< BACK
Jef Klazen photo
Jef Klazen
Lawyer
New York
800 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10022
+1 212 488 1216
jef.klazen@kobrekim.com
vCard Download 
New York
800 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10022
+1 212 488 1216
jef.klazen@kobrekim.com
vCard Download 

Jef Klazen focuses on international asset recovery, including the enforcement of judgments and arbitration awards. He advises companies and individuals on how to monetize their legal claims and judgments and has particular experience with enforcement efforts arising from investor-state disputes that may involve state immunity. The publishers of Global Arbitration Review describe him as “renowned for his deep expertise in asset recovery” and “excellent written advocacy,” and Chambers and Partners quotes sources praising him as “extremely efficient” with “lots of ideas” and “on top of his game.”

With degrees in both U.S. and international law, Mr. Klazen is able to help clients develop and execute a global asset-tracing and recovery strategy, which may include the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and offshore jurisdictions.

Mr. Klazen also litigates commercial disputes in New York courts and across the United States and is an aggressive advocate for clients in matters involving complex financial products at both the trial and appeal levels.

Before joining Kobre & Kim, Mr. Klazen worked at the International Court of Justice and at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He also practiced with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York. Mr. Klazen served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Betty B. Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

SERVICES

Admissions

  • New York
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

Education

  • Leiden University (Netherlands), LLM (Public International Law)
  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, JD (Cardozo Law Review, Articles Editor)
  • University of Chicago, BA

Languages

  • Dutch

Clerkships

  • Honorable Betty B. Fletcher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Accolades

  • The Legal 500 United States, International Litigation
  • Who's Who Legal, Asset Recovery
SERVICES

Select Engagements

International Judgment Enforcement & Offshore Asset Recovery

  • Representation of an international petroleum and gas company in the enforcement of an expected arbitral award of US $1 billion+ against a state oil company in the Middle East, including the investigation and identification of assets against which recovery can be sought.
  • Representation of an energy company in the enforcement of a US multibillion-dollar arbitration award against an African state.
  • Representation of NTT DoCoMo Inc., the predominant mobile telephone provider in Japan, in the enforcement in the United States of a US $1.2 billion London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) arbitration award against Tata Sons Ltd., the holding company for India's top business conglomerate Tata Group.
  • Representation of the trustee in bankruptcy of the Petters Company Inc., arising from a Ponzi scheme involving US $5 billion+ in investments, as special counsel for international asset recovery.
  • Representation of Chevron in successfully enforcing an investment treaty arbitration award against a sovereign nation for US $100 million+.
  • Representation of ConocoPhillips in relation to the enforcement of a US $1 billion+ International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) award and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration claims against the Republic of Venezuela.
  • Representation of ConocoPhillips in the successful settlement between its wholly-owned subsidiary, Burlington, and the Republic of Ecuador to recover US $337 million under an ICSID arbitration award.
  • Representation of DuPont in enforcing a US $920 million judgment against Kolon Industries, a South Korean conglomerate operating in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
  • Representation of privately-owned commercial bank in Russia in developing a litigation strategy for recovering on an unpaid business loan from a Russian individual living in New York.
  • Representation of Japanese shipping company in enforcing a maritime arbitration award of US $50 million+ against a Greek-owned charterer.
  • Representation of a Kazakhstan-based joint venture in the oil and gas industry in developing strategies to protect against potential arbitration award enforcement efforts in the U.S., Bermuda, UK and Luxembourg.

Financial Products & Services Litigation

  • Representation of an asset management firm in a dispute against a servicer of numerous residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) trusts.
  • Representation of an institutional client in connection with a dispute of breaches of representations and warranties related to commercial mortgage-backed securities, in a securitization worth US $1 billion+.
  • Representation of a homebuilding company in connection with litigation against JPMorgan Chase over claims regarding US $120 million+ in private-label mortgage-backed securities.
  • Representation of a subsidiary of a prominent global energy provider in advising on litigation options in New York against a Middle Eastern oil company concerning a breach of contract related to oil production rights on disputed land.
 
SERVICES

Professional & Community Involvement

  • International Bar Association, Litigation Committee, Member
  • New York City Bar Association, Member
  • District of Columbia Bar Litigation Section, Member
SERVICES

Publications & Presentations

  • Speaker, "Recent Trends in Sovereign Immunity" (UK/U.S. Cross-Border Litigation Summit, London, June 2018)
  • Panelist, "Preliminary Assessment of Enforceability" (Forum on International Enforcement of Judgements & Awards, Surrey, June 2018)
  • Panelist, "Recognition and Enforceability: Challenges with Converting Judgements and Awards into Actual Recovery under the Law in Different Jurisdictions" (International Disputes & Asset Recovery Involving Russian & CIS parties, London, January 2018)
  • Co-author, "Has EU Really Made Cross-Border Asset Preservation Easier?" (Law360, June 2017)
  • Panelist, "Tracing and Timing" (Commercial Litigation Association’s Asset Tracing & Judgment Enforcement, London, March 2017)
  • Co-author, "Execution and Judgment Enforcement in the United States" (ABA International Aspects of U.S. Litigation, February 2017)
  • Speaker, "How to Navigate Corporate Scandals: The Need for 'Super Lawyers' with Criminal and Commercial Litigation Skills" (IBA Annual Conference, Washington DC, September 2016)
  • Co-author, "Enforcing Arbitral Awards: Success Lies In The Strategy" (Law360, April 2016)
  • Speaker, "International Judgment/Arbitration Award Enforcements" (International Litigation, Arbitration & Transactions Conference, Miami, February 2016)
  • Co-author, "Execution and Judgment in the United States" (International Aspects of U.S. Litigation, American Bar Association, 2016)
  • Contributing author, "Developing International Business Relationships: Why it Pays to Plan for Asset Tracing and Recovery from the Outset" (Who’s Who Legal, August 2015)
  • Co-author, "Singapore: Resurgent Litigation" (Global Arbitration Review, July 2015)
  • Co-author, "A Novel Strategy for Clawing Back Fund Distributions in Cayman" (Westlaw Journal, March 2015)
  • Co-author, "Using Chapter 15 to Recover Domestic Assets Of A Foreign Judgment Debtor" (Inside Counsel, February 2015)
  • Speaker, "Monetizing Large Judgments and Arbitration Awards" (Association of Corporate Counsel, Webinar, April 2014)
SERVICES

