Lisa M. Richman focuses her practice on international dispute resolution matters, with a particular emphasis on international commercial arbitration and public international law.
She has experience representing clients in a broad range of matters, including in the areas of international commercial and investment arbitrations, securities enforcement, securities litigation, general commercial litigation disputes and insurance coverage.
Lisa’s clients have included investors, governments, corporations, corporate officers and directors, and individuals in disputes seated in common law and civil law jurisdictions worldwide. Her work has included disputes conducted under ICC, ICSID, ICSID AF, AAA/ICDR, SIAC, HKIAC, JAMS, DIS, LCIA, CPR, Swiss Rules and UNCITRAL Rules as well as pure ad-hoc arbitrations. She has handled disputes in a wide variety of industries with a particular focus on disputes relating to energy, oil and gas, intellectual property, pharmaceutical, infrastructure, licensing, securities, telecommunications, joint ventures and construction.
Lisa also has represented corporations, corporate officers and directors, and individuals in international and domestic arbitrations and litigations in the US and around the world. Complementing her dispute resolution expertise, Lisa has managed internal investigations worldwide and has helped a variety of companies to resolve government investigations, including World Bank Sanctions proceedings. Lisa is listed on the arbitrator list of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC), in the LCIA’s database of neutrals and is a member of the SIAC Users Counsel, the ITA Americas Committee and the DIS Rules Revision Committee. She is a native German speaker, and also speaks Spanish and French.
She has received recognition for her expertise as a dispute resolution specialist by, among others, Global Arbitration Review, Who’s Who Legal, Benchmark Litigation, the Commercial Arbitration Expert Guide, the National Law Journal, the American Lawyer, Juve, Super Lawyers and Law360.
While in law school, Lisa was a notes and comments editor for The Tax Lawyer. Following law school, Lisa was a law clerk for the Honorable A. Franklin Burgess, Jr. of the District of Columbia Superior Court.
International Law
- Defending a state against a US$5 billion claim in an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) arbitration brought by European investors
- Representing a state-owner Asian oil company in an ICSID case valued in excess of US$250 million, against a South American state
- Representing a German company in an ICSID arbitration valued at US$1 billion, against a southeast Asian state
- Representing a German company in ICSID annulment proceedings against a southeast Asian state
- Representing German investors in ICSID arbitration proceedings against Costa Rica
- Enforcing a multimillion-dollar (US) treaty award against an Asian state
- Defending Germany in a US$2 billion ICSID claim brought by a European investor under the Energy Charter Treaty, in the first-ever ICSID claim against Germany
- Representing a state in an ICSID Additional Facility (AF) case brought by US investors
- Representing an EU Member State as intervenor in a case relating to the validity of a bilateral investment treaty (BIT)
- Advising US individual investors in relation to a Dominican Republic – Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) claim against a Latin American state for expropriation of real estate investments
Commercial Cases
- Acting for an Asian state-owned oil company in an ICC case valued in excess of US$300 million, against authorities of a Latin American state
- Acting for an Asian subsidiary of a US company in an ICC arbitration seated in Switzerland, in a dispute concerning a licensing agreement under US law; parallel proceedings in US federal and in Pakistani courts pending
- Defending a US company in an ICC arbitration of a contract dispute with a Vietnamese telecommunications company
- Defending a US subsidiary of a German financial services company in US federal court litigations relating to claims for breach of contract and securities law violations
- Defending a Bermudian public company and its officer and director in US federal court litigation against claims for fraud and violation of securities laws
- Defending international and domestic financial services companies and their employees in US federal and state court litigations against allegations of breach of contract, fraud, tort claims and violations of securities laws
