They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 - Lee Rovinescu of Freshfields

Lee Rovinescu

Age: 38

Law Firm: Freshfields

Practice Area: International Arbitration

Title: Partner

Location: New York

Law School: McGill University Faculty of Law

Please describe two of your most substantial, recent wins in practice.

I was brought on to an arbitration to focus on damages a month before trial to cover for a colleague in a case against Uruguay for the expropriation of the country’s national airline in Latin American Regional Aviation Holding S. de R.L. v. Oriental Republic of Uruguay, ICSID Case No. ARB/19/16.

Uruguay’s experts contended that the airline was loss-making, valueless and that no compensation should be paid. During their cross-examination, a key theme was to unpack the true indicia of value in the airline industry.

The Tribunal rendered its decision in February 2024 ordering Uruguay to pay compensation and dismissing their thesis that the business was valueless. It was a momentous end to a tumultuous decade plus for our client and (at least partial) vindication for substantial hardships faced during the carrier’s government-mandated liquidation.

A second recent win came in a confidential commercial arbitration that ended in 2022. Before trial, we received authorization to make a substantial settlement offer. Thankfully, it was not accepted.

At the final hearing, we won every day: All of our witnesses held up and those of our opponent did not. In the end, the claims against our clients were dismissed and our clients were awarded their counterclaims. Never more have I felt that we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

What is the most important lesson you learned as a first-year attorney and how does it inform your practice today?

It is probably trite to say it, but “if you want to go far, go together.” There are very few meaningful things that can be accomplished alone. Practically everything we do involves a substantial amount of teamwork, both within the firm and with client teams. The most rewarding thing is when our teams are structured and composed in a way that allows everyone to bring their best version of themselves. That is when we are at our most efficient and deliver the best of ourselves.

I now spend a good deal of time thinking very carefully and deliberately about how (preferably, leaner) teams should be put together and what roles everyone should be playing (which is not necessarily defined by their relative seniority). I am sure that I do not always get it right or perfect, but it is an important part of how I approach my work today.

How do you define success in your practice?

In an arbitration practice, success in its most crude form comes in the form of case wins. If you do not win cases, it is hard to claim success—and of course “wins” may come in different forms (including lessening substantial liabilities). While wins are very important, the best success metric is having clients return to hire you on more cases. There is no better endorsement of the work that you are doing.

What are you most proud of as a lawyer?

I am most proud of the following: First, a commercial arbitration comes to mind. Our clients faced claims worth $200 million and had counterclaims worth $50 million. Our prospects were bleak going into the month-long trial. However, we left the venue every day having made incremental progress.

In the end, the tribunal dismissed all claims against our clients and awarded our clients the majority of theirs, with a substantial costs award. At no other time have I felt more that we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Second, we secured a precedent-setting US $8.5 billion award for our clients in a long-standing ICSID arbitration against Venezuela. It is not so much that we won but rather how we won—through many (12) years of hard work. It is not every day that you get such a sizeable win, and it was extra special to be with our client team when the award was handed down.

Third, while I have always made pro bono an important part of my practice, when the partner who oversaw the US pro bono practice retired, I saw an opportunity to have a greater amount of influence on our firm’s pro bono impact. I therefore sought and filled that role and am now proud to steer that practice, finding new opportunities for us to increase our community impact.

Who is your greatest mentor in the law and what have they taught you?

From a lengthy roster of wonderful mentors, I have to single out my retired colleague Brian King. From my first days at the firm, I was lucky to learn from and work with Brian on many cases and travel with him for those cases from Fort Worth to Seoul to Madagascar, and many other places in between.

Working with Brian was a daily masterclass in intellectual rigor, precision and client service. What I learned most from him is a love for the art of cross-examination. Brian is a forceful cross-examiner that made fact and expert witnesses bend to his will, all whist asking questions with grace, respect and humor. He succeeded through good old-fashioned preparation and considering, evaluating and re-evaluating every possible angle and answer he might get to any question.

I remember vividly at one of our first hearings together, as a first-year associate, preparing a draft cross-examination outline for his review, which was not good. We sat down in the hotel lobby, and he gave me an hour-long tutorial on his preparation methodology.

I went away to prepare a revised draft, which he said was much better (to be sure, he then, as always, greatly improved upon it). We went on to prepare countless cross-examinations together and, to this day, I consult my notes from our hotel lobby meeting before every case.

Tell us your two favorite songs on your summer music playlist.

My dog-focused Instagram feed is populated with time lapse videos of people’s dogs growing older, starting with a picture from when they first met them. The song overlay is “The Night We Met” (Lord Huron). I know nothing about the artist or if he intended to sing a dog owner’s anthem. But it now makes me think of when I first met my dogs (past and present) and so the song has made its way to the top of the playlist.

[And] Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel,” (co-written by Bob Dylan, I recently learned) has re-emerged in my playlists after a few-year hiatus. I don’t know why or how it came back, but I’m not resisting it.

Lee Rovinescu of Freshfields taking flying lessons in Farmingdale, Long Island.

Photo Illustration: Jonathan Hurtarte/ Bloomberg Law; Photo courtesy of Lee Rovinescu