Alex Haines
Call 2007 (England & Wales); 2019 (New York); 2020 (Ireland); 2024 District of Columbia
Instruct Alex
To instruct Alex please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7842 5555 or email [email protected].
Alex is a leading sanctions and international law barrister called to the English and Irish Bar, as well as a US-qualified attorney admitted to the Bars of New York and Washington DC. He is a specialist in the debarment frameworks of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the law of international organisations (IOs) more generally.
Alex is recognised as a “Band 1” barrister for Sanctions in Chambers and Partners and ranked for Sanctions and Business and Regulatory Crime (including global investigations) in The Legal 500. In 2024, Alex was shortlisted for International Law Junior of the Year by the Legal 500 Bar Awards. The directories describe him as a “a silk of tomorrow”, “a barrister who provides all-round first-class legal services”, “a leader in [the] field” of sanctions, “absolutely top notch”, having “an encyclopedic knowledge of financial sanctions” and “an extremely robust advocate with a firm knowledge of the subject matter and a respectful yet zealous work ethic”.
Alex’s practice areas are: (i) sanctions and export control (in 2022 and 2023, Alex advised the British Government on the sale of Chelsea FC); (ii) business crime, investigations, and the debarment frameworks of MDBs and International Financial Institutions (Alex is a Sanctions Officer (first-tier decision-maker) at the Caribbean Development); (iii) international arbitration and ADR (Alex is often instructed in international arbitrations involving IOs); (iv) international administrative law and the institutional law of IOs including their privileges and immunities (he is currently standing counsel to three IOs headquartered in Europe and the Middle East); and (v) international regulatory and disciplinary proceedings.
Much of Alex’s work involves appearances before international courts and tribunals in Washington DC, New York City, Jeddah and other IO headquarters. The cases he has been instructed in have involved more than 45 IOs worldwide. His unusual practice leads to instructions on multidisciplinary and cross-border issues involving economic sanctions, investigations, IOs and the anti-corruption frameworks of MDBs. Alex has been a member of the Bar Council International Committee for a decade and is registered for direct access and qualified for litigation. Before starting at the Bar, Alex worked as an intern at the International Criminal Court in the Office of the Prosecutor in The Hague. He is a French British dual national.
Sanctions
Alex is ranked “Band 1” for Sanctions by Chambers & Partners and “Tier 2” by Legal 500. His sanctions practice covers all aspects of sanctions law across the UK, EU, US and UN frameworks and includes: (i) bringing or defending administrative law challenges against FCDO listing decisions and HMT (OFSI) decisions that touch on licences; (ii) civil, criminal and regulatory enforcement; (iii) sanctions issues in commercial litigation and international arbitration; (iv) export control advice and investigations into alleged breaches; and (v) advisory work, especially in the financial services sphere, with an emphasis on The Russia Regulations 20219. Alex is co-editing the new textbooks on UK Sanctions for OUP due 2025. He also co-authored the chapter on UK, UN and EU Sanctions in Smith, Owen, and Bodnar on Asset Recovery (Criminal Confiscation and Civil Recovery), OUP (revised chapter due 2025).
Featured Sanctions cases
Alex was leading Counsel for the Claimant in the first s.38 SAMLA challenge to a UK sanctions designation in the Administrative Court (Synesis v Secretary of State for FCDA [2023] EWHC 541 (Admin)).
As a member of the UK Attorney General’s London Panel, Alex advised UK Government departments on dozens of sanctions matters, including HM Treasury, FCDO and DCMS in 2022 and 2023 on the sale of Chelsea FC and the proceeds thereof in light of the designation of its former owner under Russian sanctions.
In 2022, Alex was instructed in the Administrative Court by the Government in the first challenge to OFSI and its alleged delay in issuing a licence.
Instructed in 2022 by the Attorney General of a Crown Dependency on a multibillion-dollar sanctions matter.
Between 2021 and 2024, Alex was instructed in eight s.23 SAMLA challenges to UK sanctions designations (Myanmar, Belarus and Russia Regimes) and has advised a dozen designated persons on licencing and delisting strategy.
In 2024, Alex was instructed in a voluntary disclosure to OFSI and ECJU (Iran Regime).
Business Crime, Regulatory and Investigations
Alex is an international fraud and corruption specialist with an intricate understanding of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and their debarment frameworks. His practice consists of advocacy, litigation, investigations and advisory work – he currently represents individuals pursued by the anticorruption offices of the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Banks (the Integrity Vice Presidency (INT) and the Office of Institutional Integrity (OII) respectively).
Alex authored the Chapter on MDBs and their debarment framework in Lissack and Horlick on Bribery and Corruption (Lexis Nexis, 3rd Ed. – revised chapter due 2025) and has lectured on the debarment frameworks of MDBs to the Brazilian Bar Association, British Chamber of Commerce, Korean Bar Association, Shanghai Bar Association, English Law Week in Mexico, and was a panellist at the 35th International Symposium on Economic Crime at Jesus College, Cambridge. His work on debarment has continued through his efforts with Transparency International’s Suspension and Debarment Taskforce and OUP as a rapporteur. Alex co-produced the Unspoken Giants podcast on MDBs where he discussed investigations, compliance and their debarment frameworks.
