Sophie Goldman

Sophie specializes both in international commercial arbitration and Belgian complex litigation, with a particular emphasis on service agreements, construction contracts, partnership agreements, distribution, post-M&A disputes, directors’ liability, in various sectors such as energy, real estate, construction, food industry, and distribution of industrial products. She assists international groups, as well as Belgian and foreign companies.

In addition to her practice as counsel, Sophie is recognized as a reputable international arbitrator by leading legal rankings such as Chambers (Band 3) and Lexology/Who’s Who Legal (Thought leader). She is viewed as a « brilliant arbitrator», « extremely sharp in her legal analysis and a true leader », impressing by « the quality of her work » (Who’s Who Legal 2023). Sophie operates in Western Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and regularly sits under the rules of numerous arbitral institutions (ICC, CEPANI, SCAI, DIAC, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce,…) as well as in ad hoc proceedings.

Sophie is co-editor in chief of b-Arbitra, the Belgian Journal of International Arbitration. She also serves on the editorial board of the Revue de Droit Commercial (RDC). 

She is a board member of CEPANI, the Belgian Center for Arbitration and Mediation and is part of CEPANI’s delegation to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). She is a delegate to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR.

Sophie has a strong academic background as she was a teaching assistant at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) where she taught contract law and obligations law for more than ten years. She also lectured on “International Commercial Law and Cross-Border Dispute Resolution” at Ichec Brussels Management School for several years. She is the author of numerous publications on contract law and arbitration and is a frequent speaker at conferences in Belgium and abroad.

Sophie Goldman assists international groups, foreign and Belgian companies in judicial and arbitral proceedings particularly in the following areas: service contracts, construction contracts, partnership agreements, distribution, post-M&A disputes, directors’ liability, in various sectors such as distribution of industrial products, food industry, energy and real estate. You will find hereunder a non-exhaustive list of cases that she handled over the last years: 

• Representation of the Belgian subsidiary of a global leader in the energy market in a dispute against a multinational Belgian company, regarding the termination of a contract related to the modernization of certain components of nuclear sites. 

• Representation of the Italian subsidiary of one of the largest and oldest infrastructure companies in Israël regarding the enforcement of a first-demand guarantee.

• Representation of a major Belgian real estate player in a cross-border dispute with the European leader in shopping centers.

• Representation of the subsidiary of one of the world’s largest construction groups in a high-stakes dispute concerning the development of a major real estate project .

• Representation of a subsidiary of the world's leading provider of short-term accommodation in an arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (AAA).

• Representation of a Canadian healthcare company in pre-arbitration negotiations with its French distributor regarding the termination of their distribution agreement.

• Representation of a leading Swiss company in the construction and real estate services sector, specializing in large-scale international projects, in a cross-border dispute with a Belgian company. The dispute concerned product defects affecting a major project in Switzerland, involving significant technical and financial issues.

• Representation of a French group, leader in air freight, in ICC arbitration proceedings. 

• Representation of a Canadian company in the PVC products sector in a dispute against an international group, seeking compensation following the termination of a distribution agreement.

• Representation of a Belgian company specializing in corporate management in CEPANI arbitration proceedings regarding the termination of a management agreement between the company and its managing director and the consequences of that termination.

• Various representation of shareholders in several disputes with their (former) partners (corporate disputes).

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Sophie regularly sits as an arbitrator (sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator, chair and emergency arbitrator) under the rules of numerous arbitral institutions as well as in ad hoc proceedings. You will find hereunder a non-exhaustive list of cases that she handled over the last years: 

• Emergency arbitrator in proceedings before the Swiss Arbitration Centre regarding the execution of a share transfer agreement involving a Swiss holding company and its foreign subsidiary operating a large oil field in South America. The dispute focused on the execution of the parties' contractual obligations, with a financial stake of 30.000.000 $ (Place of arbitration: Switzerland - Swiss law applicable).

• Chair of the arbitral tribunal in ICC arbitration proceedings concerning a dispute relating to the exercise of a call option provided for in a shareholders' agreement. (Place of arbitration: Luxembourg - Luxembourg law applicable).

• Chair of the arbitral tribunal in CEPANI arbitration proceedings between two leading Belgian companies in the wholesale sector. The dispute relates to the execution of a master franchise agreement (Place of arbitration: Belgium - Belgian law applicable).

• Chair of the arbitral tribunal in ad hoc arbitration proceedings relating to a dispute between one of the major French Group operating in the retail and wholesale sector and one of its distributors (Place of arbitration: France and French law applicable).

• Sole arbitrator in DIAC arbitration proceedings concerning a dispute between two companies active in the film industry. The dispute related to the performance of a distribution contract (Place of arbitration: Dubai - the laws of the Emirate of Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and the federal laws of the United Arab Emirates applicable). 

• Chair of the arbitral tribunal appointed by the ICC regarding a dispute between a French manufacturer of premium cosmetics and its Spanish distributor (Place of arbitration: Paris (France) - French law applicable).

• Co-arbitrator appointed by a major real estate player in a post-acquisition dispute brought before the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (Place of arbitration: Luxembourg - Luxembourg law applicable).

• Sole arbitrator in ICC arbitration proceedings concerning a construction dispute arising out of a subcontract concluded in the context of a large-scale project initiated by an Algerian public company (Place of arbitration: Paris (France)- Unidroit Principles applicable).

• Chair of the arbitral tribunal in CEPANI arbitration proceedings concerning the execution of a contract involving a first-division football club and its former manager (Place of arbitration: Belgium - Belgian law applicable).

• Co-arbitrator in ICC arbitration proceedings between an Indonesian company and a German company concerning the performance of a contract for the sale of molasses (Place of arbitration: Amsterdam (The Netherlands) - Indonesian law applicable).