- Defending a German company in US federal court litigation relating to a shipping contract
- Representing public companies and their officers and directors in American Arbitration Association arbitrations relating to breach of contract and tort claims
- Legal 500, Recommended Lawyer, 2024-2025
- Chambers USA, International Arbitration, 2024-2026
- Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration, Future Leaders, 2017 to 2021, noted as Most Highly Regarded in the Americas for 2021
- Commercial Arbitration Expert Guide, 2016 to 2020
- Global Business Awards, International Disputes Specialist of the Year, 2020
- Global Arbitration Review (GAR) 100, 2012-2020
- Law 360 “Rising Star,” 2016
- National Law Journal “Rising Star,” 2015
- Trending 40, “DC’s Top 40 Lawyers Under 40,” 2016
- Benchmark Litigation, “Future Stars,” 2016-2020
- Benchmark Litigation, “Under 40 Hot List,” 2016
- Washington, DC Super Lawyers “Rising Star,” 2013-2016
- 2018 Dispute Resolution Awards, International Commercial Dispute Resolution Specialist of the Year – USA & Award for Excellence in Investment Treaty Arbitrations
- Dispute Resolution Journal, editorial board member
- American Bar Association, member
- California Bar Association, member
- DIS Rules Revision Committee, member
- German Institution of Arbitration (DIS40), member
- International Chamber of Commerce, Young Arbitrators Forum, member
- ITA Americas Committee, member
- London Court of International Arbitration, Young International Arbitration Group, member
- SIAC Users Council, member
- Swiss Arbitration Association, member
- Georgetown University Law Center, JD
- Haverford College, BA
- California
- District of Columbia
- US District Court for the District of Columbia
- English
- French
- German
- Spanish
Insights, News & Events
Article / June 2, 2026
ICC 2026 arbitration rules: A new three-month route to a final ICC award
Article / May 6, 2026
Can annulled arbitral awards still be enforced? Key insights across major jurisdictions
Atlanta / Awards & Rankings / March 31, 2026
McDermott Will & Schulte recognized in Global Arbitration Review’s GAR 100 2026
Miami, FL / Speaking engagement / March 27, 2026
Atlanta / Mealey's International Arbitration Report / January 9, 2026
International arbitration experts discuss the use of an AI arbitrator for construction ...
Atlanta / Mealey's International Arbitration Report / December 15, 2025
International arbitration experts discuss the use of an AI arbitrator for construction ...
Atlanta / Mealey's International Arbitration Report / August 15, 2025
Forward looking dispute resolution through dispute resolution boards
London – 22 Bishopsgate / Awards & Rankings / April 15, 2025
McDermott Recognized in Global Arbitration Review’s GAR 100 2025
Article / January 8, 2024
Article / December 20, 2024
SIAC Rules 2025: Enhancing Efficiency and Transparency in Arbitration
Article / June 27, 2022
Article / June 16, 2022
Supreme Court Limits Section 1782 Discovery: A Sea Change in the Role of ...
Global Arbitration Review / July 14, 2021
Wolters Kluwer / July 16, 2021
Miami, FL / Speaking engagement / March 27, 2026
Bogota, Columbia / Speaking engagement / April 18, 2024
Paris, France / Speaking engagement / March 30, 2023
News From Across the Pond: Recent Vital Developments in US Arbitration Practice
Webinar / ALM / September 30, 2020
Webinar | Does COVID-19 Trigger Force Majeure? Navigating the Legal and Business Issues
Webinar / In-person / April 13, 2020
Entering, Performing and Avoiding Contracts During a Pandemic Like COVID-19
Moscow, Russia / Speaking engagement / September 18, 2019
11th Conference on the Resolution of CIS-Related Business Disputes
Atlanta / Awards & Rankings / March 31, 2026
McDermott Will & Schulte recognized in Global Arbitration Review’s GAR 100 2026
Atlanta / Mealey's International Arbitration Report / January 9, 2026
International arbitration experts discuss the use of an AI arbitrator for construction ...
Atlanta / Mealey's International Arbitration Report / December 15, 2025
International arbitration experts discuss the use of an AI arbitrator for construction ...
Atlanta / Mealey's International Arbitration Report / August 15, 2025
Forward looking dispute resolution through dispute resolution boards
London – 22 Bishopsgate / Awards & Rankings / April 15, 2025
McDermott Recognized in Global Arbitration Review’s GAR 100 2025
Deal announcement / April 10, 2025
McDermott Represents Atlantic Street Capital Management in its Acquisition of Dynamic Campus ...
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