Bilankov

Bojana Bilankov

Associate
New York

I help States create the best strategy for defending claims of foreign investors in international arbitration.

Bojana Bilankov is an Associate in Foley Hoag’s International Litigation & Arbitration Department with almost a decade of experience representing sovereign states and state-owned enterprises in complex, high-value disputes across the energy, mining, infrastructure, and heavy industry sectors. She has acted as counsel in ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, and SCIA proceedings involving multibillion-dollar oil and gas ventures, gold-mining concessions, environmental issues, deep-sea port projects, and pharmaceutical- and agriculture-sector measures. Her strategic approach and commercial acumen have earned the trust of governments and private clients alike, consistently positioning her clients for favorable outcomes on the global stage.


Deeply rooted in the Balkans and qualified to practice in both Serbia and Montenegro, Bojana offers unmatched insight into the region’s legal, political, and cultural landscape. She began her career at a leading Belgrade law firm, where she worked on complex litigation matters. She completed her LL.M. studies in International Business Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration at the NYU School of Law in 2023.

Education

  • New York University School of Law, LL.M., 2023
  • University of Belgrade Faculty of Law, LL.M., summa cum laude, 2016
  • University of Belgrade Faculty of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2015 

Bar and Court Admissions

BAR ADMISSIONS
  • New York
  • Serbia (qualified to practice law in Serbia and Montenegro)

Languages

  • French
  • Spanish

Experience Overview

Experience in investment and international commercial arbitration
  • Represents a cocoa liquor producer from Latin America in an arbitration under the CMAA rules.
  • Represents a client in a SIAC arbitration involving lobbying issues.
  • Part of the legal team in a pro bono examining genocide and crimes against humanity by a Sovereign State against an ethnic group.
  • Amulsar Investor Ventures LLC v. Armenia. Counsel to Armenia in UNCITRAL arbitration concerning gold-mining project.
  • Walnort Finance Limited v. Republic of Armenia. Counsel to Armenia in an ICSID arbitration in the mining sector under the Armenia-Cyprus bilateral investment treaty.
  • Warburg Pincus and others v. Republic of Poland. Counsel to Poland in an ICSID arbitration relating to measures in the pharmaceuticals sector.
  • Niko Exploration (Block 9) Ltd. v. People’s Republic of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Oil Gas and Mineral Corporation. Counsel to Bangladeshi State-owned oil and gas company in a contract-based ICSID arbitration proceedings.
  • Counsel to West African State in two ICC arbitrations concerning tax assessments levied against an international oil company.
  • Counsel to Bangladesh State-owned entity in ICC dispute arising from the country’s first deep-sea port.
  • Rand Investments Ltd. and others v. Republic of Serbia. Counsel to Serbia in ICSID arbitration concerning an agricultural enterprise.*
  • Mera Investment Fund Limited v. Republic of Serbia. Counsel to Serbia in ICSID arbitration concerning various alleged tax measures against the investor.*
  • Kunsttrans Holding GmbH and Kunsttrans d.o.o. Beograd v. Republic of Serbia. Counsel to Serbia in ICSID arbitration concerning a contract for art storage.*
  • Counsel to a European State in an in UNCITRAL arbitration concerning the insurance industry.*
  • Various SCIA and LCIA cases concerning breach of an agreement in heavy industry.*
  • ICC case concerning breach of an agreement in healthcare industry.*
Other relevant experience
  • Counsel to major Serbian construction companies in several dispute board procedures under FIDIC contracts related to large-scale infrastructure projects.*
  • Counsel to major Montenegrin investor in the hotel industry in multiple litigation proceedings before Montenegrin courts.*
  • Counsel to major Serbian companies in multiple litigation proceedings before Montenegrin courts.*
  • Counsel to Serbian leading company in the aircraft industry in multiple corporate and litigation matters.*
* handled by Bojana prior to joining Foley Hoag.

Other Publications

  • “Financial Ombudsman - Proposal for the Introduction of a New Mechanism for Resolving Consumer Disputes arising from Insurance,” Law and Economy Journal (June 2018)

Honors & Involvement

HONORS
  • International Business Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration Award (distinction in the IBRLA program), 2023
  • NYU Arthur T. Vanderbilt Scholarship, 2022-2023
  • American Association of University Women International Fellowship, 2022-2023
  • The Best Student of the Generation Award granted by the Professor Mirko Vasiljevic Foundation, 2015
  • Sciences and Arts Studies Scholarship granted by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, 2015
  • Scholarship for Extremely Gifted Students granted by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia, 2015
  • Dositeja Scholarship granted by the Fund for Young Talents of the Republic of Serbia, 2015
  • Legal Pro Bono Clinic for Civil Law, 2015 
INVOLVEMENT
  • Arbitral Women
  • American Bar Association 
  • Serbian Arbitration Association 
  • Managing Board of the Serbian Business Lawyers Association
  • Chief Editor at ArbDossier  

Other Events

  • "Arbitration in a Changing World - Key Industries & Skills that Matter", Young ITA, DIS40, and Serbian Arbitration Association (April 2025)
  • Moderator, “A look into the future of International Arbitration?”, NYU International Arbitration Association and Latin American Arbitration Society (April 2023)
  • Panelist, “Empirical Data on Annulment of International Awards: What to learn from it? ArbDossier.com and Beyond”, NYU Center for Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Commercial Law (March 2023)
  • Panelist, “Practitioners’ Perspective on Arbitral Proceedings”, ArbDossier and Georgetown University’s International Arbitration Society (September 2022)