NLJ career profile: Claudia Salomon

What was your route into the profession?

I started my career in Richmond, Virginia, where I grew up, focused on local government litigation. At the time, international arbitration wasn’t on my radar screen, and I hadn’t studied it in law school.

All that all changed in 1998 when I was interviewing in Phoenix, Arizona, as a mid-level associate with Squire Sanders (now Squire Patton Boggs). Mark Nadeau, the head of litigation, told me: ‘International arbitration is the future.’ What Nadeau said made sense: cross-border trade was increasing, along with the globalised economy—a scenario that I figured would lend itself to more disputes and therefore a greater demand for international arbitration. While my practice was still focused primarily on commercial litigation, I gained more exposure to international arbitration and was intrigued.

Then in the fall of 2001, my career took another turn: on five days’ notice, I was dispatched to Prague, Czech Republic, for what was originally slated to be one month—but eventually stretched to three years. I was part of the team that represented the Czech Republic in what was then one of the largest investment treaty arbitrations (Saluka Investments BV v The Czech Republic).

During this time, my role expanded to include both international commercial arbitration and investment treaty cases across Europe. International arbitration was booming: in my last year there, I had three hearings in three months in three different cases. And my practice had shifted from a mix of commercial litigation and arbitration to full-time international arbitration.

By 2005, I had returned to the US at DLA Piper in New York, first as counsel and then as partner. I served on the firm’s executive committee and as global co-chair of the international arbitration practice, which we built from the ground up.

In 2013, I joined Latham & Watkins as partner and global co-chair of the international arbitration practice. Then in July 2021, after eight years at Latham, I became president of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration and launched my own independent arbitrator practice.

What has been your biggest career challenge so far?

It was when I became the first woman—and the first American—to serve as the president of the ICC court in its 100-year history. I knew right away that I needed to develop an authentic leadership style and voice. I was determined to do things differently, while always being true to myself and the goals of the organisation.

The first thing I did was organise a virtual global dance party. Everyone was feeling isolated during the pandemic. If we couldn’t be together in person, I reasoned, we could connect through two-hours of dance music with a playlist from 30 countries and spanning six decades. Besides having fun, we would also be celebrating the most diverse ICC court in history, with more women than men and the largest representation from Africa than ever before. Since then, we have danced together in person on many occasions during the centenary year of the ICC Court—from Lagos to Paris and Miami.

Which person within the legal profession inspires you most?

The late US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a pioneering woman in what was a male-dominated legal field at the start of her career, and a stalwart fighter for human and civil rights, especially for women. As inspiration, I take to heart her statement, ‘Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to follow you.’

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you choose as an alternative career?

This is a tough one because I knew I wanted to be a lawyer since I was eight years old. If I were dreaming, I would be a professional cyclist. More realistically, I would likely be a professional organiser. If you have a messy closet or things you need to get rid of, I can take care of that!

Who is your favorite fictional lawyer?

Elle Woods from the movie Legally Blonde, as played by Reese Witherspoon. She knows who she is and owns it. Her interests and experiences aren’t obstacles or something she needs to overcome for success, but instead are an asset—part of what makes her strong and talented. And for her, other women are allies, not competitors.

 What change would you make to the profession?

The legal profession needs more diversity in its ranks. By this I mean a broad definition of diversity including gender, race, ethnicity and also geography, age, socio-economic status and sexual orientation. Equally important is disability diversity, an area that is all too often is overlooked.

That’s why I have made diversity a priority since starting at the ICC court. On my recommendation, the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR launched a new task force, which in 2023 published a ground-breaking Guide to disability inclusion and international arbitration and ADR. As the pandemic recedes, we have a unique opportunity to reshape how we work to ensure that all skilled practitioners—including those with disabilities—can participate.

I am also proud that last year, just over 40% of all arbitrator appointments made by the ICC court were women, the highest percentage to date. Building on our ambitious diversity and inclusion efforts, we also launched an LGBTQIA+ network at the ICC court and then opened it up to the wider dispute resolution and prevention community.

How do you relax?

I’m a devotee of Pilates. It entails small physical movements to improve posture, flexibility, strength and balance. Most importantly though, a cornerstone of Pilates is that no single lesson or exercise will yield results: it’s all about consistency and building strength incrementally. In a similar way, this is what we are doing at the ICC court—making small but bold changes that might at first seem inconsequential individually but taken together support our mission and move our organisation forward.

Claudia Salomon is president of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. She was reappointed for a second three-year term in July 2024.