Tomas Vail is an international lawyer based in London. He is fluent in English, French and Russian.   

Tomas is recognized as a leading arbitration practitioner by Chambers UK, Legal 500 UK, the Private Practice Powerlist UK, Best Lawyers and Who’s Who Legal (including being recently listed as one of 15 “Most Highly Regarded” arbitration practitioners in EMEA). He has served in leadership positions in several prominent arbitration organizations and initiatives, including as an Advisory Board member of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration. He serves as a legal specialist to the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative and in this capacity presented to the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan on arbitration matters. 

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and regularly speaks and publishes on aspects of international arbitration and public international law. His recent writings include two book chapters: one on the Brčko Arbitration, in a book on non-state actors under international law (Nijhoff Brill); and a second on tribunal-appointed experts, in a commentary on the UNCITRAL Model Law (Cambridge University Press). 

In addition to his role as an arbitrator, Thomas has represented clients throughout the world, most frequently in Russia and the CIS, Eastern Europe and Africa, conducting disputes under the LCIA, SCC, ICC, ICSID and UNCITRAL rules and related court litigation. He has particular experience in the petroleum and mining industries, advising on high-value disputes between energy companies and states/state-owned entities.