Latin America

Brazil, CBAr 21st, Climate change, Corporate, Corporate disputes, Environment, ESG, International environmental disputes, Latin America, South America

(Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados – BMA)/ /Leave a comment

From 28 to 30 September 2022, the Brazilian Arbitration Committee – CBAr held its 21st International Arbitration Conference (“21st CBAr IAC” or “Conference”) in Rio de Janeiro. Considering the rising number of arbitration proceedings related to corporate disputes, the subject of this year’s Conference was “Arbitration and Corporate Law”. The 21st CBAr IAC was a…

Investment Arbitration, Jurisdictional challenge, Latin America, Peru, Waiver

, (Bullard Falla Ezcurra +)/ /Leave a comment
Asociación Latinoamericana de Arbitraje (ALARB)

On August 5, 2022, the Tribunal hearing the Bacilio Amorrortu v. The Republic of Peru case issued its Partial Award on Jurisdiction, upholding the State’s objection that Mr. Amorrortu did not provide a valid waiver as required by the “No U-Turn Clause” established in article 10.18.2 of the United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement…

Colombia, Constitutional proceeding, Corporate disputes, Diversity, Latin America

(National Legal Defense Agency of the State of Colombia)/ /Leave a comment

The first Colombian Arbitration Week was launched last week in Bogotá. The closing event comprised a panel discussing new challenges and perspectives of arbitration in Colombia. The discussion was moderated by Anne Mürrle (Partner, Mürrle Asesores) with the following panelists Cristina Mejía (Partner, Baker McKenzie), José Miguel Mendoza (Partner, DLA Piper), David Araque (Partner, Gómez…

Colombia, Constitutional proceeding, Latin America, political reform, regulation

(Constitutional Court of Colombia)/ /Leave a comment

In the first edition of the Colombian Arbitration Week, the first panel discussed international arbitration in the context of the changing political situation in Latin America. This panel addressed, among other issues, the constitutionalization of arbitration and the impact of new governments in the region on arbitration matters.   Constitutionalization of arbitration and the existence…

Arbitrary and Discriminatory, Bolivia, Expropriation, Fair and Equitable Treatment, Latin America

(Wayar & von Borries Abogados)/ /Leave a comment

Since 2006, the Bolivian State adopted a policy of “recovery” of resources and entities that were considered as ‘strategic’ by the State.  Multiple investment arbitration proceedings against Bolivia were initiated as a consequence of the expropriation measures derived from the execution of this policy. To this date, the main claim in each of these cases…

Administrative Contracts, Bolivia, Chile, ISDS, Latin America

, (Dentons Larraín Rencoret) and , (Dentons Guevara & Gutiérrez S.C.)/ /1 Comment

After the October 2021’s plebiscite, Chile began the process of drafting a new constitution, which was entrusted to a “Convención Constituyente“. After a year of work, on July 4, 2022, the final proposal was delivered to the President of the Republic.  The proposed constitution will be submitted to a ratifying plebiscite in September of this…

Costa Rica, Fair and Equitable Treatment, ICSID Arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Latin America

(CICA-AmCham)/ /Leave a comment

On 29 June 2022, an ICSID Tribunal composed of Alexis Mourre, Luis González García and Adolfo Jiménez issued its Final Award in the case brought by Alejandro Diego Díaz Gaspar, a Spanish national, against Costa Rica. The majority of the Tribunal ultimately found minor breaches of the underlying Costa Rica-Spain Bilateral Investment Treaty (the “Treaty”)…

Anti-arbitration, Anti-arbitration Injunction, Immunity, Latin America, Venezuela

(Twenty Essex)/ /Leave a comment

Can a court restrain a State from pursuing civil proceedings in a foreign jurisdiction? This was the question before the English High Court in UK P&I Club N.V. and United Kingdom Mutual Steam Ship Assurance Association Ltd v República Bolivariana de Venezuela RCGS “Resolute” [2022] EWHC 1655 (Comm). UK P&I Club N.V. (the “English Club”)…

ALARB, Due process, Latin America, Technology, Virtual hearings

(Bomchil) and (Pérez Bustamante & Ponce)/ /Leave a comment
Asociación Latinoamericana de Arbitraje (ALARB)

While prior to the COVID-19 pandemic it was usual for international arbitration practitioners to conduct videoconferencing or telecommunications remotely for certain procedural events (i.e., initial case management conferences or witness examinations), pandemic restrictions imposed in early 2020 led to a substantial change in the way international arbitration proceedings are conducted—forcing practitioners to hold any kind…

Arbitration, Brazil, Conference, Georgetown, Latin America, Uncategorized

(Herbert Smith Frehills) and (MAMG Advogados)/ /Leave a comment

Organized by the Georgetown International Arbitration Society and the Georgetown Brazilian Law Association, in cooperation with the Arbitration Channel, the I Georgetown Brazilian Arbitration Day took place on April 8, 2022. The first edition of the conference discussed some of the main topics of interest in international arbitration as well as the latest developments in…

Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Case Management, Ecuador, Institutional Arbitration, Interview of our editors, Interviews with Our Editors, Latin America, Uncategorized

(Locke Lord LLP) and (Herbert Smith Freehills)/ /Leave a comment

Welcome to the Kluwer Arbitration Blog, Ms. Vera!  We are grateful for this opportunity to learn more about the Center for Arbitration and Mediation of the Ecuadorian-American Chamber of ‎Commerce (CAM-AMCHAM Ecuador)‎, and its administration of complex disputes, as well as about the attractiveness of Quito as a seat for international arbitration.  To start, can…

