Omnia

Ben Wheadon

Analyst

Role

Ben is an Analyst at Omnia, where his growing practice encompasses public international law, human rights, and international arbitration (commercial and investment treaty). Ben has experience acting for both Respondent States and Claimants across a variety of matters, including: arbitration proceedings conducted under the UNCITRAL, ICSID and ICC rules; engagement with United Nations human rights mechanisms; submissions on environmental law on behalf of State governments; commercial litigation before the Courts of England & Wales; and corporate human rights and sustainability advisory services to corporate clients.

Career

Ben’s experience encompasses a variety of fields, including in-depth investigations of complex fraud and money laundering allegations, international arbitration proceedings, environmental law submissions, corporate human rights due diligence work, and other public international law matters.

Recent illustrative experience has included: providing strategic and legal advice to a European State in a high-value ICSID arbitration dispute; defending an African State against a c. $500 million arbitration claim; supporting individuals in complaints to the UN Special Procedures; diplomatic engagement and advocacy on contentious rule of law and freedom of expression matters in connection with UN Universal Periodic Review processes; providing analysis and recommendations to a major international information technology company with respect to its supply chain human rights and environmental due diligence and grievance mechanisms; supporting an individual before the criminal courts of England & Wales; and assisting with advice to a State with respect to the delimitation of a disputed maritime boundary and related ICJ proceedings.

In June 2023, Ben played a key role as part of a team supporting the Government of Rwanda in its engagement with landmark ITLOS advisory proceedings on States’ obligations in respect of the ocean and climate change. Particularly, Ben made a substantial contribution to the research and drafting of Rwanda’s written statement, which highlighted the urgent need for international action and the important perspective of landlocked developing States. Similarly, in March 2024, Ben helped shape and prepare Albania’s written statement in the ICJ advisory proceedings on the Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change, which addressed the responsibility of developed States and the need for reform in the conduct of investor-State arbitration.

Prior to joining Omnia in April 2021, Ben worked as a graduate research assistant at the University of Oxford, providing editorial and research support for a book published by the Oxford University Press.

Qualifications

Ben received a BA(Hons) with First Class Honours from King’s College London, interposed with a place at the University of California, Berkeley under the UCEAP exchange program. Subsequently, Ben obtained a Master’s Degree from the University of Oxford, where he was awarded the Kenneth Sewards-Shaw Scholarship for his studies at Lincoln College. In June 2023, Ben commenced the SQE track to qualify as a solicitor in England & Wales.

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