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Nicolas Wiegand
Partner

Dr. Nicolas Wiegand

Head of Dispute Resolution

Languages
  • German
  • English
  • Spanish
  • French

His experience

Nicolas specialises in international commercial and investment arbitration with a focus on corporate, joint venture, IP, sales and distribution as well as the life sciences, energy, technology, construction and infrastructure sectors. He is highly experienced with arbitration in or in relation to the US, Europe and Asia, and there specifically to Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Singapore as well as numerous other Asian jurisdictions.

Having lived and worked for many years in both civil law (Germany, Switzerland) and common law (Hong Kong, Singapore, California, New York,  Australia) jurisdictions, Nicolas is experienced in handling cases under both legal traditions. He has so far acted in more than 140 international arbitrations under all major arbitration rules and governed by a broad range of different substantive laws. He also acted in investment disputes and other disputes involving states and state-owned enterprises.

Arbitrator experience

Alongside his work as a party representative, Nicolas is a very experienced arbitrator. To date, he has sat in 42 cases covering a wide range of both civil and common law jurisdictions, including Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, PRC, Germany, Switzerland, California, New York, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and others. His cases are seated at the major arbitration hubs worldwide. 

His background

Nicolas joined CMS in 2006 and was made partner in 2013. In 2009/2010, he was seconded to Clayton Utz in Sydney. He was the head of the CMS Hong Kong presence and the firm’s arbitration practice in the Asia-Pacific region for almost a decade. In January 2020, he has been appointed as co-head for the firm's dispute resolution practice, and in January 2024, Nicolas has also become the head of the firm's US representative office and arbitration practice. 

Nicolas is regularly engaged as a speaker at international arbitration conferences and he runs training courses for arbitral institutions.

Awards & Recognitions
01
  • Quote
    „Nicolas Wiegand, eine Meisterleistung.“, Mandant
    The Legal 500 Deutschland, 2025
  • Quote
    „Nicolas Wiegand war in dem oben erwähnten Schiedsverfahren außergewöhnlich gut. Er war ein idealer Vorsitzender der Beratungen des Gerichts und machte die gesamte schwierige und manchmal hektische Anhörung und die Arbeit nach dem Schiedsspruch so einfach wie möglich.“, Mandant
    The Legal 500 Deutschland, 2025
  • Quote
    „Nicolas Wiegand - ein hervorragender Anwalt, einer der besten, die ich je erlebt habe, und auch ein hervorragender Schlichter.“, Mandant
    The Legal 500 Deutschland, 2025
  • Quote
    „Dies ist ein ausgezeichnetes Team. Ich habe mit Benjamin Lissner, Torsten Lörcher und Nicolas Wiegand zusammengearbeitet. Sie sind ausnahmslos führend auf dem Gebiet der Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit und hervorragende Praktiker.“, Mandant
    The Legal 500 Deutschland, 2025
  • Quote
    „Oft empfohlen“ für Konfliktlösung
    JUVE Handbuch, 2024/2025
  • Quote
    Listed for Arbitration / Dispute Resolution / Mediation
    Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2024 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
  • Quote
    "Nicolas is one of the best arbitrators in the Asian market" "He is very smart and quick" "He is highly sought after as an arbitrator"
    Who's Who Legal 2023 – Arbitration Global Leader
  • Quote
    „Oft empfohlen“ für Konfliktlösung
    JUVE Handbuch, 2023/2024
  • Quote
    „Oft empfohlen“ für Konfliktlösung
    JUVE Handbuch, 2022/2023
  • Quote
    Listed for Arbitration / Dispute Resolution / Mediation
    Deutschlands beste Anwälte 2023 – Handelsblatt in Kooperation mit Best Lawyers
  • Quote
    „hat sich beeindruckend entwickelt“, Wettbewerber
    JUVE Handbuch, 2022/2023
  • Quote
    "A client asserts that they have 'always respected him as an outstanding lawyer, as well as an approachable and trustworthy consultant to our company,' adding: 'He is a great strategist and always develops his ideas and strategies further to improve our position.'"
    Chambers Global, 2022
  • Quote
    "Recommended" for Dispute Resolution
    JUVE German Commercial Law Firms 2022 (GCLF)

Publications

  • "HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules", Verlag C.H. Beck, Baden-Baden 2021 (together with Dr. Markus Altenkirch)
  • "Investitionsschutz entlang der Seidenstraße: Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit und Chinas neue "Seidenstraßengerichte""; ICC Germany-Magazin, (6) Mai-November 2018, p. 32 (together with Tom Christopher Pröstler)
  • "How China-seated arbitration awards have been enforced overseas – the German perspective", CIETAC.com newsletter 10/2015 (together with Falco Kreis)
  • "Arbitration is becoming increasingly Asian", Business Law Magazine 03/2015 (together with Tom Christopher Pröstler)
  • "Mock Arbitrations" in: Arbitration Insights, Essays in Honour of Neil Kaplan, Hong Kong 2012 (together with Dr Klaus Sachs)
  • Commentary on the recognition and enforcement of arbitration awards (German title: Handbuch des Zwangsvollstreckungsrechts, Kapitel 10: Anerkennung und Vollstreckung von Schiedssprüchen), Verlag C. H. Beck 2009
  • "Schiedsvereinbarung und -verfahren für Gesellschafterstreitigkeiten", Anwaltsblatt 2007, p. 396 ff
  • "Die Sicherungsgesellschaft - Der Sicherungsvertrag bei der Sicherungsübereignung als BGB-Gesellschaftsvertrag", Münchener Universitätsschriften, Verlag C.H. Beck, München 2006

Memberships & Roles

  • Arbitrator Database of the USCIB
  • Panel of arbitrators of KCAB International, Seoul
  • Panel of arbitrators of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)
  • Panel of arbitrators of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC)
  • Panel of arbitrators of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC)
  • Panel of arbitrators of the Asian International Arbitration Center (AIAC)
  • Panel of arbitrators of the South China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission/Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA)
  • Panel of arbitrators of the Indian Institute of Arbitration & Mediation (IIAM)
  • International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA)
  • Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA)
  • German Institution of Arbitration (DIS)
  • International Bar Association (IBA)
  • ABIE Germany (Australian Business in Europe)
  • IPBA (Inter-Pacific Bar Association)
  • Chinaforum Bayern e.V.

Lectures list

  • HKIAC Roadshow (July 2013): Making Deals - Maximising Opportunities and Managing Risks in Asia (Panel 1: Challenges and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in Asia)
  • ICC YAF Global Conference 2013, New York, World Café Session: What makes a good arbitrator?
  • YAAP/ICC YAF Vienna Conference 2013: Young approaches to arbitration (Panel 1: Case management challenges in high profile arbitrations)
  • Generations in Arbitration Hong Kong 2012: Shadow Tribunals – Good Deal or Ordeal?

Education

  • 2006 - Research assistant for a German Federal Court of Justice lawyer.
  • 2005 - PhD at the University of Munich on secured transactions and corporate law.
  • Trainee lawyer with Higher Regional Court Munich including stint abroad with Alston & Bird, LLP., New York.
  • 2004 - Research assistant at the Institute for Civil Law at the University of Munich.
  • 2003 - Graduated in law from the University of Munich.
  • 2001 - Banking training and employed in the corporate clients department of Credit Suisse.
  • 1998 - Law studies at the University of Munich.