Mohamed F. Sweify

Mohamed F. Sweify focuses on complex litigation and alternative dispute resolution involving domestic, cross-border, and international disputes. His practice covers a wide range of industries, including commercial, financial, telecommunications, intellectual property, securities, and cryptocurrency.

Mohamed's litigation work spans all phases of federal and state court cases, from pleadings to trials, with multiple successful results in motions and appeals.

As a bilingual, dual-qualified attorney in common and civil law, Mohamed represents clients in arbitration proceedings under leading institutions such as the American Arbitration Association – The ICDR®—International Centre for Dispute Resolution® (AAA–ICDR), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), JAMS, the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA), the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He also advises on investor-state disputes and has experience in judicial review and enforcement of arbitral awards.

In addition to his counsel work, Mohamed serves as an arbitrator in complex commercial arbitration cases governed by New York, California, federal, English, and Middle Eastern laws.

He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School. Prior to joining Hinshaw, Mohamed interned at the New York Court of Appeals with the Honorable Judge Jenny Rivera and served as a public prosecutor in Egypt, handling high-profile corruption and white-collar crime cases.

• The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Fellow (FCIArb)
• American Arbitration Association – The ICDR®—International Centre for Dispute Resolution® (AAA–ICDR)
  • Considered the youngest arbitrator on the national roster of AAA arbitrators
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Arbitration and ADR, Delegate, 2022 – 2024
• International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR)
  • Y-ADR Steering Committee of the Young Leaders in Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2023 – 2026
• New York State Bar Association
  • International Dispute Resolution Committee, Chair, 2021 – Present
  • Dispute Resolution Section, Executive Member, 2021 – Present
  • Task Force on New York Law in International Matters, 2021 – 2022
• New York City Bar Association
  • Arbitration Committee, 2021 – Present
  • International Law Committee, 2021 – Present
  • Working Group Report on Private International Law Treaties, 2021 – Present
• Muslim Bar Association of New York

• Professional
  • Named to the "40 Under 40" list by Arab American Foundation, 2024
  • Named to the "40 Under 40" list by Middle East Policy Council (MEPC), 2021
• Academic
  • Pepperdine University School of Law
    • CALI Award in "Ethics of International Arbitration"

Mohamed has a robust litigation and international arbitration practice, handling numerous significant cases.

Notable matters include:

Arbitration

• Represented a Fortune 500 company in an institutional arbitration involving claims for violation of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, UCC, Consumer Fraud Act, and other U.S. federal laws.
• Represented a global company in an ad hoc arbitration seated in New York, involving breach of contractual obligations under insurance policy agreements.
• Represented investors, brokerages, and investment firms in securities arbitrations concerning securities fraud claims and claims of suitability of investments.
• Represented a global telecom operator in institutional arbitrations totaling $1.3 billion. The case involved a breach of the interconnection agreement and equal treatment against a global mobile operator.
• Represented a construction company in an institutional arbitration case, which centered around allegations of delays in executing a significant project in the steel and energy manufacturing sector.
• Successfully represented a hotel management company in an institutional arbitration concerning a breach of the exclusive management agreement.
• Advised a Middle Eastern investor in a potential ICSID arbitration against a Middle Eastern country regarding a denial of justice claim based on termination of the investor’s "call option" shares by the host state.
• Represented CEO and shareholders in an institutional arbitration involving breach of shareholders agreements and failure to complete the company’s initial public offering.
• Represented a regional distributor in an ad hoc arbitration involving claims for a non-exclusive agency agreement and unlawful termination of a contractual agency relationship.
• Represented a consortium of companies in an institutional arbitration, which included claims for breach of contract, debt refinancing, foreclosure of properties, and sale of shares.

Arbitral Appointments

• An arbitrator in an arbitration seated in New York involving cryptocurrency regulation and cybersecurity violations.
• An arbitrator in an arbitration involving claims of breach of agency contracts in the sports industry.
• An arbitrator in an institutional arbitration involving claims of breach of banking agreement and unjust enrichment, under the laws of the State of Utah.
• An arbitrator in an institutional arbitration relating to the manufacturing defects of a global company’s products under the laws of the State of New York.
• An arbitrator in an institutional arbitration relating to breach of contract and banking violations under the U.S. Federal laws, and the banking laws in the State of New York and the New York General Business law.
• An arbitrator in an institutional arbitration relating to fraud claims and violations of federal laws seated in New York.

