Vanessa Thieffry

Vanessa Thieffry is an independent arbitrator and dispute resolution practitioner based in Paris, where she founded Thieffry Dispute Resolution. Her practice rests on three commitments: impartiality, independence, and availability. While she focuses on construction, energy and infrastructure disputes, she handles all kinds of disputes.

Since 2010, Vanessa has worked at arbitration boutiques, French top-tier construction law firms, and international law firms. This varied background shaped her understanding of how disputes unfold from both legal and operational perspectives – and a conviction that proceedings should remain proportionate to the stakes involved.

She accepts appointments as sole arbitrator, chair and party-nominated arbitrator under major, sectoral, or geographical institutional rules (including ICC, LCIA, SIAC, SCC, FNTP, ADCCAC, CRCICA), and in ad hoc proceedings. She exercises active case management from initial appointment throughout the procedure, structuring proceedings to maintain efficiency at every stage. Her construction arbitration experience spans civil law and common law seats and applicable laws, with project sites across Europe, Africa and the Middle-East. This experience allows her to engage directly with technical complexities and navigate contrasting cultures.

As counsel, Vanessa Thieffry offers targeted, ad hoc services designed to complement existing legal teams or address specific needs. She provides co-counseling in arbitration proceedings, advice on claims preparation, claims and dispute management during project execution, and assistance or representation before dispute boards and adjudication panels. 

Vanessa Thieffry regularly publishes on arbitration, construction arbitration, and sustainability in arbitration, and speaks at international conferences. She serves as a Board Member and Secretary General of Paris Arbitration Week (« PAW »), of which she is the former Treasurer, and co-chairs the Advisory and Contract Management Commission of the Society of Construction Law (French Chapter) – « SCL France ».

Admitted to the Paris Bar, she acts in French and English.