Annie Lespérance is an independent international arbitrator and mediator with 16 years of experience spanning commercial, investor-State, and sports disputes. Highly regarded for her procedural mastery and commercial pragmatism, she is appointed to the Government of Canada's USMCA roster, the Government of Quebec's Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) roster, and panels of leading arbitral institutions. As a bilingual arbitrator (English/French, with advanced Spanish), Annie has served as arbitrator in ICC, AAA-ICDR, SDRCC, and ad hoc proceedings across sectors including mining, technology licensing, crypto, franchising, shareholder governance, and sports. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) and is recognized in Who's Who Legal: Arbitration.
Her practice is grounded in an exceptionally deep tribunal-side foundation. She spent seven years working alongside L. Yves Fortier, drafting awards and procedural orders in more than 40 complex international arbitrations. Previously, she served as Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, administering state-to-state and investor-State cases. This unique background provides her with a sophisticated, ...more
inside-out understanding of institutional rules, case and evidentiary management, and award enforcement.
Annie also brings unique insight from executive leadership roles in dispute finance and legal technology. Having previously led the LatAm portfolio strategy at Omni Bridgeway and assessed the financial structures of complex international claims, she brings a highly developed capability to analyze sophisticated quantum models and commercial realities. Additionally, as the Head of Americas at Jus Mundi, her leadership in the legal technology sector ensures she is uniquely well-versed in modern digital tools, enabling her to leverage technology to optimize case management and drive procedural efficiencies. This background ensures that tribunal proceedings are handled with both analytical rigor and contemporary administrative discipline.
A sought-after voice on the evolving dispute resolution landscape, Annie publishes and speaks extensively. Her published work includes contributions for LexisNexis, Kluwer, and Jus Mundi. She frequently addresses leading global forums, including New York Arbitration Week, California International Arbitration Week, Washington Arbitration Week, and IBA and ABA conferences.
Annie maintains deep involvement in the global arbitration community through key committee and task force appointments. She serves on the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Centre's (SVAMC) AI Taskforce as Co-Chair, the Paris International Arbitration Chamber's (CAIP) Working Group on Arbitration in the Mining Sector, the Advisory Board of ALARB's New Technologies Committee, and the ICC Canada Arbitration Committee. Her professional achievements and leadership in legal innovation have been recognized with honors including the Monica Bay Award (Women in Legal Tech) and the Canadian Bar Association's Excellence Award in International Law.
