Global law firm Clifford Chance has appointed J. Laurens Wilkes as a partner and Global Head of Infrastructure Disputes, expanding its litigation and arbitration offering and strengthening its energy and infrastructure platform in the United States and globally. Wilkes joins from Winston & Strawn, bringing over 20 years of experience advising U.S. and international clients on matters across the full lifecycle of infrastructure, construction, and energy projects.
Wilkes’ practice spans front-end bid and procurement disputes, risk counseling, breach of contract, administrative actions, products liability, fraud and fiduciary duty, trade secret, restructuring, and tort matters in state and federal courts, as well as domestic and international arbitration. Joining Wilkes is Caitlin Gernert, who joins as a partner in Clifford Chance’s Houston office advising infrastructure, energy, and construction companies on a wide range of civil litigation and arbitration matters.
The appointments continue Clifford Chance’s expansion in the Houston market and build on the firm’s broader Americas strategy. With more than 450 attorneys across New York, Washington, D.C., Houston, and São Paulo, the firm combines deep local market knowledge with the reach of a fully integrated global partnership. The Americas team advises clients on complex U.S., Latin American, and cross-border transactional, regulatory, and disputes matters across key sectors including private capital, financial services, healthcare, technology, infrastructure, and energy.
The hires come as Clifford Chance continues to see strong demand for risk mitigation and disputes advice from clients operating in the energy and infrastructure sectors. The firm’s Americas region represents a core part of its global platform and an important focus of strategic investment.
KEY QUOTES:
“I’m thrilled to welcome Laurens and Caitlin to the firm. Their strong track record in guiding clients through complex issues in the energy and infrastructure sectors adds significant depth to our US and global Disputes team. This is particularly valuable as we continue to see strong demand for risk mitigation and disputes advice from clients operating in these sectors.”
— Robert Houck, Global Head of Disputes, Clifford Chance
“We are excited to welcome Laurens and Caitlin to the firm and Houston office. Their significant sector experience builds on the strong momentum of our Houston office and will be instrumental in further expanding our capabilities, while also strengthening our global platform.”
— Alex Wilde, Houston Office Managing Partner, Clifford Chance
“Clifford Chance has an exceptional global presence in infrastructure, energy, construction and projects, spanning investments and financings, project development and disputes. I look forward to joining this talented, collaborative team to support clients across all aspects of the project lifecycle.”
— J. Laurens Wilkes, Partner and Global Head of Infrastructure Disputes, Clifford Chance
