A&O Shearman

International Arbitration

Partner

Matthew Skinner is a partner in the International Arbitration practice.

Matthew is an experienced arbitration practitioner and litigator. He has extensive experience representing clients in factually and legally complex disputes and is skilled at identifying strategies for dispute resolution. Matt acts for significant oil and gas, pharmaceutical, construction, manufacturing and resources corporations as well as banks and energy companies. He has represented clients in commercially important matters including joint venture, licensing, construction, gas pricing and post-M&A disputes.

Recognized as a leader in his field and with truly global experience, Matt has practiced in London, Sydney, and Singapore and handled disputes in many forums all over the world, including courts and international arbitration tribunals (SIAC, LCIA, LMAA, HKIAC, ICC, UNCITRAL, and CAS). He also has experience in various forms of alternative dispute resolution, including adjudication and mediation.

Matt is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb), a Member of the SIAC Users Council, a Supporting Member of the LMAA and a Member of the City of London Law Society (CLLS) where he sits on the CLLS Arbitration committee. He features on the SIAC, KLRCA, HKIAC, JCAA, KCAB and AIAC Panels of Arbitrators.

Matt has been praised in leading professional directories for his “strong commercial sense coupled with an ability to focus on what’s really relevant” and for his “outstanding legal acumen and advocacy skill”. One of his clients commented that he makes “the difficult experience of international arbitration easier for corporate counsel by clearly communicating costs-and-benefits, identifying strategic opportunities, and maintaining an eye towards the commercial big picture”. He has also been lauded as “an outstanding lawyer” and a “star performer”, “extremely responsive and constantly available”, and “commercially astute”. In 2021, he was recognized in The Best Lawyers in Singapore and as “International Arbitration Star” in Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific. Matt is featured in Chambers and The Legal 500. Matt is also listed in The Legal 500 Private Practice Arbitration Powerlist - South East Asia Region (2022).

English

Admissions:

Solicitor, England and Wales

Solicitor, Supreme Court of New South Wales (Australia)

Solicitor, Federal and High Courts of Australia

Registered Foreign Lawyer at the Singapore International Commercial Court

King's College London, LL.B. (Hons.)