway BIT, in the fisheries sector, also regarding snow crab
• Lead counsel to Lithuanian investors in an ICSID arbitration against Norway, under the Lithuania-Norway BIT, in the fisheries sector regarding snow crab
• Lead counsel to Latvian and Estonian investors in a dispute against Norway under the Latvia-Norway BIT and Estonia-Norway BIT regarding judicial proceedings
• Lead counsel to Romania in the defense of two UNCITRAL claims arising under the Canada-Romania BIT and US-Romania BIT concerning a request for compensation and restitution of film production studios
• Lead counsel to the Republic of Latvia in an ICSID arbitration under the UK-Latvia bilateral investment treaty arising in the banking sector
• Co-lead counsel for an Asian government in its first investment treaty claim
• Lead counsel to a French state-owned company investor of an EU Member State in the first known investor-state mediation under the IBA Rules on Investor-State Mediation against an Asian state
• Defending the Government of Canada in eight investment treaty arbitrations brought under the investment protection chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• Counsel to an NGO before UNCITRAL Working Group III regarding the reform of the investor-state dispute settlement system

Pierre-Olivier also has significant experience as lead counsel in international commercial arbitrations, including under the ICC, SCC and OHADA rules, as well as in matters involving the setting-aside or enforcement of arbitral awards and associated asset tracing. Pierre-Olivier frequently appears before French courts, in particular before the Paris first instance and appellate courts, in matters ancillary to arbitration proceedings, whether in respect of recognition or set aside of awards, or their enforcement.

In addition to his counsel work, Pierre-Olivier frequently sits as arbitrator, including as sole arbitrator and presiding arbitrator in ICC commercial cases, and has also been appointed as panelist in disputes under the NAFTA Chapter 19 (now the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement) for state-to-state trade disputes.

Pierre-Olivier has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal – Arbitration Future Leaders in the Partner category in multiple years. In the 2021 edition, sources are quoted saying that “Pierre-Olivier is a very knowledgeable practitioner in public international law” and that “he is capable of vigorous and detailed analysis of complex problems”. In the 2023 edition, sources are quoted saying that “Pierre-Olivier Savoie … earns praise for his ‘outstanding strategic thinking skills’, his ‘ability to understand and address clients’ needs’, and his ‘excellent interpersonal skills’”.

Since 2018, Pierre-Olivier has been teaching the international commercial arbitration course at the University of Angers. He has also been a guest lecturer on investment arbitration at McGill University, the University of Ottawa, the University of Sherbrooke and University Paris V (René-Descartes). Pierre-Olivier also frequently publishes and speaks on arbitration issues. He is a board member of the Canadian Council for International Law and a member of McGill University’s Regional Advisory Board for the UK and Europe.

As a student, Pierre-Olivier participated in the Charles Rousseau international law moot and has since remained involved in this moot which promotes the practice of public international law in French.