Mr Nigel Blackaby > Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP’s global standing in international arbitration is very much in evidence in Latin America, where it has an unrivalled record in investor-state arbitrations over recent years; it typically represents investors against states and state-owned entities. It has represented parties in some of the largest and most high-profile cases to involve the region, notably expropriation and nationalisation-related cases, including representing ConocoPhillips in a series of cases relating to the 2007 expropriation of three major oil investments in Venezuela under then-President Chávez. The firm is active in cases involving parties from across the region and has an array of native Spanish and Portuguese speakers in the team. ‘Brilliant senior practitioner’ Nigel Blackaby KC (in Washington DC) is co-head of the Latin America group alongside Noiana Marigo, who ‘directs the practice in Lat Am in an exceptional way’. Also in Washington DC, Caroline Richard (‘an outstanding international arbitration expert’) is another notable name in investor-state disputes, as is Lee Rovinescu, who was promoted to the partnership in 2020, and is highlighted for mining, energy and natural resources cases, as well as his expertise in damages. Blackaby and Richard (along with Americas practice head Elliot Friedman) are currently co-leading advice to Glencore in the first ever ICSID case against Colombia; while Marigo is acting for the same client in an UNCITRAL case against the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Counsel Natalia Zibibbo (an ‘excellent professional’); DC-based special legal consultant Maria Julia Milesi (who was promoted to counsel in May 2023); and senior associates Santiago Gatica (‘remarkable intelligence, legal knowledge and great capacity for work’), Hinda Rabkin and Madeline Snider (in Madrid), are also noted and further illustrate the practice group’s strength-in-depth. All named individuals are based in New York unless stated otherwise. Former counsel Alex Wilbraham has left the firm to become an independent arbitrator in January 2023.

Satisfied clients hail Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP as ‘the best law firm in international arbitration’. Forming a significant part of its global international arbitration practice, the firm’s US offering is split between Washington DC and New York and is active worldwide, with a focus on the Americas. Recognized internationally for its record in ICSID cases, with an emphasis on major investor-state disputes, the group is also well-versed in high-stakes commercial arbitrations. In Washington DC, Latin America practice co-head Nigel Blackaby draws on extensive hands-on experience—he has acted as counsel or arbitrator in over 100 arbitrations—and is particularly revered for energy and mining disputes. Also in DC, Caroline Richard is noted for her focus on investor-state cases, with recent involvement in major multi-jurisdictional matters. From New York, Buenos Aires- and New York-qualified Noiana Marigo co-heads the global international arbitration team and the Latin America practice and is sought after for work across the Americas; she recently teamed up with Blackaby and Richard to represent Glencore on a landmark ICSID arbitration claim against Colombia. New York’s Elliot Friedman fronts the international arbitration group for the Americas and is representing ConocoPhillips in its ongoing attempts to enforce its mammoth ICSID award against Venezuela. Up-and-coming arbitration specialist Lee Rovinescu and Thomas Walsh are also recommended in New York.