John M. Townsend

John M. Townsend is a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Hughes Hubbard & Reed. His practice focuses on complex disputes, particularly international disputes, both in court and before arbitral tribunals. John's arbitration practice includes representing parties in international and domestic commercial arbitration, investment treaty disputes, and acting as an arbitrator.

John served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) from 2007 to 2010 and as chair of the Executive Committee of the AAA from 2004 to 2007. He was a member and a vice president of the Court of Arbitration of the LCIA from 2014 to 2019. John was the first chair of the Mediation Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA). In February 2008, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as one of the American members of the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), on which he served until 2016. Chambers and Partners has consistently ranked John among the top international arbitration lawyers in the United States and has described him as "just a master," who "understands international ADR better than any other in the market."

John served as lead counsel to Canada in Canada’s entirely successful defense of two arbitrations between the United States and Canada brought under the Softwood Lumber Agreement. He has represented Ukrainian investors in six investment treaty arbitrations against The Russian Federation arising out of its actions in Crimea and has obtained favorable awards on jurisdiction and liability in five; the sixth is still at an early stage.

John has served as an arbitrator in more than 95 arbitrations, including commercial and investment treaty cases under all major sets of arbitration rules.

John's litigation practice has included participation as a Hughes Hubbard associate in the successful defense of Ford Motor Co. on a charge of negligent homicide in the Pinto fuel tank trial in Indiana, and as a young partner in the defense of the building owner in the Kansas City Skywalk Collapse litigation. He led a Hughes Hubbard team acting as national counsel to a major pharmaceutical manufacturer in a nationwide, multi-defendant litigation challenging the use of published Average Wholesale Prices (AWPs) as a reference point in Medicaid reimbursement.

John served as trustee of the US Council for International Business and chaired the Council's European Privilege Task Force. He submitted an application on behalf of the Council to intervene in the Akzo Nobel v. European Commission case in the European Court of Justice to urge European recognition of an attorney-client privilege for company counsel.

John is a member of the American Law Institute (ALI) and served as an Advisor to the ALI's project to draft a Restatement of the American Law of International Commercial Arbitration. He has also served on the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop faculty.

John has been with Hughes Hubbard & Reed—in New York, Paris, and Washington—since 1971. He speaks fluent French.

• Representation of Ukrainian investors in six arbitrations against the Russian Federation under the Russia-Ukraine Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) arising out of measures carried out after the Russian annexation of Crimea and in defense of the resulting awards in the Swiss and Dutch courts
• Representation of Canada in two arbitrations captioned United States of America v. Canada under the Softwood Lumber Agreement of 2006 and the LCIA Rules
• Representation of a bio-pharmaceutical company in ICC arbitration against a major pharmaceutical company arising out of failure to supply a compliant product
• Submitted an amicus curiae brief to the US Supreme Court in GE Energy Power v. Outokumpu Stainless USA
• Representation of investor in expropriation claim against the Russian Federation in BIT arbitration in Stockholm that secured the first award holding that the Russian measures taken against Yukos Oil Company amounted to expropriation
• Submitted two amicus curiae briefs to the US Supreme Court on behalf of professors and practitioners of arbitration law in BG Group PLC v. Argentina 
• Representation of an American company in ICC Arbitration in Paris and related European Commission proceedings involving a chemical technology license dispute with a Spanish former joint venture partner
• Representation of an American manufacturer in arbitration under Netherlands Arbitration Institute rules concerning a contract to build a major chemical plant in Rotterdam
• Representation of American Arbitration Association in 11th Circuit appeal involving issues of arbitral immunity
• Representation of a German company in AAA arbitration in Seattle concerning the validity of a patent and technology license under European competition law
• Representation of a major New York educational institution in AAA arbitration concerning construction of its library
• Served as advisor to the Ministry of Justice of Bahrain concerning drafting of the 2009 Arbitration Law
• Submitted amicus curiae brief to the US Supreme Court on behalf of the American Arbitration Association in Green Tree Financial Corp. v. Randolph 
• Testimony before the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee in opposition to an attempt to amend the Federal Arbitration Act to permit litigation in court against a Japanese client
• Service as arbitrator in more than 95 arbitrations seated in New York, Washington, Houston, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Savannah, San Francisco, London, The Hague, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Reykjavik, Paris, Stockholm, Geneva, and Singapore, including 19 investment treaty arbitrations
• Member of AAA Commercial, International and Class Arbitration panels; the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) Panel of Distinguished Neutrals; Panel of Energy Arbitrators; LCIA panel; World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) List of Neutrals; Lists of Arbitrators of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association
• Served on committees that drafted and revised the AAA’s International Arbitration Rules, Supplementary Rules for Class Arbitrations, and ICDR Guidelines for Arbitrators Concerning Exchanges of Information 
• Represented the AAA in working with the ABA on the 2004 revision of the AAA/ABA Code of Ethics for Arbitrators in Commercial Disputes 
• Member of CPR’s Challenge Review Board, and served on the committee that drafted the CPR Rules for Non-Administered Arbitration

• Defense of a Chinese company against an attempt to enforce an arbitration award that had been set aside at the seat of arbitration in China in federal court in Washington, DC
• Defense of a Russian rocket company in a suit by former venture partners in federal court in California
• Lead national counsel to a pharmaceutical manufacturer in multi-defendant actions in federal and state court, including multiple state attorney general actions, challenging industry pricing practices
• Representation of a foreign government in District Court and Court of Appeals seeking dismissal of a breach of contract claim on grounds of sovereign immunity
• Representation of International Jurists as amicus curiae in brief to the Supreme Court in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain (Alien Tort Statute case)
• Representation of creators of the television program "Home Improvement" in California litigation against The Walt Disney Co. concerning terms for the license negotiated by Disney Television with its affiliate, ABC
• Representation of a European government as amicus curiae in 2nd Circuit appeal involving extraterritorial restrictions in a trademark injunction
• Defense of a leading greeting card manufacturer in trade dress infringement and unfair competition action in US District Court in Denver and the 10th Circuit
• Representation of an Italian bank in a suit in Delaware Chancery Court and Delaware Supreme Court to cancel fraudulently issued shares of a Delaware corporation
• Defense of a New York utility in Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and securities class actions and derivative suit, arising out of the arrest of a vice president
• Representation of a greeting card manufacturer and chain of drug stores in obtaining summary judgment dismissing Robinson-Patman Act claims in Florida
• Defense of an engine manufacturer in an antitrust suit over distribution restrictions in Milwaukee
• Defense of a building owner and its corporate parent in litigation over collapse of the skywalks in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City and subsequent rescuer class actions