DLA Piper LLP (US) has rapidly expanded its Latin America-facing international arbitration practice in recent years; co-global chairs Michael Ostrove and Kate Brown de Vejar sit in Paris and in Mexico City, respectively - with the latter particularly known for her work in the energy and infrastructure sectors. The firm has achieved ever greater prominence in the Mexico market, particularly in the energy sector (notably power and renewables). It has also seen further growth in tech, life sciences and pharmaceutical disputes. The team has a strong mix of investment and commercial arbitration engagements, and represents a number of big-name multinationals. Mexico City co-practice head Gabriela Álvarez Ávila , whose past experience incudes seven years as senior counsel at ICSID, is another key practitioner. Bogota's director of international arbitration, Ricardo Alarcón, is also noted. Former Mexico-office senior partner Gerardo Lozano Alarcón left the firm in November 2022 to become a sole arbitrator and counsel; former Buenos Aires-based senior associate Sabrina Ramos also departed - in her case to undertake an LLM in Stanford.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘A great team put everything at the service of the case.’
- ‘Kate Brown de Vejar, a brilliant person with the ability to answer questions from the court knowing the whole case, without having to consult and answer later, and in doing so, make connections to other points in the proceedings thereby strengthening the argumentation.’
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Michael Ostrove, Kate Brown de Vejar