Marièle Coulet-Diaz > White & Case S.C. > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

White & Case LLP‘s giant Latin America team incorporates a leading international arbitration group. The team’s cases span the entire region with a fine presence in both investor-state and commercial arbitration. The department has achieved further prominence in critical minerals disputes, including those involving Chile, Bolivia and Mexico. It has also made considerable headway in ESG-related cases and disputes linked to political disruption, and remains especially active in energy cases. The firm continues to represent a number of large multinationals in cases against Latin American states. Mexico City’s Rafael Liano Oddone is at the forefront of energy, construction, and infrastructure cases arising out of the policy shift in Mexico in recent years, and is further noted for investor-state cases against a range of Latin American countries. Miami and Houston-based Silvia Marchili handles energy, natural resources, and infrastructure cases, making a further impression in critical minerals disputes. Ecuadorian native Francisco Jijón has handled a series of major ICSID and UNCITRAL arbitrations in recent times. New York-based Ank Santens is active in Latin America-related ICSID arbitrations. Miami’s Estefanía San Juan was made partner in January 2023 and Mexico City-based Marièle Coulet-Diaz was promoted to the partnership in January 2024. Brazilian native Michelle Grando impresses at counsel level. However, in a notable departure, long-standing practice head Jonathan Hamilton has left the firm – along with counsels Alejandro Martínez de Hoz and Jonathan Ulrich. Named individuals are based in Washington DC unless stated otherwise.

The considerable international heft of White & Case S.C. is brought to bear on a range of international arbitrations relating to Mexico, with its local (Mexico City-based) team coordinating closely with some of the firm’s US offices to advise a prestigious client base of multinationals on matters that include investor-state, commercial and tax arbitrations, among other segments. Dual-qualified (Paraguay/New York) practice head Rafael Llano (‘great quality but low profile; he’s brilliant‘, according to one international peer) is a deeply seasoned practitioner, a member of the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators, and a recent lead representative of ICC México before the ICC’s World Arbitration Commission (2022-24); locally he focuses on the energy, construction and infrastructure sectors in Mexico (arising out of recent political and legal instabilities), but his broader practice has a strong regional aspect. Francisco de Rosenzweig is the key Mexico-qualified partner at the Mexico City office, with a particular focus on matters arising from project and asset-based financing. January 2024 partner promotion Marièle Coulet-Diaz is a further US-qualified contact to note; while local partner Carlos Véjar -who joined from Holland & Knight in August 2023- has international trade expertise in addition to his arbitral practice.