Rafael Llano > White & Case S.C. > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

Highlighted for its ‘very deep bench and industry knowledge’ White & Case LLP has a very sizeable Latin America-focused international arbitration team (totalling some 100 professionals) that handes an impressive mix of commercial, construction and investment arbitration engagements. The team is also noted for its expertise in enforcement proceedings, while its catalogue of recent cases includes appointments in the energy, resources, financial services, technology and transportation sectors. Indeed, the energy sector – particularly renewables – has been a notably active area for the practice, while in sovereign matters, it has acted for clients in a series of  investment arbitrations against Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Peru (among other jurisdictions). The team maintains members across it Washington DC, New York, Miami, Houston Mexico City, London and Madrid offices. Rafael Llano Oddone leads the international arbitration group in Mexico City, while Ecuadorian Francisco Jijón has impressed in a series of ICSID and UNCITRAL arbitrations involving Latin American parties. Houston and Miami-based Silvia Marchili is building a name for herself in investor-state arbitrations; and New York’s Jorge Mattamouros has a focus on Portuguese-speaking markets, especially Brazil’s oil and gas sector. Miami’s Estefanía San Juan was elected to the partnership in January 2023, with Ignacio Madalena becoming a local partner in Madrid the same month. Michelle Grando impresses at counsel level, as does Mexico City’s Marièle Coulet-Diaz. All named individuals are based in Washington DC unless stated otherwise. Since publication, former practice co-head Jonathan Hamilton has left the firm – effective as of March 2024 – as has Alejandro Martínez de Hoz, as of April 2024.

The Mexico office of White & Case S.C. plays a key role in the firm’s North America presence in the field of arbitration. Practice head Rafael Llano Oddone and his team are key advisors for the firm’s international client base, particularly as regards navigating the landscape of regulatory reform under the López Obrador administration. This has involved a considerable volume of energy sector work, as well as challenging the Mexican government on contract terminations within the framework of NAFTA and successor USMCA agreement. Francisco de Rosenzweig is the name to note for clients requiring energy regulatory law counsel, and counsel Marièle Coulet-Diaz bolsters the firm’s commercial and investment arbitration offering in the region. The practice was further strengthened in August 2023 with the hire of Carlos Véjar; while perhaps best known as an international trade specialist, Véjar also has extensive investment arbitration and private commercial arbitration experience. Since publication, Coulet-Diaz has been raised to the partnership – effective as of January 2024.