Litigation

• Successfully prevailed on a dispositive motion in a complex commercial partnership dispute before the New York State Court.
• Successfully obtained a dismissal of a case brought by a foreign company against a Fortune 500 company in U.S. federal courts alleging breach of contract and UCC violations.
• Represented a global company in concurrent legal actions related to anti-suit injunctions in U.S. federal courts.
• Represented a Fortune 500 company in disputes before state and U.S. federal courts involving claims for fraud, banking laws violations, breach of contract, and UCC violations.
• Represented financial institutions in financial services disputes before the New York State courts and the U.S. federal courts.

• Moderator, "Professional Standards, Ethics, and the Use of AI in Dispute Resolution," CPR Institute’s Y-ADR Steering Committee and the CPR Technology Advisory Alliance, CLE Webinar, May 14, 2024
• Co-Presenter, "Best Practices for Commercial and Employment Arbitration Efficiency," American Arbitration Association, CLE Webinar, April 25, 2024
• Moderator, "The Battle of the Seats in International Arbitration," New York State Bar Association International Section, Webinar, March 28, 2024

• Panelist, "International Commercial Arbitration Law and Practice - A Deep Dive for American Litigators and In-House Counsel," AAA/ICDR, New York, New York, January 18, 2024

• Panelist, "Power in Mediation—Shifting Sands of Getting to Yes," New York State Bar Association, New York, New York, January 16, 2024

• Panelist, "The Role of Arbitral Institutions and the Future of Ad Hoc Arbitration in Africa," 2023 Global Conference: Africa Arbitration Day – New York, New York, December 8, 2023

• Panelist, "The Evolution of Third-Party Funding in ADR," Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), Virtual Event, November 30, 2023

• Panelist, "Third-Party Arbitration Funding," Recent Developments in Arbitration Conference, Center on Civil Justice at NYU School of Law in partnership with the Center for Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Commercial Law at NYU School of Law and the Center for International Commercial & Investment Arbitration at Columbia Law School, New York, New York, and Virtual, November 12, 2022

• Co-Moderator, "Panel Discussion-Part II: Arbitration, Mediation and Mixed Modes: Ethical Considerations of Switching Hats," Dispute Resolution Section Fall Meeting 2022, New York State Bar Association, New York, New York, October 20, 2022
• Co-Moderator, "Arbitration, Mediation and Mixed Modes: Seeking Workable Solutions Med/Arb -Arb/Med- Theory and Practice Panel Discussion – Part I: The Processes," Dispute Resolution Section Fall Meeting 2022, New York State Bar Association, New York, New York, October 20, 2022
• "Counsels Ethics in International Arbitration," Arbitration Committee of the New York City Bar Association, September 2020

Mohamed has extensively published articles on international arbitration and litigation. Some of his recent publications include:

• "Third Party Funding in International Arbitration: A Critical Appraisal and Pragmatic Proposal," Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023
• "Third Party Arbitration Funding and Islamic Shari’a: Friends Not Foes," Journal of Dispute Resolution, Vol. 22(2), 2022
• "Third-Party Funding in the United States: A Systematic Judicial Analysis," Columbia American Review of International Arbitration, Vol. 32 (2), 2021
• "Domestic Courts' Impact on Arbitral Awards: Pragmatic Reflections on the New York Convention," Journal of Dispute Resolution, 2021
• "Arbitrator Disclosure: In Defense of The Second Circuit Approach," 44 Fordham International Law Journal, 529, 2020
• "Reflections on Diversity of ADR: Insights from the New York Arbitration Week," New York State Bar Association Dispute Resolution Blog, 2019
• "Denationalizing Counsel Ethics in International Arbitration," World Arbitration and Mediation Review (WAMR), Vol. 12(4), 2018