Bernadette Margaret Fahy Director, Legal
Qualifications
- British qualified lawyer
- Barrister-at-Law, 1988 – Inns of Court School of Law (London – United Kingdom)
- Bachelor of laws LLB, 1987 (Essex – United Kingdom)
Background
Bernadette qualified as a barrister-at-law at the Inns of Court School of Law, Gray’s Inn, London, and holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. She began her career as a practicing barrister representing clients in court in London and the home counties for two years before serving as in-house counsel at Tindall Riley P&I Club and later at ExxonMobil in London. For more than 25 years, she has been a trusted legal advisor in Vietnam, working with two leading international law firms, Clifford Chance and Gide Loyrette Nouel, and as a legal expert at Ernst & Young (EY) in Hanoi.
Her expertise covers dispute resolution and international arbitration, including landmark construction cases under SIAC, ICC, JCCA, and VIAC rules, as well as enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in Vietnam under the 1958 New York Convention. She has also represented governments and investors in BIT disputes under UNCITRAL rules.
Beyond arbitration, she advises on a broad range of corporate, commercial, and employment law matters. She has served as a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) expert, and has participated as a speaker at a number of conferences, seminars and training workshops focused on international arbitration and dispute resolution.
Distinctions
Bernadette has been recognized by the most prestigious ranking institutions for the last 20 years. Notable distinctions include:
- Ranked Band 1 Dispute Resolution - International Arbitration, Asia-Pacific 2026
- Ranked Grade 3 Dispute Resolution - Arbitration, 2025
- Distinguished Practitioner in Dispute resolution
- Ranked in the A-List of the top 100 lawyers in Vietnam, 2025