People
Marina Kofman
Principal. Dual-qualified in Australia and England and Wales, with extensive experience acting in regulatory investigations, commercial and cross-border disputes across leading firms, ASIC, and in-house in financial services.
Marina founded the practice in 2022 to deliver the kind of representation she believed was missing in the market: senior-led, technically rigorous, commercially sharp, and personally attentive.
Before establishing the firm, Marina practised at leading global law firms in Sydney, London, and Hong Kong across commercial litigation, international arbitration, and advisory work. She also worked in the enforcement team at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, working on major enforcement matters involving alleged Ponzi schemes and financial misconduct.
Marina has almost 14 years' experience working predominantly in commercial dispute resolution. She is a dual-qualified solicitor, qualified both in Australia and England and Wales, with extensive experience in international disputes. Marina previously served multiple terms on the Law Society of NSW's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and also on its Litigation Law and Practice Committee. She has been widely published and is sought out for her expertise in ASIC investigations, arbitration and international law.
Marina is driven to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients and approaches difficult legal and commercial issues with nimble and creative thinking to serve each client's unique interests.
Selected publications
- 'No waiver of foreign State immunity from jurisdiction by New York Convention ratification: High Court of Australia on recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards; ICSID analogy rejected (CCDM Holdings LLC v The Republic of India)', LexisNexis, 28 May 2026
- 'Australia: Blasket v Spain: Federal Court enforces intra-EU ICSID awards; sovereign immunity waived; Achmea and Komstroy objections rejected; assignment valid (Blasket v Spain)', LexisNexis, 5 November 2025
- Dr Mariel Dimsey and Marina Kofman, 'Most-Favoured Nation Treatment' in The Investment Treaty Arbitration Review, The Law Reviews, 14 June 2022
- 'Headnote: COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund MoU between Recipient UN Organizations and UNDP', Oxford International Organizations, Oxford University Press, May 2021
- 'Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Challenges and Reforms', Australian International Law Journal, Vol 25 (2018) 49–62, 2020
- 'Headnote: Eskosol v Italy, Decision on Italy's request for immediate termination and Italy's Jurisdictional Objection Based on Inapplicability of the Energy Charter Treaty to Intra-EU Disputes (ICSID Case No ARB/15/50)', Investment Claims, Oxford University Press, 2020
- 'Headnote: Venezuela US SRL v Venezuela, Interim Award on Jurisdiction (PCA Case No 2013-34)', Investment Claims, Oxford University Press, 2019
- 'Report of the Rapporteur for the "Hot Topics" Panel' in Jean Kalicki and Mohamed Abdel Raouf (eds), Evolution and Adaptation: The Future of International Arbitration, ICCA Congress Series No. 20, Wolters Kluwer, 2019
Speaking engagements
- 'Sundowners with Sandgropers': Ashurst and AFIA networking event, pathways to a career in arbitration, Speaker (Asia Pacific Forum for International Arbitration, Australian Arbitration Week, Perth, 12 October 2023)
- 'Investor State Arbitration: A Force for Good?', Debate Speaker (CIArb Australia Young Members Group, Australian Arbitration Week, Brisbane, 19 November 2019)
- 'Future of Trade, Investment & International Commercial Arbitration Disputes', Panel Chair (International Law Association & NSW Young Lawyers Conference, 'The Future of International Dispute Settlement', Sydney, 27 June 2019)
- 'Current Issues in International Arbitration: third party funding, expedited proceedings and investor-state dispute settlement reform', Panellist (AFIA Symposium, Australian Arbitration Week, Melbourne, 18 October 2018)
- 'Investor-State Dispute Settlement: Challenges and Reforms', Panellist (78th Biennial International Law Association Conference, Sydney, 20 August 2018)
- 'Current developments in investor-state dispute settlement', Panellist (4th Annual May Seminar, UNCITRAL National Coordination Committee for Australia, Canberra, 25 May 2018)
- 'Arbitration, UNCITRAL and Australia', Presentation (University of Queensland & UNCITRAL Trade Law Forum: '50 Years of UNCITRAL', Brisbane, 2 December 2016)
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