CLAUDIA FRUTOS-PETERSON,
Managing Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Washington
Dr. Claudia Frutos-Peterson is the Managing Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP and head of the D.C. arbitration practice. She focuses her practice in arbitration, international law and international investment law and works with multiple governments and state entities. She has represented foreign states in investor-state arbitrations under the Arbitration Rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
Prior to joining Curtis, Dr. Frutos-Peterson spent eight years as Counsel at ICSID where she served as Secretary of Tribunals in numerous arbitral proceedings brought under the ICSID Convention and the ICSID Additional Facility Mechanism, based on bilateral and multilateral investment treaties and international agreements.
Dr. Frutos-Peterson is an Adjunct Professor at American University Washington College of Law in Washington D.C., where she lectures on international commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration and Head of Publications for the Center on International Commercial Arbitration at AUWCL. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars in the United States and abroad. She is the author of the book L’émergence de l’arbitrage commercial international en Amérique latine: l’efficacité de sondroit, published by L’Harmattan. Dr. Frutos-Peterson is cited as a leading lawyer in International Arbitration in Latin America by Legal 500 Latin America and recognized as a leading arbitration specialist by The International Who’s Who of Commercial Arbitration.
BJORN ARP, Fellow and Adjunct Professor, Center on International Commercial Arbitration, WCL, Washington
Dr. Björn Arp is a Fellow and Adjunct Professor at American University Washington College of Law Center on International Commercial Arbitration. He co-teaches International Commercial Arbitration in the online Certificate Program on International Commercial Arbitration, as well as other courses. He is a partner at Aparicio, Arp & Associates LLC, in Washington, D.C., where he represents parties in international investment protection and human rights cases. Bjorn Arp is on the Roster of Experts of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism.
From 2000 to 2010, he taught Public International Law, European Union Law, and Investment Arbitration at the University of Alcalá, Madrid. In 2007, Arp was a visiting researcher at Harvard Law School. His publications and research have focused on international investment protection and human rights.
Björn Arp holds a J.D. in Law from Alicante University, a Ph.D. in International Law from the University of Alcalá in Madrid, and an LL.M. in International Legal Studies from American
Nigel Blackaby, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Washington
Nigel Blackaby is a partner based in the Washington, DC office, the global head of the international arbitration group and the co-head of the Latin America group of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. Nigel is recognized as an “undisputed leader in his field.” He has acted as counsel and arbitrator in over 100 ad hoc and institutional arbitrations in the English and Spanish languages (including over 30 investment arbitrations). He has particular expertise in Latin America and energy and mining disputes.
Nigel is author of numerous articles and co-author of the following books: Redfern and Hunter on International Arbitration (5th edition), Oxford 2009; Guide to ICSID Arbitration (2nd edition), Kluwer 2010; and International Arbitration in Latin America, Kluwer 2003.
Nigel received law degrees from the University of Exeter (UK) and from the Université d’Aix-Marseille III (France). He is admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales and as a Special Legal Consultant of the District of Columbia Bar.
Mr. Blackaby speaks English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
John R. Crook, International Lawyer, Arbitrator and Consultant, Washington
John R. Crook teaches international arbitration at the George Washington University Law School. He is a judge on NATO’s Administrative Tribunal and frequently acts as arbitrator in international investment and other disputes in ICSID, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and other settings. He was a Commissioner on the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission, which successfully addressed extensive claims following the two countries’ 1998-2000 war. Mr. Crook served for nearly three decades in the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser. He was U.S. Agent at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal, was deeply involved in creating the U.N. Compensation Commission, and has appeared several times before the International Court of Justice. From 2000-2004, he was General Counsel of the Multinational Force and Observers, which operates a peacekeeping force of 1700 soldiers in the Sinai Desert. Mr. Crook has written extensively on dispute settlement and is a member of the American Journal of International Law’s Board of Editors. He is past vice-president of the American Society of International Law.
Susan Franck, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
Professor Franck is an expert in the fields of international economic law, dispute settlement, and the empirical analysis of international law. Professor Franck's legal experience includes serving at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and practicing in international dispute settlement with Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering [now Wilmer Hale] in Washington, DC and Allen & Overy in London, England. She is qualified to practice law in England and Wales, Minnesota and the District of Columbia. She is the Chair of the Academic Council of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Society of International Law, and a member of the American Law Institute.
