King & Spalding LLP

King & Spalding LLP is a global leader in international arbitration with its Latin America-focused teams primarily located in the key strategic centres of New York, Miami and Houston – the practice having outgrown its original hydrocarbons focus in the latter office. The group has an outstanding record in investment and commercial arbitration, along with arbitration-related litigation before the courts. It has represented clients in some of the biggest, longest running and highest profile cases to involve parties from Latin America. This includes its ongoing pre-eminence in energy sector cases. Clients include some of the largest multinationals and investors with interests in Latin America, and the practice continues to represent Chevron in the long-running investment treaty arbitration against the Republic of Ecuador (seated in the Hague), concerning alleged environmental harm caused by historical oilfield operations. Made up of ‘world-class lawyers’, the practice group includes Argentine-born Roberto Aguirre Luzi, who has an exclusive focus Latin America disputes and co-heads the Latin America international arbitration group. Houston and Miami-based Craig Miles and senior arbitration specialist Doak Bishop, who are also both widely acclaimed for their Latin America arbitration expertise; as is Wade Coriell, who divides his time between Houston and Singapore and was recently appointed as the new global head of international arbitration. The immensely experienced Harry Burnett relocated to the firm’s new Miami office in mid-2022; a trilingual practitioner (English, Spanish & Portuguese), he is a ’true Latin  American specialist’ and widely recognised as a leader in Latin America-related mandates. New York’s Edward Kehoe is another key practitioner, along with newly promoted partner Fernando Rodriguez-Cortina and Chicago-based Javier Rubinstein. New York and Washington DC-based Érica Franzetti and New York’s Samaa Haridi (‘an extremely hard-working and sharp lawyer’) also impress. All named individuals are based in Houston unless stated otherwise.