On Thursday 23 May took place an in-depth 90mn discussion, of Conflicts of Interests and the new IBA Guidelines: A Case Study for Latin America, in our ‘A Case in Time’ Journal series.

The speakers for this episode included Luis Capiel (Arias), Salvador Fonseca (Fonseca, Rodríguez & Perchemlian Abogados), Hugo García Larriva (Bustamante Fabara) with Laura Sinisterra (Debevoise & Plimpton) moderating (short bios of the speakers below).

ABOUT THE GAP AND THE SPEAKERS

The Delos Guide to Arbitration Places (GAP) is designed to assist in-house counsel, corporate lawyers and arbitration practitioners with efficiently accessing key insights into a large range of jurisdictions, including for the purposes of negotiating the choice of arbitral seats and conducting arbitral proceedings in those jurisdictions.

This peer-reviewed open access publication is now in its second edition. Browse the table of contents, explore the jurisdictions covered in the GAP or jump to the traffic lights table.

Luis Capiel is a partner at Arias SLP. He has over 15 years’ experience practicing international arbitration with international law firms in Europe and Latin America. He has acted as counsel and as arbitrator in international arbitrations under a variety of applicable domestic laws, administered by the major arbitral institutions in Europe and the Americas (ICC, PCA, ICSID, ICDR and Swiss Arbitration Centre, among others). He has focused his practice on complex commercial and construction disputes in the engineering and construction, banking and finance, insurance, private equity, electricity, and oil & gas sectors. He is ranked as a dispute resolution lawyer in leading international legal publications and directories including Chambers and Partners and Who’s Who Legal. Luis is a member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Arbitration Centre. He also serves on the board of the Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club and holds the position of deputy director of its journal, Iurgium. He has been an honorary professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and guest lecturer and speaker at universities and conferences. He holds a law degree from the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and LL.M. (First Class Honours) from The University of Auckland. He was admitted to the Munich Bar in 2007 and to the Madrid Bar in 2008.

Salvador Fonseca has participated in arbitrations under the rules of the major arbitral institutions and is
knowledgeable in dealing with dispute boards and other methods of solving disputes. He has served as an arbitrator and chairman of arbitral tribunals in several international and local cases, including cases under the arbitration rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Mexican Nacional Chamber of Commerce (CANACO), the Mexico Arbitration Center (CAM) and other rules, including a case administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague. Salvador has vast experience in international and local commercial arbitration. In addition, he is well-versed in civil, commercial and administrative litigation before local and federal courts in Mexico. Mr. Fonseca has obtained many favorable rulings in high-profile and precedent-setting cases, including cases argued before the Nation’s Supreme Court of Justice.

Hugo García Larriva boasts over 15 years of distinguished experience in arbitration, litigation, public law, concessions, and telecommunications. Currently, he leads the arbitration practice and co-leads the litigation, public procurement-concessions, and telecommunications practices at BUSTAMANTE FABARA. In the realm of litigation and arbitration, Hugo represents clients in complex cases before Ecuadorian courts, in commercial, administrative, and constitutional matters. Additionally, he has developed a stellar reputation as counsel in both domestic and international arbitrations, participating in arbitral tribunals constituted under various rules, including ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL, and CIETAC, addressing both commercial and investment disputes. Hugo also actively serves as an arbitrator in proceedings under different rules. In the field of public procurement and concessions, Hugo provides his considerable expertise and guidance to clients in highly regulated industries such as construction, energy, telecommunications, and infrastructure development. His work includes consultancy for the structuring of tenders, negotiation, and drafting of public contracts, concessions, and public-private partnership projects. Furthermore, he advises on the daily implementation and resolution of administrative disputes related to these projects. Hugo complements his professional practice with valuable academic experience as a professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and the Universidad de Las Américas, teaching both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Laura Sinisterra is a partner in the International Dispute Resolution Group at Debevoise & Plimpton, in New York. Her practice focuses on international arbitration and international litigation, concentrating on the mining and energy sectors, in which she regularly handles complex disputes arising in Latin America. Ms. Sinisterra is on the board of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Arbitraje (ALARB), is Vice Chair of the International Arbitration Committee of the ABA’s International Law Section, is Vice Chair of the ITA’s Communication Committee and was the inaugural Chair of the ITA’s Young Mentorship Program. She received an LL.M. from Harvard Law School and her law degree from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, graduating first in her class. Ms. Sinisterra is admitted to the New York and Colombian Bar Associations. Her native language is Spanish, she is fluent in English, and she has knowledge of French.