Robert Amsterdam is a partner in the law firm Amsterdam & Peroff, founded in 1980, and active in the field of international trade, litigation and arbitration. Since the inception of the practice Mr. Amsterdam has been engaged in political litigation in emerging markets. Over the last decade Mr. Amsterdam has been involved in a series of cases that focus on challenges to the rule of law, human rights and investment disputes. Through these cases, which have taken place in challenging political environments such as Guatemala, Nigeria, Ghana and Venezuela, Mr. Amsterdam has developed a fairly unique expertise involving a mixture of political and legislative lobbying in addition to strict advocacy.
Robert Amsterdam has been involved with Russia since his first visit to Moscow in 1975. Presently, Mr. Amsterdam acts as international defense counsel to Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Group Menatep, the holding company that is a majority shareholder of the Russian energy company YUKOS.