Josep Gálvez joins 4-5's International Arbitration Team
4-5 Gray’s Inn Square has recently had the pleasure of welcoming Josep Gálvez to chambers as a member of our International Arbitration team. As an experienced Spanish abogado with full rights of audience in the courts of England and Wales, Josep brings a unique perspective to our practice in complex disputes and arbitration. Talking about his decision to join 4-5, Josep says:
“I found the opportunity to join a very specialised English Chambers to develop my professional practice in complex litigation and commercial or investment arbitrations. 4-5 Gray's Inn Square has a fantastic team of Clerks and of course, some very renowned Barristers and KCs starting with the joint Heads of Chambers, Timothy Straker KC, and Rupert Beloff, among many other professionals.”
Josep’s step into the role of barrister makes him the seventh Spanish lawyer to do so. Fluent in both Spanish and English law and culture, Josep stands uniquely positioned to offer advice to both cultures:
“A Spanish ‘Barrister’ in England and Wales can offer a significant advantage by providing a unique perspective through knowing both legal and cultural systems “
Joining 4-5 is a strategic decision for Josep, and entails moving to London. He recognises that this is a great opportunity to develop his professional practice, part in thanks to London’s excellent international reputation for arbitration:
“ London continues to be the main world centre for the resolution of international disputes and arbitrations. Which is not a coincidence, but the result of the pre-eminence of English law thanks to its clarity, predictability and the broad base of judicial decisions on which it is based, characteristics that make it particularly attractive for the resolution of international disputes.”
The legal sector in London and the UK at large is known globally for high-quality, prudent work in all areas, not just arbitration: “English courts are known for their pragmatic and fair approach to resolving cases, which provides great legal certainty for the parties involved’.
With this in mind it seems a natural next step for Josep to be involved with GREAT Legal Services, the Ministry of Justice’s marketing campaign to build the profile of UK legal services overseas. GREAT will be taking a delegation to Keyna and Tanzania this year, to build on success in Nigeria and South Africa in 2023. Josep has been selected to represent 4-5 in Africa, not least beacuse his practice area focuses on contentious matters with a certain complexity, especially related to Spain, Latin America and Africa.
Josep is a also a regular contributor to Confilegal.com, where his column “Letters from London” is a popular discussion on English Law. Confilegal interviewed Josep on his decision to join 4-5, and invited him to comment on several complex cross-border cases, including the ongoing renewable energy investment claims against Spain that have resulted in over 50 arbitration cases and the Spanish court’s decision to convict Dr Gonzalo Stampa over the Sultan of Sulu inheritance arbitration. Josep’s valuable insights on these cases stem from his nuanced understanding of global arbitration best practices. Read the whole article here.
It is this type of bilingual, multi-jurisdictional experience that Josep Gálvez brings to chambers. We warmly welcome him and look forward to working together.