Professor Franck is the author of various articles published in journals such as the American Journal of International Law, Duke Law Journal, Fordham Law Review, Harvard Journal of International Law, Minnesota Law Review, North Carolina Law Review, Virginia Journal of International Law, and Washington University Law Review. In connection with the Lewis Center and Transnational Law Institute, she organized the Joint Symposium on International Investment and Alternative Dispute Resolution, and created a UNCTAD publication summarizing the proceedings, which occurred through a collaboration blog, other online mediums and a traditional in-person conference.
She has presented her research to major international organizations including the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the International American Development Bank (IADB), the International Centre for Settlement if Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the United Nations Commission on Trade and Investment (UNCTAD) and across the globe in Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Korea, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States. Professor Franck has been elected to the International Who's Who of Commercial Arbitration and received the "New Voices" award from the American Society of International Law (ASIL) for her groundbreaking empirical analysis of investment treaty arbitration.
DANIEL FLORES, Managing Director and co-founder of Quadrant Economics LLC., Washington
Daniel Flores is a Managing Director and co-founder of Quadrant Economics LLC. He has master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Barcelona.
Dr. Flores has spent the past 24 years teaching, conducting research and consulting in the field of economics. He has taught courses in Principles of Economics, Advanced Microeconomics, International Economics, and Economics of the Public Sector at the University of Barcelona, Boston University and Skidmore College. His research and consulting activities have included analyses of the economic effects of regulation, anticompetitive conduct and contractual disputes in a variety of industries, including agriculture, chemicals, construction materials, electricity generation and distribution, finance and banking, minerals and mining, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, real estate, semiconductors, telecommunications and transportation. He has testified as an expert economist in civil litigation in the United States as well as in arbitration proceedings under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission (IACAC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA), the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), the Society of Maritime Arbitrators (SMA) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
Dr. Flores has been recognized by independent research conducted by Who’s Who Legal as being among the world’s leading arbitration expert witnesses from 2014 through 2019.
MÉLIDA HODGSON, Partner, Arnold & porter
Mélida Hodgson is a recognized investor-state and commercial arbitration practitioner, counseling governments, state-owned entities and corporate entities on international investment protection, business disputes and World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute resolution.
With three decades of experience practicing at the intersection of international arbitration and sovereign obligations, Ms. Hodgson represents clients operating anywhere in the world across the range of arbitration forums, including the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
She is particularly respected as an arbitration expert in Latin America—Latinvex consistently rates her as one of top lawyers for the region—where she has handled matters for sovereign clients Venezuela, Panama and Peru.
Ms. Hodgson is also an arbitrator. She is currently a vice chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Institute of World Business Law and serves on the ICC. Ms. Hodgson is a native Spanish speaker.
CATHERINE KETTLEWELL, legal counsel, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
Ann Catherine Kettlewell is Legal Counsel in one of the Case Management Teams at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Ms. Kettlewell was with ICSID from January 2011 to January 2015 and rejoined in August 2017.
Prior to joining ICSID, Ms. Kettlewell was an associate with the law firms of Magallón Abogados in Mexico City, Mexico (1998 – 1999), Baker & McKenzie in San Francisco, CA (2000 – 2002), Squire Patton Boggs in Washington, D.C. (2006 – 2011), and Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. (2015-2017).
Ms. Kettlewell holds degrees from University of California at Berkeley (LL.M.), University of Barcelona (Masters in Law and Bioethics) and Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (Law Degree).
She is admitted to practice law in Mexico, the State of California an
d the District of Columbia. She speaks Spanish and English.
JUAN FELIPE MERIZALDE, Founder at JFM Abogados, Bogota, COlombia
uan Felipe Merizalde’s practice focuses on international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration, particularly disputes involving Latin American parties. He has considerable experience as counsel and arbitrator in over 50 cases before the most renowned institutions, including the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague. Juan Felipe’s investment-treaty experience includes two recent successive victories in 2020 for a Central American State, as well as advising investors in ICSID cases and potential investment arbitrations.
?In December 2020, Juan Felipe launched his own practice in Bogota, Colombia, acting as counsel and arbitrator in commercial and investment cases. He is currently acting as lead counsel in two ICC cases in the energy sector as well as a potential investment arbitration against a Latin American country. Prior to starting his own firm, Juan Felipe worked for 12 years at Dechert LLP in its Paris and Washington D.C. offices. At Dechert, he gained vast experience with one of the most renowned Latin American practices in the world.
?Juan Felipe is admitted to practice in New York, the District of Columbia (Special Legal Consultant) and Colombia. Juan Felipe also passed the Paris Bar Exam (art. 100).
