Sylvain Delalay

Sylvain Delalay specializes in complex commercial disputes and investigations involving commodities, trading analysis, damages, and startup financing and valuation. Dr. Delalay has supported experts in litigation in U.S. state and federal courts and in arbitration before the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the American Arbitration Association (AAA), and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). His work also includes government investigations in the United States and internationally.

Energy and commodities

Dr. Delalay consults on disputes and investigations involving natural gas, electricity, petroleum and refined products, and rare gases, as well as grains and other agricultural products. His experience spans both physical and financial commodities markets, including over-the-counter (OTC) and on-exchange trading.

Trading analysis, market manipulation, and market microstructure

Dr. Delalay’s work addresses benchmark manipulation, high-frequency trading, front running, exchange mechanics, and execution algorithms. He has experience analyzing order flow, trading patterns, and trader communications to assess whether conduct is consistent with legitimate trading strategy. He has consulted on matters in equities, derivatives, fixed income, cryptocurrency, and commodities markets.

Commercial disputes and general damages

Dr. Delalay assesses disputes involving breach of contract, business torts, and financing arrangements. His damages work often involves lost profits analysis, business valuation and but-for and event-study methodologies to quantify the economic impact of alleged misconduct.

Startup financing and valuation

Dr. Delalay consults on disputes involving startup financing. He has also performed valuations of startups using discounted cash flow and comparable company analysis.

Thought leadership

Dr. Delalay contributes to Cornerstone Research’s annual Characteristics of U.S. Natural Gas Transactions report, which examines FERC Form 552 submissions to provide deeper insights on U.S. natural gas market activities and participants.