Stephen L. Drymer

Stephen L. Drymer is a partner and head of Woods LLP’s international arbitration practice. A litigator and advocate by background and experience, he now practices almost exclusively in domestic and international arbitration and dispute resolution. Stephen acts as counsel, and serves as arbitrator and mediator, in domestic and international commercial and investment treaty disputes, and he advises parties on a broad range of issues associated with the design, negotiation, drafting and implementation of dispute resolution agreements and strategies. 

Educated and trained in both the common law and the civil law,, fluent in English and French, and with an excellent working knowldge of Spanish, Stephen has pleaded cases and served as mediator, party-appointed arbitrator and tribunal president in matters involving the laws of many jurisdictions, both in ad hoc proceedings and under the rules of major international arbitral institutions. 

Stephen is as well very active in the resolution of sport-related disputes in Canada and internationally, in cases before the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. In addition to extensive work as counsel, he has served as arbitrator and mediator in numerous cases involving a wide range of issues and sports. 

In addition to numerous professional associations in which he is active, Stephen is a member of the CAS list of arbitrators, the International Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators of the American Arbitration Association – International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the International Panel of Arbitrators of the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) and the Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC). He is also a past Chair of the Arbitration Committee of ICC Canada, the Canadian National Committee of the ICC International Court of Arbitration. 

Stephen is recognized as one of the world’s leading international lawyers and dispute resolution professionals by a number of Canadian and international publications.