Featured Business Crime, Regulatory and Investigations cases
As Sanctions Officer at the Caribbean Development Bank, Alex issued the first decision under the CDB’s new debarment framework in 2023.
Represented multiple companies and individuals accused by the anti-corruption offices of MDBs including those of the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Instructed to investigate allegations of fraud and corruption brought by the World Bank and African Development Bank.
In the MDB context, negotiated resolution agreements, voluntary disclosure, and the redesign of integrity compliance programmes to make them compliant with IFIs’ Anti-Corruption Task Force guidelines. Alex also advises on criminal referrals to national authorities (e.g., SFO), cross-debarment under the Cross-Debarment Agreement, representation before Integrity Compliance Offices, and privileges and immunities.
Successful appearances before the World Bank Sanctions Board in Washington DC and the Asian Development Bank’s Integrity Oversight Committee in Manila.
Previously instructed by the Integrity and Anticorruption Department of the African Development Bank in a case jointly investigated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Experienced in investigations beyond the frameworks of MDBs, Alex was previously instructed by a UN specialised agency to lead an investigation into allegations of fraud in its South-East Asia regional office.
International Arbitration, ADR and Public International Law
In 2023, Alex was instructed to appear (unled) in a 10-day International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) arbitration for the Shareholder Claimants in a Bilateral Investment Treaty case between Latvia and the UK (PNB Banka and others v. Republic of Latvia (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/47)). He has previously been instructed on behalf of the Respondent in an LCIA international commercial arbitration worth £115 million between two parties in a former Soviet Republic involving high value commodities, and in three international arbitrations administered by the LCIA using the UNCITRAL Rules against one of the largest IOs in the UK. Alex’s experience is particularly sought after when it comes to issues touching on the cross-over between IOs and their immunities, international human rights law, and international arbitration.
Alex is instructed in mediations, conciliations and settlement negotiations with an international dimension. He is experienced in class action mediations having been instructed in a complex case against an MDB headquartered in the US. His 140 clients were employees from ten Regional Offices in Central America, South America and the Caribbean, and the mediation sessions were held in both Spanish and English. Alex has also been instructed by the Staff Association of the EIB in Luxembourg to represent its interests on a Conciliation Board.
International Administrative Law
Alex appears and litigates before International Administrative Tribunals (IATs) on behalf of both international civil servants (class actions, individuals seeking relief from administrative decisions, and whistleblowers who have been retaliated against for coming forward and shedding light on reprehensible practices) and IOs. He has been successful before the IATs of the World Bank, OAS, Islamic Development Bank, United Nations, EBRD, ILO and Asian Development Bank (all published).
He has acted as counsel for the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank in Thessaloniki, the GWPO in Stockholm, IRENA in Abu Dhabi, and was previously instructed by the Commonwealth Secretariat before its Arbitral Tribunal in London. He has appeared as leading counsel in the following IATs:
- African Union Administrative Tribunal (AUAT)
- Asian Development Bank Administrative Tribunal (AsDBAT)
- Black Sea Trade and Development Bank Administrative Tribunal (BSTDBAT)
- Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT)
- Court of Justice of the European Union (General Court)
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Administrative Tribunal (EBRDAT)
- Inter-American Development Bank Administrative Tribunal (IADBAT)
- International Labour Organisation Administrative Tribunal (ILOAT)
- International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal (IMFAT)
- International Renewable Energy Agency Joint Appeals Board (IRENA JAB)
- Islamic Development Bank Group Administrative Tribunal (IsDBAT)
- Organization of American States Administrative Tribunal (OASAT)
- United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT)
- United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT)
- World Bank Administrative Tribunal (WBAT)
Alex has lectured on international administrative law and the immunities of IOs at the universities of Exeter, City of London, Brasilia, Hong Kong, La Sorbonne, and King’s College, and on the application of international human rights law to IOs at the International Court of Justice and Stockholm Centre for International Law and Justice, as well as on the appeals systems of IOs at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
IOs enjoy privileges and immunities and, as a result, have created internal justice systems not bound by domestic jurisdictions. IOs are created by multilateral treaties concluded between sovereign states and are, therefore, products of public international law. All cases relating to IOs (whether in the context of their privileges and immunities, their institutional frameworks, sanctions, regulation and arbitral proceedings) require specialist counsel with an understanding of the complex workings of each institution of which there are hundreds.
International Regulatory and Disciplinary Law
Alex represents international civil servants accused of and investigated for sanctionable practices (e.g., fraud, corruption and collusion) and other misconduct including sexual offences throughout the investigatory framework of IOs. He has represented employees – including senior lawyers and members of management – facing internal disciplinary proceedings before disciplinary committees of dozens of institutions including the World Bank Group, PAHO, IADB, UN, EPO, African Union, IFAD, IMF, EBRD and IMO. Alex is also instructed by certain IOs to bring proceedings against those accused of prohibited practices.
Alex’s instructions include oral hearings before disciplinary tribunals as well as strategic advice and written advocacy. He also advises on referrals made from IOs to criminal and regulatory domestic bodies (e.g., the SFO) including the scope and potential impact thereof.
Alex Haines joins 4 Pump Court
4 Pump Court is delighted to welcome Alex Haines to Chambers with effect from today. Alex is called to both the...
Instruct Alex
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