Kate Brown de Vejar > DLA Piper Mexico > Mexico City, Mexico > Lawyer Profile

DLA Piper LLP (US) has rapidly expanded its Latin America-facing international arbitration practice in recent years; co-global chairs Michael Ostrove and Kate Brown de Vejar sit in Paris and in Mexico City, respectively – with the latter particularly known for her work in the energy and infrastructure sectors. The firm has achieved ever greater prominence in the Mexico market, particularly in the energy sector (notably power and renewables). It has also seen further growth in tech, life sciences and pharmaceutical disputes. The team has a strong mix of investment and commercial arbitration engagements, and represents a number of big-name multinationals. Mexico City co-practice head Gabriela Álvarez Ávila , whose past experience incudes seven years as senior counsel at ICSID, is another key practitioner. Bogota’s director of international arbitration, Ricardo Alarcón, is also noted. Former Mexico-office senior partner Gerardo Lozano Alarcón left the firm in November 2022 to become a sole arbitrator and counsel; former Buenos Aires-based senior associate Sabrina Ramos also departed – in her case to undertake an LLM in Stanford.

DLA Piper Mexico is a critical cog in the firm’s global dispute resolution offering. The offices arbitral practice is coordinated by Kate Brown de Vejar, who is ‘at the top of her game’ and acts of co-chair of the global international arbitration practice, as well as deputy managing partner of the Mexico office.  While remaining active internationally, Brown de Vejar and her team have enhanced the practice’s visibility in the domestic Mexican market in recent years and have become particularly well-established in the energy space, including electricity generation and renewables. Co-head of the firm’s Latin America dispute resolution practice Gabriela Álvarez-Ávila ‘brings a truly international wealth of knowledge’ and focuses on international arbitration particularly in relation to investment law. Additional figures of note include Antonio Cárdenas, who specialises in obtaining amparos suspending government measures ending resolution of the merits of arbitration; and younger partner Daniel González Estrada who has extensive experience in obtaining provisional measures and the enforcement of arbitral awards before Mexican courts. At associate level, Fernando Osawa E provides dedicated support. Senior figure Gerardo Lozano Alarcón departed the firm in 2022 to establish a practice as a solo arbitrator.

DLA Piper LLP (US)’s international arbitration practice impresses with its ability to ‘greatly capitalize on its international presence’, as evidenced by a recent case list that has seen the team act alongside lawyers in Canada, Colombia and Mexico. The group additionally stands out for its extensive experience in Latin American markets, with a focus on infrastructure, energy and natural resources disputes. Global department co-chair Kate Brown de Vejar splits her practice between New York and Mexico City, where she represents corporations, sovereign states and state-owned enterprises in commercial and investor-state disputes. Also in New York, Kiera Gans is building a strong reputation for investment treaty arbitration.