Latin America, LIDW2022

(Queen Mary University)/ /Leave a comment

On the first day of the 2022 London International Disputes Week, Herbert Smith Freehills, HFW, HKA, King & Spalding, and Twenty Essex organised a panel on “Latin America: delivering sustainable and ethical infrastructure across key sectors – a disputes perspective”. The panel was composed of Richard Caldwell (Brattle), Dr Francisco González De Cossío (Gonzales de…

COVID-19, Investment Arbitration, Latin America, Pensions, Technology

(Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP) and (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer)/ /Leave a comment

For the last 20 years Latin America has been a fertile ground for ISDS. From the cases against Argentina in the early 2000s, to those against Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico and Bolivia in subsequent years, and more recently Peru and Colombia, investment treaty disputes in the region have continued to arise. While the seeds of the…

Colombia, Investment Arbitration, Latin America, Preliminary Issues, time-limits

, (Juan Felipe Merizalde Abogados)/ /Leave a comment

The recent Award in AFC v. Colombia dated 24 February 2022 provides new developments on the scope of Rule 41(5) of the Arbitration Rules of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (the “ICSID Rules”). The Tribunal dismissed the claims of AFC Investment Solutions S.L. (the “Claimant”) after accepting a defense raised by…

arbitration rules, Commercial Arbitration, Expedited arbitration, Latin America, Uruguay, Virtual hearings

, (FERRERE)/ /Leave a comment

As of January 1, 2022, the Conciliation and Arbitration Center of the Uruguayan Chamber of Commerce and Services (“Center”) has new Arbitration Rules (the “2021 Rules”) in force. They apply to cases filed from January 1, 2022 onwards. Following the trend of several other institutions in the region, who updated their rules in 2021, in…

Arbitration institution, Arbitration Proceedings, arbitration rules, Innovation, Latin America, Paraguay

(FERRERE Abogados)/ /Leave a comment

On November 12, 2021, the new arbitration rules (the “2021 Rules”) of Paraguayan Arbitration and Mediation Center (“CAMP” for its acronym in Spanish) –the main arbitration institution in Paraguay –came into effect. The 2021 Rules include new developments that modernize CAMP’s practice, especially with regards to international arbitration. In other cases, the new provisions reflect…

2021 in Review, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Conflicts of interest, Ecuador, Enforcement, Latin America

(Herbert Smith Freehills)/ /Leave a comment

In 2021, Latin American countries continued to struggle with the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Accordingly, legislative and jurisprudential developments on arbitration-related issues were also affected given that the governments were focused on reactivating local economies, vaccinating their citizens, and launching tax and labor reforms.  In addition, presidential elections also marked political shifts for…

Arbitrator Bias, Arbitrator Challenges, arbitrators’ conduct, Brazil, Latin America, Transparency

(FGV Law SP - Law School of São Paulo) and (Independent Arbitrator)/ /Leave a comment

The Center for Studies and Research in Arbitration from the University of São Paulo (“CEPArb-USP”) has recently made public the findings of its pioneer empirical research on challenges of arbitrators in domestic proceedings in Brazil. The initiative analyzed data from challenges in proceedings administered by the Câmara de Mediação e Arbitragem Empresarial – Brasil (CAMARB)….

Consistency, Exchange rate, Investment Arbitration, Latin America, quantum, Transfer of Funds Clauses

(Baker McKenzie)/ /Leave a comment

Inconsistent decisions have long been a major criticism in investment arbitration. This does not only pertain to decisions on procedure, jurisdiction or merits but also to quantum issues. This contribution will center around one unlikely connection that has the potential to enhance consistency and predictability in an area of quantification of damages in investment arbitration:…

Costs in arbitral proceedings, Ecuador, Investment Arbitration, Latin America, State defense

, (Carmigniani Pérez Abogados)/ /Leave a comment

On November 23, 2021, Ecuador’s Attorney General (“AG”), Iñigo Salvador Crespo announced the creation of a new institutional framework for handling disputes brought against the state and state entities with the vision of preventing and reducing litigation, particularly costly international arbitrations. The Institutional Strengthening of the Attorney General’s Office Project (“PROFIP” for its initials in…

2021 in Review, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Energy, ICSID Convention, Investment Arbitration, Latin America, Mexico

(Locke Lord LLP)/ /Leave a comment

In 2021, we witnessed a number of interesting developments in the field of investment arbitration in Latin America. From Mexico’s actions potentially triggering numerous treaty claims, to Colombia’s four consecutive victories, to Ecuador’s return to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Convention. Our authors did a tremendous job covering and sharing their…

Awards, Enforcement, Latin America, New York Arbitration Week, United States Courts, USA

, (Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP)/ /Leave a comment

On November 16, 2021, during New York Arbitration Week 2021, several committees of the New York City Bar Association hosted a panel discussion entitled “Dispelling Myths:  Enforcement of Latin American Arbitration Awards in the United States and U.S. Arbitration Awards in Latin America,” which focused on enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in the United States,…

Colombia, Free Trade Agreements, Investment Arbitration, Latin America, United States

(Zuleta Abogados)/ /Leave a comment

Earlier this year, Colombia prevailed in two arbitrations under the Colombia-US Trade Promotion Agreement (“TPA”). The claims were filed by Alberto Carrizosa Gelzis, Felipe Carrizosa Gelzis and Enrique Carrizosa Gelzis (“Carrizosa brothers”) under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, and by Astrida Benita Carrizosa (“Ms. Carrizosa”) under the ICSID Convention. In both arbitrations Ms. Carrizosa and the…

Arbitration Act, Ecuador, International Commercial Arbitration, Latin America, regulation

(Tobar ZVS)/ /Leave a comment

Ecuador´s Arbitration and Mediation Law (“AML”) was enacted in 1997 and amended in 2015. However, the AML did not count with regulations until August 2021. Given that some provisions contained in the AML are vague, arbitrators, counsel and judges interpreted them in different ways, many of them in contradiction with the very nature of the…