Paul Hastings has boosted its arbitration offering in Paris with the hire of White & Case partners Elizabeth Oger-Gross and Tolu Obamuroh.
The duo bring extensive experience in international commercial and investment disputes, advising sovereign states and corporate entities across sectors, with particular focus on the energy, infrastructure and construction industries.
Their hire continues the buildout of Paul Hastings’ litigation bench, as part of a hiring strategy that has extended to its M&A, restructuring and finance practices.
The firm said it had added nearly 50 partners to its global litigation team over the past four years, including white collar and investigations trio Antonin Lévy, Ophélia Claude and Joris Monin de Flaugergues, who joined in Paris at the helm of a 12-lawyer team in 2024 from local boutique Antonin Lévy & Associés.
“Paris remains an essential hub for international arbitration, and the addition of Elizabeth and Tolu to our international arbitration platform accelerates the momentum we have gained in transforming our litigation practice in Europe and globally,” said Paul Hastings chair, Frank Lopez. “Our base of global clients is fertile ground to gain market share on complex disputes, including international arbitration matters.”
Oger-Gross has spent the past 23 years at White & Case, where she acted as a leading adviser in large-scale international arbitration and litigation matters across EMEA and the Americas.
Recently, she advised an African state on two ICC arbitrations resulting from a multibillion-dollar hydropower project and an African state-owned entity in an ICC arbitration relating to an investment in the water sector, according to Paul Hastings.
Oger-Gross acts in both English- and French-language arbitrations and also sits as arbitrator.
Obamuroh made partner at White & Case earlier this year, having joined the firm in 2017 after serving as associate general counsel at the Lagos Court of Arbitration.
Paul Hastings hit White & Case in Paris last year for partner Xavier Petet, part of a six-partner energy and infrastructure raid on the firm that also saw it add partners in London and launch in Abu Dhabi. Around the same time, energy and infrastructure partner Benoît Thirion joined in Paris from Hoche Avocats.
Earlier this year, the firm relaunched in Brussels after hiring top-flight competition lawyer Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte from King & Spalding.
The firm’s splashy hiring strategy appears to be paying off, with Bloomberg Law reporting it grew revenue 20% to $2.7bn in 2025, eclipsing the average 14.1% growth among the top 25 US law firms, of which Paul Hastings is one.
A White & Case spokesperson commented: “We can confirm that Elizabeth Oger-Gross and Tolu Obamuroh have left White & Case. We wish them well in the future.”
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