Karim A.
Youssef, J.S.D.

Karim A. Youssef is the founder of Youssef + Partners, a Global Arbitration Review (GAR) 100 law firm, and an international leading figure in dispute resolution. Karim leads the international arbitration and international law practices at the Firm. His practice focuses on commercial arbitration, investment treaty arbitration, complex high-value disputes, and international law, and is world-renowned in these fields. Additionally, he heads the Firm’s high-net-worth individuals’ practice.

Karim acts as counsel, arbitrator, or legal expert in some of the MENA region’s highest-profile, largest, and most complex commercial and investment treaty claims. His docket of arbitrator and counsel work exceeds 145 international arbitrations across four continents.

Karim has received some of the highest distinctions from peers and clients, having notably been described as “a leading light in international arbitration” (Legal 500, 2018) and “the number one arbitration lawyer in Egypt” (Chambers Global, 2021). He has further been praised as “a master of strategy” who thinks “light years ahead” of other practitioners (Chambers Global, 2022) and described as a “heavyweight arbitration lawyer with extensive experience acting on multibillion-dollar claims” (Chambers Global, 2022). His distinctions also include earning the 2019 GAR Award for best global speech and writing a reputable book on multi-party arbitration and consent issues prefaced by Jan Paulsson.

Karim is ranked as Star Individual in the Chambers and Partners Global Guide and is a Global Thought Leader in Arbitration Who’s Who Legal.

Karim is a member of the Advisory Board of the CRCICA, the newly established BVI IAC Arbitration Committee, and also member of the ICCA-ASIL Task Force on Damages in International Arbitration. He is also the first Arab and international arbitration practitioner to be on the Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School Center of the Legal Profession.

Karim has law degrees from Yale Law School (where he earned LL.M. and JSD degrees) and Paris and Cairo Universities.