---

Maria Chedid is a litigation partner in Morrison & Foerster’s San Francisco office, specializing in international and domestic arbitration; international litigation; appeals; and federal preemption law.

Practice Areas

International and Domestic Arbitration. Ms. Chedid has represented clients in international and domestic arbitration for fifteen years in a variety of arbitral institutions, including the ICC, the AAA, the ICDR, the LCIA, the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, and the United Nations Compensation Commission. Ms. Chedid’s arbitrations have involved breach of government contracts; regulatory expropriation claims; IP licensing disputes; shareholder disputes; and other private commercial contract disputes.

International Litigation. Ms. Chedid has represented clients in U.S. courts in cases involving a wide variety of multi-jurisdictional and cross-border litigation issues, including Alien Tort Statute matters; enforcement of foreign judgments; 28 U.S.C. §1782 applications; the Hague Service Convention and Hague Evidence Convention; and forum non conveniens matters.

Appeals. Ms. Chedid specializes in the briefing and presentation of complex cases on appeal. She has represented clients in numerous appellate proceedings, on a broad range of civil law subjects, including the enforceability of arbitration agreements and awards; federal preemption of state laws; anti-SLAPP claims; and the Alien Tort Statute. Ms. Chedid is frequently consulted about appellate strategy and presentation by Morrison & Foerster’s trial lawyers, and provides training to the firm’s associates in legal writing and the handling of writs and appeals.

Federal Preemption Law. Ms. Chedid has extensive experience with federal preemption cases, including successful claims of preemption of state restrictions on enforceability of arbitration clauses; preemption of California’s Proposition 65 disclosure requirements; and preemption of state restrictions on national carrier services.

Pro Bono. In 2008, Ms. Chedid successfully argued for a preliminary injunction against the United States Navy in the federal court case of NRDC v. Gutierrez, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The NRDC and its co-plaintiffs sought the injunction to protect endangered marine species and other marine life from the dangers of low-frequency sonar testing in the world’s oceans.

Speaking Engagements and Publications

• Speaker, International Arbitration Of Political Risk Insurance Disputes, Northern California International Arbitration Club, October 2008
• Co-author, “Resolution Of Disputes Involving China Investments: Practical Considerations,” China Law Reporter, May 2008
• Executive Editor, Morrison & Foerster International Litigation & Arbitration Practice Newsletter, 2007
• Co-author, “Tools That Create Successful Resolution In International Arbitration,” ACC Docket, 2007
• Co-author, “Planning For Discovery In International Arbitration,” Asian Dispute Review, 2007
• Speaker, International Arbitration of Political Risk Insurance Claims, Global Trade Association Meeting Of Political Risk Insurers, New Delhi, India, 2007
• Speaker, Development of International Law of Expropriation, Global Trade Association Meeting Of Political Risk Insurers, Warren, New Jersey, 2007
• Panelist, Mandatory Arbitration, American Bar Association Section Of Dispute Resolution, San Francisco, California, 2000
• Law Faculty, Law.com Online Seminar Series On Arbitration, 2000
• Co-author, “Arbitrability Of Statute Of Limitations Defenses In New York,” New York Law Journal, 1996

Education

Ms. Chedid received her B.A. in Philosophy with distinction from Barnard College in 1989. She graduated from New York University School of Law in 1993.

Ms. Chedid was elected an International Law Fellow of the New York University School of Law Center for International Studies in 1992, and completed her one-year fellowship at the Law Center in public international law.

Bar Admissions

Ms. Chedid is a member of the state bars of California and New York.

Languages

Fluent in spoken Arabic. Conversational French.