Borzu Sabahi, Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Washington
Dr. Borzu Sabahi is Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP where focuses his practice on representing governments and state-owned entities in investment treaty arbitration, international commercial arbitration and public international law matters. Prior to joining Curtis he was counsel in an international law firm where he represented private companies and individuals in major international arbitral proceedings. Dr. Sabahi is recognized as a leading practitioner in the arbitration field by the International Who's Who of Commercial Arbitration Lawyers 2015.
Dr. Sabahi's experience includes serving as counsel and expert in arbitration cases brought under a number of bilateral investment treaties, NAFTA, and DR-CAFTA, and under the rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), New Zealand Arbitration Act, and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). He has been involved in matters involving the laws of a number of jurisdictions around the world, including: Algeria, Afghanistan, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam. His industry experience includes working on energy-related disputes (in oil & gas as well as power projects), as well as disputes pertaining to mining, construction, gambling, satellite television, royalty agreements, tax, and allocation of water under international treaties.
Dr. Sabahi is the co-Director of the International Investment Law Center at the International Law Institute where he designs and oversees training programs principally for Government officials from developing countries as well as professionals from the private sector on international investment treaties and investor State arbitration. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center and a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School co-teaching seminars on the same subjects.
Dr. Sabahi has widely published on various aspects of international investment law and arbitration (with about 40 publications), and his writings have been cited by international tribunals as well as the United States Supreme Court. He is Co-Editor in Chief of the BRILL Research Perspectives on International Investment Law & Arbitration, an Editor of Oxford's Investment Claims and an Associate Editor of the Transnational Disputes Management Journal (TDM). He regularly speaks at and chairs professional conferences dealing with various aspects of international arbitration.
HUGO PEREZCANO DÍAZ, Deputy director, centre for International Governance Innovation
Hugo Perezcano Díaz is the deputy director of International Economic Law at CIGI and previously a senior fellow. Prior to joining CIGI, he was an attorney and international trade consultant in private practice. Hugo worked for the Mexican government’s Ministry of Economy for nearly 20 years, serving as head of the trade remedy authority, and formerly as general counsel for international trade negotiations. He was lead counsel for Mexico in investor-state dispute settlement cases under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other international investment agreements as well as in dispute settlement cases between states conducted under trade agreements that include NAFTA and the World Trade Organization agreement.
Hugo has taught law at the Escuela Libre de Derecho in a joint program with the International Chamber of Commerce, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education and Universidad Iberoamericana. His expertise is in economic law, international trade law and negotiations, and NAFTA.
CAROLINE RICHARD, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Washington
Caroline Richard is a partner in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s international arbitration group. Caroline has acted in several high profile commercial and investment treaty arbitrations in the energy, mining, infrastructure and telecommunications sectors, among others, in Latin America, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. She is recognized as a leader in the field and is listed in Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration 2016.
She is an adjunct professor at American University’s law school where she co-teaches an investment arbitration course.
Prior to joining our Washington, DC office, Caroline was part of the international arbitration group in the firm’s London and Paris offices.
In 2016, Caroline was named a Rising Star by Law360, recognizing her as one of ten outstanding arbitration practitioners in the nation under the age of 40. Caroline speaks English, French and Spanish.
Mairée Uran Bidegain,
COORDINATOR, FOREIGN INVESTMENT ARBITRATION DEFENSE PROGRAM, MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF CHILE.
Mairée Uran Bidegain, coordinates the Investment Arbitration Defense Program of Chile. Prior to joining the government of Chile, she was is a Team Leader and Legal Counsel at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, where she leads one of the four ICSID teams in charge of the administration of proceedings. In her capacity as Team Leader, she supervises the administration of proceedings, under the ICSID Convention, the ICSID Additional Facility Rules and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. Ms. Uran Bidegain also serves as Secretary of tribunals, commissions and ad hoc committees in arbitration, conciliation and annulment proceedings brought under investment contracts, investment promotion laws and treaties before ICSID. She also participates in numerous institutional matters, including recently as co-editor of the book, Building International Investment Law: The First 50 years of ICSID, a publication in celebration of ICSID’s 50th Anniversary.
She holds a law degree from the Université Panthéon-Assas, Paris II (Maîtrise and J.D. Equivalent), a Master’s degree from the Université Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris I (D.E.A.), and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (LL.M.). She is admitted to practice in New York. She has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and seminars and she has been an adjunct professor at American University, Washington College of Law and at Georgetown University Law Center.
Mairée Uran Bidegain speaks English, French and Spanish and is a national of Colombia, France and Uruguay.