Thomas Kendra

Thomas is a partner in our commercial and investment arbitration practice, based in our Paris office. He is dual-qualified in England & Wales and France, is a national of both, and he also speaks Spanish.

With over 20 years of specialised experience in international arbitration, Thomas' extensive experience has seen him cover several multi-billion dollar disputes in the energy sector in Europe, disputes relating to the alleged expropriation of mining licences in Africa and also in Central Asia, major telecoms disputes in Central Europe and West Africa as well as investment arbitrations in the food production and also energy sectors in Latin America. He acts as counsel and also sits as arbitrator.

Thomas is passionate about encouraging the growth of alternative dispute resolution, notably in Africa and also Asia. This led him to collaborate in establishing the Kigali International Arbitration Centre (KIAC) in Rwanda in 2012, for which he was nominated Solicitor of the Year by the Law Society. He remains an active member of KIAC's Board and Executive Committee, and is a founder and Co-President of AfricArb, an organisation aimed at encouraging the use of arbitration in Africa.

As Chambers and Partners put it: “Thomas Kendra assists clients hailing from the energy and TMT sectors with a range of arbitration mandates and is noted for his ‘exceptional ability to navigate easily between civil and common law countries.’” Another source enthuses: “He is someone that is so quick-witted that he immediately gets respect and attention in a courtroom.” (Chambers and Partners Europe 2021). Meanwhile, Who’s Who Legal has noted: “Thomas Kendra 'leads the market' in relation to arbitrations in Francophone Africa."

Thomas is a regular contributor to publications and conferences on the topic of international arbitration, whilst teaching at both the Sciences Po (Paris Institute of Political Studies) and Paris-Saclay University. He has also headed market-leading pro bono projects: a recent project assisting victims of human trafficking with compensation claims in the French courts was awarded the top prize in France for pro-bono work, the Paris Bar Pro Bono Trophy Lawyers Prize 2023.