Theo Edwards 11/15/25 Theo Edwards 11/15/25

Sierra Leone has reached a settlement in principle with the U.S. law firm Jenner & Block to resolve its dispute over $8 million in allegedly unpaid legal fees

The case: Jenner & Block v. The Republic of Sierra Leone, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:22-cv-03599-TSC.

Sierra Leone and the U.S. law firm Jenner & Block have reached a settlement in principle, resolving their legal dispute over $8.1 million in allegedly unpaid legal fees related to Jenner & Block's representation of Sierra Leone in a major international arbitration case against Gerald International Ltd, which had sought over $1.8 billion in damages over an export ban.

The legal services in question concerned Sierra Leone’s defense against Gerald International Ltd., an iron ore contractor, leading to the settlement of the underlying case.

READ: The case Jenner & Block v. The Republic of Sierra Leone, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:22-cv-03599-TSC.

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The settlement was disclosed through a brief order issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey in Washington, D.C., with no public details on the specific terms.

Sierra Leone paid Jenner & Block $3.6 million between 2019 and late 2021, but the law firm claimed an additional $8.1 million was owed for work that was “far more complex and voluminous” than anticipated.

Sierra Leone contested the claim, asserting that Jenner & Block had not demonstrated entitlement to more than the amount already paid, and initially argued that it was immune as a foreign sovereign; however, these arguments were rejected by a federal judge, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.

Jenner & Block initiated the lawsuit in 2022 after failing to collect the balance it alleged was due.

The legal services in question concerned Sierra Leone’s defense against Gerald International Ltd., an iron ore contractor, leading to the settlement of the underlying case.

This settlement closes a significant legal and financial dispute for Sierra Leone and concludes Jenner & Block’s three-year effort to recover fees it claimed for international legal services.

Representatives for Sierra Leone and Jenner & Block have not commented publicly on the specifics of the new agreement.

YAME Digital

Sierra Leone has reached a settlement in principle with the U.S. law firm Jenner & Block to resolve its dispute over $8 million in allegedly unpaid legal fees

READ: The case Jenner & Block v. The Republic of Sierra Leone, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:22-cv-03599-TSC.

The legal services in question concerned Sierra Leone’s defense against Gerald International Ltd., an iron ore contractor, leading to the settlement of the underlying case.

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