James Carter is one of America’s most experienced international arbitrators and a leader of the New York international arbitration community.  He has 50 years of experience as arbitrator or counsel in more than 200 international commercial and investment arbitration cases, has led many prominent arbitration organizations and is the author of more than 50 articles and book chapters dealing with international disputes. He is co-founder of both the New York International Arbitration Center and the International Arbitration Club of New York and is a co-editor of the treatise, International Commercial Arbitration in New York.

Mr. Carter is ranked by Chambers USA in 2022 as one of two “Senior Statespeople” among international arbitration counsel in the U.S. and in “Band 1” among international arbitrators nationwide. Chambers Global Guide for 2022 includes him among the “most in demand arbitrators globalwide.” He has represented companies in arbitrations under leading institutional rules and in ad hoc arbitrations in all leading international seats. He has experience in joint venture, investor-state disputes, mergers and acquisitions, investment banking and other financial services, project finance, licensing, insurance and energy, as well as international sports law disputes. In addition, Mr. Carter has extensive experience as counsel in US litigation involving commercial, corporate, antitrust, securities and intellectual property matters.

Mr. Carter has served as chair of the Board of Directors of the New York International Arbitration Center and is a former chair of the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association, a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland and a former member of the London Court of International Arbitration, for which he also served as vice president of its North American Council. He is a former president of the American Society of International Law and participated as an advisor to the American Law Institute’s reporters drafting the Restatement of the US Law of International Commercial and Investor-State Arbitration.

In addition, Mr. Carter has chaired the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law, as well as its Committee on International Commercial Arbitration, and served as the ABA’s representative to the United Nations. He is a former chair of the New York State Bar Association Committee on International Dispute Resolution and the International Affairs Council of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Mr. Carter also chaired the International Law Committee of the New York State Bar Association.

Employment

  • Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, New York, N.Y. 2012-2022 (Senior Counsel)
  • Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, New York, N.Y., 2011-2012 (Co-Chair, International Arbitration and Cross-Border Dispute Resolution Group)
  • Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York, N.Y., 1970-2010 (partner, 1977-2010; Co-Chair, International Arbitration Group)
  • Law Clerk to Hon. Robert P. Anderson, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1969-70

Education

LL.B. Yale University, 1969
Fulbright Scholar, Cambridge University, 1965-66
B.A. Yale University, 1965