Sashe Dimitroff has successfully represented U.S. and international companies in courts and arbitral tribunals around the world, including the London Court of International Arbitration, the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes in Paris, the International Center for Dispute Resolution in Miami, the International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., and others. He has won multi-million dollar awards in prosecuting his clients' claims and has successfully defended Fortune 100 companies in multi-plaintiff lawsuits alleging up to $300 million in damages. His experience also includes protecting assets or obtaining fraudulently hidden assets in foreign jurisdictions.

Mr. Dimitroff's practice traditionally has included representing clients in commercial matters involving energy disputes, breach of contract and commercial fraud, oil and gas litigation, toxic tort disputes, financial matters and internal investigations. He also develops "preventative law" strategies for corporations to avoid future claims and, if the need arises, prepare them to defend claims.

An Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law School, Mr. Dimitroff teaches International Risk Management in Oilfield Services to law students. Qatar University College of Law invited him to lecture to energy lawyers and executives on the commercial and litigation options when catastrophic events disrupt international energy projects. He has spoken extensively on international arbitration and litigation topics in other forums, including in Moscow, London, and Kazakhstan. 

Selected Client Representations

International Litigation and Arbitration

• Prosecuted claims of an oil and gas exploration company, relating to its claims at the London Court of International Arbitration ("LCIA") against a Nigerian drilling company. To obtain security for a potential award, Mr. Dimitroff won interim measures awards in courts around the world, including:
  • Arresting several million dollars in cash that flowed through U.S. intermediary banks in New York;
  • Arresting $400 million of physical assets in Dubai;
  • Obtaining injunctions in Panama and Cyprus to prevent the assets' sale or mortgage until the end of the LCIA proceedings, so the assets could be used as security to satisfy a potential award.

  Ultimately, he negotiated settlement and the client company collected an eight-digit recovery.

• Won dismissal of all claims against an international oil and gas exploration company brought by the government of the Ivory Coast, Africa in an arbitration before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICSID) in Paris, France.
• Won injunctive relief in United States District Court against a foreign government-owned oil company in support of an UNICTRAL arbitration for recognition and enforcement in Albania.
• Successfully defended against the claims of an industrial valve distributor in an ICDR arbitration against the manufacturer. Settled case with all claims dismissed against the client and the claimant paying money to settle the client's counterclaims.
• Successfully defended the respondent in four separate trials before the International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington, D.C. against claims for patent infringement in the design, manufacturing, and sale of semiconductors.
• Prosecuted the claims of U.S. shareholders against a French medical device company in an arbitration in Washington, D.C. under the CPR rules. Settled matter on favorable terms.
• Acted as settlement counsel for an oil and gas exploration company that was engaged in six years of ongoing litigation with an international oilfield services company in Trinidad. Settled all claims in two months, resulting in significant savings to client and preserving customer relationships.

Oil, Gas and Energy Disputes

• Represented a major oil company in royalty and lease disputes throughout Texas.
• Defended a large oil and gas equipment manufacturing company from claims of fraud, breach of contract, breach of warranty, and negligence resulting from a broken deep-water drilling riser while the Plaintiffs were conducting drilling operations in the South China Sea. Case settled on favorable terms.
• Defended a major pipeline company in class action arising from an oil spill in Louisiana. Defeated class certification and settled remaining claims on favorable terms. Prosecuted contractual indemnity and negligence claims in federal court against the marine contractor who caused the pipeline rupture.

Environmental Disputes

• Won jury verdict in defending chemical plant in wrongful death case based on purported exposure to benzene in plant emissions.
• Selected as Texas counsel for chemical manufacturer. Representative cases include:
  • State-court suit alleging cancer from exposure to vinyl chloride found in household products manufactured by client - won summary judgment.
  • Federal court suit in Beaumont, Texas alleging paralysis and other damage to plaintiff's nervous system resulting from multiple chemical exposures - won summary judgment.
  • State-court suit alleging bladder cancer from exposure to an arsenic-based herbicide - settled on favorable terms.
• Successfully represented multiple chemical manufacturing clients in a suit brought by former employees, contractors, and land owners alleging personal injury and property damage due to chemical exposure.

Internal Investigations

Mr. Dimitroff has conducted numerous internal investigations for corporate clients relating to issues such as Federal Corrupt Practices Act violations, governmental reporting, and employment issues.

