Ms María Carolina Durán > Baker Botts L.L.P. > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

Baker Botts L.L.P. cemented its position in the international arbitration field by hiring Jennifer Haworth McCandless and special counsel María Carolina Durán, ‘two of the best lawyers in the field‘, along with a broader Washington DC-based team from Sidley Austin LLP in 2023. Featuring a number of native and fluent Spanish speakers, the new group brings further credibility – particularly as regards investor-state arbitration; current mandates include the ongoing representation of the Republic of Peru in a series of ICSID and other arbitrations; the team has also acted for a number of other Latin American states. Beyond sovereign governments, the firm represents a range of investors and Latin American corporates. The practice continues to be recognised for energy and infrastructure disputes, with further growth in technology, mining, ESG and energy transition cases. The wider Latin America-focused department is largely spread across  the firm’s Washington DC, New York and London offices, the latter housing key partner Alejandro Escobar (‘an outstanding lawyer who works to the highest standards‘) is located. London senior associate Ernesto Féliz De Jesús (‘critical thinking and assertiveness in understanding aspects of technical complexity‘) specialises in Latin America cases, including public international law matters, and commercial and construction arbitration.

The international arbitration practice at Baker Botts L.L.P. is heralded as the ‘best one in investment international arbitration’, with extensive experience in headline-grabbing, complex arbitrations worldwide. The team has particular expertise in arbitrations including energy, intellectual property, construction, and contractual disputes, acting on complex US seated and international arbitrations. New York-based Andrew Behrman heads the practice that recently represented the Republic of Peru in dismissing a 20-year-dispute and including $1 billion in damages. In Washington DC, Jennifer Haworth McCandless is key to the practice, along with María Carolina Durán. McCandless takes a ‘meticulous, hands-on approach to every aspect of a case’, while Durán has ‘remarkably quick litigation reflexes that allow her to pivot and handle any twist and turn that a case may present’. In Houston, Michael Goldberg is of note, as well as Ben Love, who joined the Houston office from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP in January 2025.