International Arbitration Attorney Joins Whiteford in New York
Date: May 11, 2026
"We are especially pleased to welcome Mohamed to Whiteford," said Enayat Qasimi, Co-Head of Whiteford's International Practice and Managing Partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. "His international arbitration experience is impressive and brings immediate synergies to our practice, further strengthening our ability to advocate for clients in complex disputes across multiple jurisdictions."
"We are increasingly advocating for clients in both international arbitrations and U.S. courts," said Steven Faraci, Head of Whiteford's Business Litigation practice. "Mohamed's experience in federal and state courts, including appellate advocacy, deepens our ability to offer international clients seamless representation."
Mr. Sweify has represented corporations in commercial arbitrations before tribunals seated in different jurisdictions in arbitration proceedings administered under the auspices of the AAA/ICDR (USA), the ICC (France), JAMS (USA), the LCIA (UK), the SCCA (Saudi), DIAC (Dubai/UAE), CRCICA (Egypt), the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, and subject to different governing laws in the U.S., Europe, and the Arab Middle East. He has also advised and represented clients in investor-state disputes before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), including advising on third-party funding arrangements for ICSID claims. His arbitration-related court work encompasses parallel proceedings, anti-suit injunctions, international discovery, attachment of assets, and the annulment and enforcement of arbitral awards. Beyond his role as counsel, Mr. Sweify serves as a sole, party-appointed, and presiding arbitrator in complex commercial disputes under major arbitral rules, applying a diverse array of governing laws, including the laws of Delaware, New York, California, England and Wales, Egypt, Saudi, UAE, Kuwait, U.S. federal laws and others.
Mr. Sweify’ s practice spans a wide range of sectors and practices, including commercial, financial and investment disputes; engineering and infrastructure and construction-related claims; banking and finance; oil and gas; energy and mining; telecommunications and technology; hospitality and hotel management; exclusivity, non-compete and confidentiality covenants; intellectual property; securities; shareholder and partnership; joint ventures; Islamic law; cybersecurity; cryptocurrency and digital assets; mergers & acquisitions; real estate; and insurance and reinsurance. He regularly appears before U.S. federal and state courts, including New York appellate courts.
Mr. Sweify is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) and is one of the youngest arbitrators in the history of the AAA to serve in the AAA/ICDR panels. Mr. Sweify serves as a member of the Scientific Committee at the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration. He served as a delegate for the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR (2022-2024). In 2026, Mr. Sweify was elected to serve as the Secretary General of the International Section of the New York State Bar Association, which made him the first Muslim and Arab elected to this position.
Mr. Sweify lectures on law at Fordham Law School and other U.S. universities. He has an extensive list of publication in international arbitration, including an internationally acclaimed book on “Third Party Funding in International Arbitration,” which has become a seminal reference in the international arbitration field. He previously served as a public prosecutor in Egypt, where he handled high-profile governmental corruption and white-collar crime investigations.
Mr. Sweify was educated in Cairo, California, and New York. He holds a Doctor of Juridical Sciences (the highest academic degree in the legal field), from Fordham University School of Law, for a dissertation entitled Third Party Funding in International Arbitration. Mr. Sweify handles cases in Arabic and English.
About Whiteford: Whiteford provides a comprehensive range of business law and litigation services to clients ranging from innovative start-ups to middle market companies to Fortune 100 enterprises. With a growing East Coast footprint that includes offices in Delaware, D.C., Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York and Virginia, we serve clients regionally, nationally and internationally.