Dragana Nikolić

Dragana Nikolić

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Contact

Bar admissions

  • Serbia

Achievements

  • Legal 500 Serbia – Rising Star (Dispute Resolution)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

  • Young ICCA, Regional Representative for Europe and Group Advisor at the Mentorship Program
  • Association Arbitri, Mentor at the Girl Empowerment and Mentorship Program
  • Arbitrator Intelligence, Ambassador for the CEE region
  • Serbian Arbitration Association, ArbCEE, ICC Young Arbitrators Forum and LCIA YIAG member

Languages

  • English
  • Serbian
  • German
  • Russian
  • French
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Overview

Dragana Nikolić is an independent attorney-at-law admitted to the bar in Serbia, cooperating with Queritius as Counsel.

Dragana focuses her practice on international commercial and investor-state arbitrations, as well as domestic commercial disputes and litigation with international elements. She has handled complex cross-border cases before tribunals under the auspices of leading arbitration institutions, including ICSID, ICC, VIAC, LCIA, and SIAC, as well as under the UNCITRAL arbitration rules. Dragana also assisted in resolution of cases brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and the Inter-American Court of Human Right (IACtHR).

Dragana’s experience includes advising and representing clients in cases spanning various industries, including energy, banking, construction, manufacturing, real estate, telecommunication, food industry, and transportation. Dragana also advised clients on Serbian contract, energy, corporate, and regulatory law.

Dragana is the regional representative of Young ICCA for Europe. She also served as an Arbitrator Intelligence Ambassador for the CEE region and national expert on investment arbitration engaged by the German Corporation for International  Cooperation (GIZ).

Dragana is also a moot court enthusiast, being the author of the best Claimant Memorandum at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot 2013 and the third-best Claimant Memorandum at the Foreign Direct Investment International Arbitration Moot 2013, together with her colleagues from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law.

Dragana holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law and master’s degrees in international law from the University of Cambridge and the University of Belgrade.

Before joining Queritius, Dragana practiced arbitration and litigation with leading international law firms from Paris, London, and Vienna. She also shadowed barristers before various English courts as the recipient of the prestigious Pegasus Trust Scholarship Award granted by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.

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Arbitration

Litigation

Publications

Education

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

INVESTMENT TREATY ARBITRATION

  • Counsel to a CEE state related to an investment in the production of coke (UNCITRAL arbitration)
  • Counsel to Swiss investors against the Republic of Serbia related to an investment in out-of-home advertising (ICSID arbitration)
  • Counsel to a Cypriot investment fund against the Republic of Serbia in ICSID annulment proceedings related to an investment in the financial sector
  • Counsel to a real-estate investor against the Republic of Croatia related to an investment in major commercial and hospitality properties (UNCITRAL arbitration)
  • Counsel to Austrian banks against the Republic of Croatia related to the coercive conversion of Swiss Franc loans (ICSID arbitrations)
  • Counsel to a Baltic state related to an investment in a renewable energy project (UNCITRAL arbitration)
  • Counsel to a Dutch investor against the Republic of Serbia related to an investment in a waste-management plant (ICSID arbitration)
  • Advisor to an Austrian bank related to the bankruptcy of a company seated in a CEE state

 

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION

  • Counsel to an Austrian bank in a dispute over a loan arrangement (VIAC arbitration)
  • Counsel to an Austrian company in a dispute about the installation of roofing products (VIAC arbitration)
  • Counsel to a world-leading power generation and water technologies company against a company seated in a CEE state in a dispute over the construction of a power plant (ICC arbitration)
  • Counsel to a Middle East state in a dispute concerning the construction of a major road (SIAC arbitration)
  • Counsel to an Italian company against an Eastern European company in a dispute about the operation of a brick manufacturing plant (ICC arbitration)
  • Counsel to a global technology company against an African company in a dispute over the purchase and installation of rail signalling systems (VIAC arbitration)
  • Advisor to a Bosnian company in a dispute concerning the construction of a power plant (ICC arbitration)
  • Advisor to a Bosnian company in a dispute over the supply of food supplements (VIAC arbitration)
  • Advisor to a Serbian company in a dispute regarding the purchase of canned seafood
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COMMERCIAL LITIGATION

  • Advisor to an Austrian bank against a Bosnian company concerning a dispute about the termination of bank accounts relating to a cryptocurrency mining project
  • Advisor to a French renewable energy company concerning a dispute over the construction of a waste-treatment facility in Serbia
  • Advisor to a Serbian energy company concerning a dispute regarding the construction of a power plant
  • Advisor to a Serbian transportation company concerning a dispute about a transportation license

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

  • Assisted in representation of Costa Rica against Nicaragua concerning a border dispute before the International Court of Justice
  • Assisted in representation of Bolivia against Chile concerning the obligation to negotiate access to the Pacific Ocean before the International Court of Justice
  • Assisted the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to resolve a dispute brought before the court
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  • “Cybersecurity in International Arbitration: ‘Red Flags’ Detected’,” co-author, Schoenherr Roadmap (2024)
  • “ESG-Related Arbitrations: A New Kid on the Block,” Schoenherr Roadmap (2023)
  • “Quick Answers on Arbitral Institutions – Belgrade Arbitration Center (BAC),” co-author, Kluwer Arbitration, online publication (2021)
  • “Agreements Limiting or Expanding Grounds for Annulling International Arbitral Awards,” Annals of the Faculty of Law in Belgrade Year LXVIII, 2020, No. 4 (2020)
  • “Quick Answers on State Immunity – Serbia”; “Quick Answers on Appointment and Challenge of Arbitrators – Serbia”; “Quick Answers on Drafting Agreements – Serbia”; “Quick Answers on Privacy and Confidentiality – Serbia” co-author, Kluwer Arbitration, online publication (2020)
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  • LLM. in International Business Law, University of Belgrade, 2019
  • LLM. in International Law, University of Cambridge, 2014
  • LLB., University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law, 2013
  • University of Montana, undergraduate exchange student, 2010-2011
  • International Summer Schools: University of Oslo (2009), University of Graz (2011) and Canterbury Christ Church University (2012)
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