Credentials

Admissions

  • New York
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

Education

  • Leiden University (Netherlands), LLM (Public International Law)
  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, JD (Cardozo Law Review, Articles Editor)
  • University of Chicago, BA

Languages

  • Dutch

Clerkships

  • Honorable Betty B. Fletcher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Accolades

  • The Legal 500 United States, International Litigation
  • Who's Who Legal, Asset Recovery

Engagements

International Judgment Enforcement & Offshore Asset Recovery

  • Representation of an international petroleum and gas company in the enforcement of an expected arbitral award of US $1 billion+ against a state oil company in the Middle East, including the investigation and identification of assets against which recovery can be sought.
  • Representation of an energy company in the enforcement of a US multibillion-dollar arbitration award against an African state.
  • Representation of NTT DoCoMo Inc., the predominant mobile telephone provider in Japan, in the enforcement in the United States of a US $1.2 billion London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) arbitration award against Tata Sons Ltd., the holding company for India's top business conglomerate Tata Group.
  • Representation of the trustee in bankruptcy of the Petters Company Inc., arising from a Ponzi scheme involving US $5 billion+ in investments, as special counsel for international asset recovery.
  • Representation of Chevron in successfully enforcing an investment treaty arbitration award against a sovereign nation for US $100 million+.
  • Representation of ConocoPhillips in relation to the enforcement of a US $1 billion+ International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) award and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration claims against the Republic of Venezuela.
  • Representation of ConocoPhillips in the successful settlement between its wholly-owned subsidiary, Burlington, and the Republic of Ecuador to recover US $337 million under an ICSID arbitration award.
  • Representation of DuPont in enforcing a US $920 million judgment against Kolon Industries, a South Korean conglomerate operating in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
  • Representation of privately-owned commercial bank in Russia in developing a litigation strategy for recovering on an unpaid business loan from a Russian individual living in New York.
  • Representation of Japanese shipping company in enforcing a maritime arbitration award of US $50 million+ against a Greek-owned charterer.
  • Representation of a Kazakhstan-based joint venture in the oil and gas industry in developing strategies to protect against potential arbitration award enforcement efforts in the U.S., Bermuda, UK and Luxembourg.

Financial Products & Services Litigation

  • Representation of an asset management firm in a dispute against a servicer of numerous residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) trusts.
  • Representation of an institutional client in connection with a dispute of breaches of representations and warranties related to commercial mortgage-backed securities, in a securitization worth US $1 billion+.
  • Representation of a homebuilding company in connection with litigation against JPMorgan Chase over claims regarding US $120 million+ in private-label mortgage-backed securities.
  • Representation of a subsidiary of a prominent global energy provider in advising on litigation options in New York against a Middle Eastern oil company concerning a breach of contract related to oil production rights on disputed land.

News

Professional & Community Involvement

  • International Bar Association, Litigation Committee, Member
  • New York City Bar Association, Member
  • District of Columbia Bar Litigation Section, Member

Publications & Presentations

  • Speaker, "Recent Trends in Sovereign Immunity" (UK/U.S. Cross-Border Litigation Summit, London, June 2018)
  • Panelist, "Preliminary Assessment of Enforceability" (Forum on International Enforcement of Judgements & Awards, Surrey, June 2018)
  • Panelist, "Recognition and Enforceability: Challenges with Converting Judgements and Awards into Actual Recovery under the Law in Different Jurisdictions" (International Disputes & Asset Recovery Involving Russian & CIS parties, London, January 2018)
  • Co-author, "Has EU Really Made Cross-Border Asset Preservation Easier?" (Law360, June 2017)
  • Panelist, "Tracing and Timing" (Commercial Litigation Association’s Asset Tracing & Judgment Enforcement, London, March 2017)
  • Co-author, "Execution and Judgment Enforcement in the United States" (ABA International Aspects of U.S. Litigation, February 2017)
  • Speaker, "How to Navigate Corporate Scandals: The Need for 'Super Lawyers' with Criminal and Commercial Litigation Skills" (IBA Annual Conference, Washington DC, September 2016)
  • Co-author, "Enforcing Arbitral Awards: Success Lies In The Strategy" (Law360, April 2016)
  • Speaker, "International Judgment/Arbitration Award Enforcements" (International Litigation, Arbitration & Transactions Conference, Miami, February 2016)
  • Co-author, "Execution and Judgment in the United States" (International Aspects of U.S. Litigation, American Bar Association, 2016)
  • Contributing author, "Developing International Business Relationships: Why it Pays to Plan for Asset Tracing and Recovery from the Outset" (Who’s Who Legal, August 2015)
  • Co-author, "Singapore: Resurgent Litigation" (Global Arbitration Review, July 2015)
  • Co-author, "A Novel Strategy for Clawing Back Fund Distributions in Cayman" (Westlaw Journal, March 2015)
  • Co-author, "Using Chapter 15 to Recover Domestic Assets Of A Foreign Judgment Debtor" (Inside Counsel, February 2015)
  • Speaker, "Monetizing Large Judgments and Arbitration Awards" (Association of Corporate Counsel, Webinar, April 2014)