Publications

• Dimitroff & McGavran, "Social Media and Discovery - The Role of Technology in Evidence Collection," 39 Jo Alice Darden ed., 2011.
• Dimitroff & Rivero, "Interim Measures and Arbitral Clauses," International Law Section of Law360.com, March, 2011, www.Law360.com.
• Dimitroff & Douglas-Henry, "De-Risking International Energy Deals," Petroleum Economist, November 2010.
• Dimitroff & Douglas-Henry, "Unexpected Killers of Your International Energy Deal," Oil & Gas Financial Journal, October 2010.
• Dimitroff, "International Trade Commission Makes Foreign Competitors Play Fair," Houston Business Journal, Sept. 7, 2007.
• Bishop, Dimitroff & Miles, "Strategic Options Available When Catastrophe Strikes the International Energy Project," Texas International Law Journal, No. 635, Summer 2001.
• Bishop & Dimitroff, "International Litigation in Texas: Obtaining Evidence Abroad and Proving the Laws of Foreign Countries," University of Houston Advanced Evidence and Discovery Course, 2001.
• Dimitroff, "Psychology of Persuasion," University of Houston Advanced Evidence Course, 2001-2002.
• Dimitroff, Perrin & Workman, "Recovery of Damages in Texas," State Bar of Texas Advanced Expert Witness Course II, Feb. 2002.
• Bishop, Dimitroff & Mohr, "Non-Competes, Confidentiality Agreements, and Trade Secrets," University of Texas Law School's Advanced Civil Trial Course, 2001.
• Kruse & Dimitroff, "Avoiding 'Megalosses' in Drafting the Provisions of Electric Power Trading Contracts," 16 Corp. Counsel Rev. 153, Nov. 1997.
• Ross & Dimitroff, "Whose Field of Dreams: Antitrust Relief Against Restrictions on the Sale or Relocation of Major League Baseball Teams," 42 Antitrust Bulletin 521, Fall 1997.

Speeches and Presentations

Mr. Dimitroff has given seminars to business executives and to other lawyers on a wide range of litigation-related topics both in the United States and abroad, including:

• Dimitroff, "International Arbitration Arising From Energy Disputes," presentation at Qatar University College of Law, March 7-12, 2012 in Doha, Qatar.
• Dimitroff and Rivero, "Recent Developments in Legal Claims by Foreigners Against US Companies Under the Alien Tort Claims Act," presentation, April 2012, in Houston, Texas.
• Dimitroff, "Workplace Social Media Policies That Work," Webinar presentation, August 24, 2012 in Houston, Texas.
• Dimitroff, "Legal Implications of Social Media Policies," presentation, February 17, 2012, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Dimitroff and Bell, "Social Media for the CEO," presentation, May 19, 2011 in Dallas, Texas.
• Dimitroff, Lomako and Douglas-Henry, "Optimizing Dispute Options For Russian Businesses in USA & UK," presented at the University of Moscow, December 2010 in Moscow, Russia.
• Dimitroff and Douglas-Henry, "De-Risking the International Energy Deal and Avoiding Violation of International Corruption Laws," presented to the Grata Conference, December 2010 in Almaty Kazakhstan.
• Dimitroff, "Interim Measures For Fun and Profit; The Tools to Get Your Client Paid," presentation to Houston International Arbitration Club, April 2010 in Houston, Texas.
• Dimitroff, "Saving the International Project From Catastrophe" presentation at Haynes and Boone International Arbitration Seminar, November 2009 in Houston, Texas.
• Dimitroff and Douglas-Henry, "A Litigator's Perspective in Structuring a Deal," presentation at Lawrence Graham's International Arbitration Seminar, March 2010 in London, England.

Mr. Dimitroff has also spoken at numerous CLE presentations regarding evidentiary issues such as selection of experts.

In the News

• The Qatar Tribune, The Gulf News, and the Houston Chronicle: Each publication covered Mr. Dimitroff’s lectures in Qatar to international energy lawyers and executives on the available commercial and litigation options when catastrophic events disrupt energy projects, March 6, 2012.
• National Law Journal: Mr. Dimitr.off's victory in obtaining a $1.4 million attorney's fee judgment (one of the highest fee awards ever in a civil rights case) was featured in a front page story in the National Law Journal titled "Voting Rights Suits Heating Up," Sept. 22, 2008.
• Houston Business Journal: Mr. Dimitroff was quoted in an article titled "The Wild West: Daunting to Some, West Africa Is The Land Of Opportunity For Many Houston Oil And Gas Companies," March 5, 2010.
• Houston Business Journal: Mr. Dimitroff was featured in an article titled "Business Travelers Find Money Talks, But in Different Languages," June 4, 2007.
• Texas Monthly: Mr. Dimitroff has been voted as a "Texas Super Lawyer" and previously, as a Rising Star.
• Houston Chronicle: Mr. Dimitroff's community service work was the subject of an article titled "Big Brother Now Serves As a Mentor/Sashe Dimitroff Says the Lessons He Learned Early Helped to Forge His Character," June 21, 2007.

Community Service

• Advisory Board of Directors for the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA), 2013-present
• Appointed member of the State Bar of Texas Standing Committee on Court Rules that is responsible for revisions of the rules of practice in civil actions and the related statutes of Texas, 2008-2011
• Board of Directors for the University of Houston Law Review Alumni Association (past positions include President, 2003-2004; Vice President, 2002-2003; Secretary, 2001-2000)
• Advisory Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston
• Past member of Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston (positions included head of Legal Affairs Committee; head of Capital Fund Committee, co-chair of BBBS Gala)
• Board of Directors, Houstonians Soccer Club, 2008-2009
• Board of Directors, Express Soccer Club, 2007-2008

Selected Representative Experience

Online Publications