On 25 September 2024, took place Latin American Arbitration Practitioners | EU in Paris for a day full of insightful discussions and networking opportunities.

Keynote speeched by Patricio Grané Labat

• A discussion on “The impact of investment treaties on human rights and climate change: is there a future for ISDS and what does that mean for LATAM?” featuring Álvaro Nistal Nistal, Esperanza Barron Baratech, Monica Feria-Tinta, Patricia Nacimiento and Javier García Olmedo
• A discussion on “Arbitration in infrastructure projects in LATAM”, featuring Emmanuel Kaufman, Isabela Lacreta, Jose Alzate, CFA, CAIA, José-Miguel Júdice and Yuri Mantilla
• A discussion on “Fraud in international arbitration: a LATAM perspective”, featuring Agustín G. Sanz, Carla Ximena Cervantes Escamilla, José Luis Prieto Bermejo, Matthieu de Boisséson and María del Pilar Álvarez
• A discussion on “Artificial intelligence and international arbitration in LATAM”, featuring Bianca Longo Campos, Gustavo Mata Morreo, Ignacio Delgado Larena-Avellaneda and Alexander A. Witt

The event was followed by a networking cocktail.

The event was free of charge.

More information about the program here.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Charbel Akiki is an Associate at Obeid & Partners with experience of disputes across a range of industry sectors under ICC, DIFC-LCIA, SCC, ICSID and UNCITRAL arbitrations rules.  He graduated with high distinction from both the LL.B. in Lebanese and French business law at Université Saint-Joseph of Beirut (Lebanon), and achieved a Master’s degree in Arbitration and International Business Law at Université Paris I – Sorbonne.  He has built a strong experience in international arbitration within various leading arbitration practices in international law firms in Paris, Dubai and Beirut.  He represents international clients in commercial and investment arbitrations. He is President and Co-Founder of Levantine Arbitration, an arbitration association intended for junior practitioners to promote the arbitration practice in the MENA region. On the corporate and advisory fronts, Charbel has negotiated and drafted complex commercial contracts and has valuable experience in the implementation of complex cross-border corporate transactions, including merger and acquisition transactions and regulatory filings in Lebanon. Charbel is fluent in English, French, and Arabic, and is admitted to the Beirut Bar Association.

Despina Apostolidou is a dispute resolution lawyer with extensive experience in international commercial arbitration and complex court litigation proceedings in a wide range of civil, commercial and corporate disputes. She has experience in private international law and international dispute resolution across a range of sectors, including construction, energy and natural resources, retail and consumer goods. Despina has acted as counsel in high-stake international commercial arbitrations (institutional and ad hoc) as well as in arbitration-related court proceedings, including proceedings for the annulment of arbitral awards. Her experience includes also negotiation, drafting and advising state-owned entities and private parties in the context of construction and complex commercial contracts before arbitral tribunals and in non-contentious matters. Despina holds a BA and an LLM in civil procedure law. She is a member of the Athens Bar Association and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Greece. She is fluent in Greek and English and has a working knowledge of French.

Giouli Katsarou is a specialist disputes lawyer with extensive experience in international arbitration and construction-related matters, both on the contentious and non-contentious fronts. Her experience encompasses negotiation and management of construction contracts and construction-related agreements and transactions, risk assessment and advice, as well as dispute resolution of high-stakes and high-profile construction disputes. Her practice predominantly centers on complex and multi-partite construction projects (involving multinational corporations, government entities and banking institutions) in Middle East and Europe. Giouli has acted as counsel in several commercial and investment treaty cases under the auspices of various arbitral institutions (ICSID, ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, LMAA). She also possesses substantial experience in the enforcement of arbitral awards across diverse jurisdictions such as Greece, Switzerland, and France. Giouli holds a BA and an LLM on private international and comparative law from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and is a member of the Athens Bar Association. She is fluent in Greek and English and has a working knowledge of French. In 2022 and 2023, Giouli was recognized by Legal 500 EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) as “Key-Lawyer” in the areas of Dispute Resolution and Real Estate & Construction.

Dr. Zeina Obeid is a Partner at Obeid & Partners, where she practices in the Litigation & Arbitration department. She has acted as lead counsel in major international arbitration cases across the Middle East and North Africa region. She also acts as arbitrator and as an administrative secretary in several domestic and international arbitrations, in English, French and Arabic, both ad hoc and under international institutional arbitral rules, including those of the ICC, DIAC, LCIA, CRCICA, BCDR-AAA, and DIFC-LCIA. Zeina also represents clients in civil and commercial litigation in Lebanese courts. She handles a range of cases encompassing leasing, expropriation, commercial agency, insurance, real estate property disputes, as well as the enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards. Additionally, she manages actions for setting aside arbitral awards. Additionally, she provides advisory services to international clients and startups on corporate structures in Lebanon and addresses a range of legal issues. Zeina holds a PhD from the University Panthéon-Assas (Paris II) in France and an LLM from Columbia University in New York. She also holds a dual Master II in Business Law in the Arab Countries as well as in Arbitration & ADR obtained at the University Paris II and a Masters in Lebanese Law from the Lebanese University. She frequently publishes articles on various topics notably in arbitration. In 2017, she published her book “Setting aside arbitral awards in the Arab Countries”, which has been cited as a reference book for practitioners around the MENA region. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), accredited tutor and committee member of the CIArb UAE branch member. She is also member of the ICC Commission on arbitration & ADR and member of the International Bar Association (IBA) where she holds the position of co-vice chair of the IBA Young Lawyer’s Committee and has previously acted as the Middle Eastern representative of the IBA Anti-Corruption Committee. Zeina is qualified to practice law both in Beirut and Paris and licensed in Dubai by the Legal Affairs Department.  Zeina is fluent in Arabic, English and French.

Oriana Saib is an Associate at Obeid & Partners. Her practice focuses on international commercial arbitration, investor-State arbitration, and arbitration-related proceedings before French courts and the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration of the Organization for the Harmonization in Africa of Business Law. Oriana has experience advising private companies, investors and sovereign States in international arbitration proceedings administered under the auspices of various arbitral institutions (ICC, LCIA, CRCICA, UNCITRAL, ICSID) and in arbitration-related proceedings. Oriana acquired experience in international arbitration, commercial litigation, and sport arbitration while working at leading law firms in Paris and at the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration in Egypt. Oriana graduated from a Master’s degree in Private International Law and International Trade Law of the University Paris II Panthéon-Assas. She is fluent in both French and English and has knowledge in Arabic.