Mr Paolo Di Rosa > Arnold & Porter > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

Undoubtedly the “go-to” firm for State-side representations in the wake of an peerless track record of 48 (out of 49) positive outcomes, Arnold & Porter counts some 14 Latin American states among its clients; this perhaps unfairly overshadows its fine credentials as regards representing Latin American corporates in ICC arbitrations. The firm’s sizeable arbitral group houses practitioners with government experience, who are members of ICSID’s panel of arbitrators and/or have the linguistic and bicultural expertise to allow the team to conduct proceedings in Spanish. 30-year arbitral veteran Paolo Di Rosa founded the firm’s international arbitration practice (which he subsequently led for 15 years) and has an exceptional record of success as a counsel; fully bilingual (Spanish/English) he has represented a dozen Latin American states in public international law matters and/or international litigation and arbitration. London partner Patricio Grané Labat is another deeply experienced figure in investor-state arbitration, including cases under the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but also handles international commercial arbitration, public international law, and international trade matters. A January 2022 lateral hire, New York partner Mélida Hodgson impresses in both international commercial cases and investor-state arbitrations (particularly on behalf of Venezuela); she has a notable focus on the infrastructure construction, mining, transportation and energy sectors. The experienced and versatile Whitney Debevoise provides further senior level gravitas and Latin America experience in the arbitral sphere. Emerging talent Mallory Silberman has represented the governments of Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, as well as representing investors in investor-State disputes against Argentina. Trilingual (English, French & Spanish) counsel Álvaro Nistal is also highly active in Latin America as part of his broader, global practice.

A first port of call for state-side mandates, Arnold & Porter leverages the firm’s prominent sovereign and government practice to excel in representing sovereign clients in investor-state arbitrations. Its preeminent reputation in this sphere is underpinned by its impressive success rate in investment arbitrations. The group also continues to increase its share of commercial disputes, with a focus on the life sciences and technology industries—its US West Coast arbitration practice is particularly noted for this type of work. From Washington DC, global department co-chair Paolo Di Rosa specializes in complex investment arbitration; he recently teamed up with partners in Shanghai and Seoul to successfully defend the Government of South Korea in the first treaty-based investment arbitration ever filed against Korea. Fellow co-chair Maria Chedid, based in San Francisco, is one of two attorneys from the US currently serving as a US member of the ICC Court of Arbitration. In New York, Mélida Hodgson is recommended for Latin America-related disputes, where she has represented Venezuela, Panama and Peru, among other sovereigns. Additionally, Washington DC-based Whitney Debevoise is highly regarded for international finance disputes.

Arnold & Porter’s team regularly handles complex matters for national and leading multinational corporates with a raft of experience in state, federal, and international courts. Investor-state disputes are a key part of the practice that is further noted for its handling of intricate matters under ATA, TVPA, AT, and FSIA legislation. The practice counts banks, energy companies, foreign sovereigns, and medical companies notably including Pfizer and AstraZeneca amongst its clients, and is commended for its anti-corruption capabilities, heralding experience with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Act. Washington DC based Kenneth Chernof  brings extensive experience to the practice, acting as the co-chair of complex litigation alongside James Herschlein, who operates out of New York. In the same office, Marcus Asner maintains a focus on investigations work, joined by Amy Jeffress, who similarly has a practice based on white-collar investigations acting out of the Washington office. Experienced arbitrators Paolo Di Rosa, also in DC, and San Francisco-based Maria Chedid are noted within the team, frequently representing sovereign states and private sector companies domestically and internationally. The department continues to grow, with the arrival of Deborah Curtis from the CIA, and Stephen Cha-Kim from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.