• Chair of the arbitral tribunal in CEPANI arbitration proceedings concerning a dispute between a major telecommunications sector player and a stakeholder (Place of arbitration : Belgium - Belgian law applicable).

• Co-arbitrator in CEPANI arbitration proceedings between a Belgian company and its Italian counterparty in a commercial dispute in the food sector. Place of arbitration in Belgium and Belgian law applicable.

• Sole arbitrator appointed by the ICC in a dispute relating to a distribution contract concluded between two companies in the technology sector, one based in the Netherlands and the other in the United Arab Emirates (Place of arbitration: Rotterdam (The Netherlands) - Dutch law applicable).

• Sole arbitrator in CEPANI arbitration proceedings regarding a post-acquisition dispute involving the transfer of a business unit of a Belgian bank (Place of arbitration: Belgium - Belgian law applicable).

• Sole arbitrator in ICC arbitration proceedings concerning a dispute arising out of an international contract for the distribution of wood preservation products (Place of arbitration: Paris (France) - French law applicable to sale contract and German law applicable to service contracts).

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• King’s College London, LL.M (2008)
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• Université Libre de Bruxelles, Master of Law (2007)
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• Vrij Universiteit van Amesterdam, Erasmus (2006)

• Member of the Brussels Bar 

Sophie’s expertise in arbitration is recognized by Chambers & Parners (Band 3, Global and Europe Guide), by Leaders League (Highly recommended) and by Lexology (Who’s Who Legal) where she stands as Thought Leader in Arbitration for Belgium. 

She is viewed as a « brilliant arbitrator », « extremely sharp in her legal analysis and a true leader », impressing by « the quality of her work » (Who's Who Legal 2023). 

Her excellence in commercial litigation is also recognized by Lexology (Who’s Who Legal).

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• French 
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• English
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• Dutch (intermediate)

• Belgian

Former occupations

• Founding partner of Tossens Goldman Gonne (2016-2025)
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• Teaching International Commercial Law and Cross-Border Dispute Resolution at ICHEC Management School (2017-2020)
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• Teaching Assistant in contract law and obligations law at the Faculty of Law of Université Libre de Bruxelles (2009-2020)
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• Senior Associate at Strelia, Brussels (2013-2016)
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• Associate at Tossens & Prioux, Brussels (2010-2013)
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• Associate at Stibbe, Brussels (2008-2010)
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Present occupations

• Attorney at law, Brussels Bar
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• Co-editor in chief of b-Arbitra (2025-present)
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• Member of the Editorial Board of Revue de Droit Commercial (2022-present)

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• Belgian delegate of the ICC Commission for Arbitration and ADR
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• Board Member of CEPANI 
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• Member of the CEPANI delegation at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
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• Member of CIArb Benelux Committee 
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• Former Co-Chair of CEPANI40 (2017-2022)
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• Former Member of the Jury of CEPANI Academic Prize (2023)

• « Arrêt Thibelo : un revirement en matière d'arbitrabilité des litiges relatifs à la résiliation des contrats de concession de ventre exclusive à durée indéterminée », J.T., 2024
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• “ESG in the Arbitral process” in ESG and international arbitration, Kluwer, 2023 (with W. Eyskens)
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• Les Modes alternatifs de règlement des conflits entre actionnaires, Vanham & Vanham Seminar, 2023
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• « L’épineuse question de l’arbitrabilité des litiges relatifs à la résiliation des concessions de vente exclusive à durée indéterminée », Revue de Droit Commercial, 2022/5
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• « Diversity and inclusion in Arbitration: Do more than the Pledge! But how? », in The CEPANI & NAI approach towards Topical Trends in Arbitration. Reports from the Fourth joint CEPANI - NAI Colloquium held on 22 April 2022 (with B. Korthals)
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• « La confirmation du contrôle de l'absence de contradiction dans les motifs par le juge de l'annulation sous l'ancien régime », b-Arbitra, 2022/2
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• « ‘A wind of change’ dans l’arbitrabilité des litiges relatifs à la résiliation des contrats de concession exclusive à durée indéterminée » in Liber Amicorum Xavier Dieux, Larcier, 2022
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• « Le contrôle de l’absence de contradiction dans la motivation des sentences arbitrales par le juge de l’annulation : la relance du débat ? », b-Arbitra, 2020/1
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• « Le contrôle de la motivation des jugements et arrêts par le Cour de cassation et le contrôle de la motivation des sentences arbitrales par le juge de l’annulation : du pareil au même ? », in Liber Amicorum Paul-Alain Foriers: entre tradition et pragmatisme, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2021
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• « Les clauses abusives et les contrats de distribution », in Les clauses abusives B2B après la loi du 4 avril 2019, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2020
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• « How are arbitration clauses received by Belgian law and Belgian courts, like bricks or butter? » (with S. Van Rompaey) in Liber Amicorum CEPANI – 50 years of solution, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2019
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• « Les litiges post-acquisitions: questions choisies de fond et de procédure » (with D. Leclercq) in L’arbitrage et les sociétés, Bruxelles, Larcier, 2019
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• « Faut-il créer une Brussels International Business Court ? » (with G. Croisant et J. Pieret), E-legal, 2019/2
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• « La perte d'une chance à la croisée des chemins » (with J. Rafferali), R.C.J.B., 2019/4
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• « Violence, lésion qualifiée et dominance économique », R.G.D.C., 2018/4
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• « Comment appréhender le déséquilibre contractuel en droit commun ? » (With S. Lagasse), in Le droit des contrats. Questions choisies (UB³), Bruxelles, Larcier, 2016
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• « Dans quel délai le recours en annulation d’une sentence arbitrale doit-il être introduit? Note sous Tribunal de Première instance francophone de Bruxelles 19 juin 2014 », b-Arbitra, 2016/1