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Winston Taylor

Winston Taylor

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United States • Dispute resolution

4

International arbitration

Renowned for its energy and infrastructure disputes, including Energy Charter Treaty matters, the international arbitration group at Winston Taylor also handles a growing body of Latin America-focused commercial and investor-state arbitrations. In New York, practice head Michael Stepek is very experienced across a variety of arbitration forums through Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. Also based in New York, Marcelo Blackburn  excels in cross-border disputes, leveraging experience in arbitrations under CC, AAA-ICDR, and LCIA rules, routinely involving oil and gas, infrastructure, and financial services. Houston-based Imad Khan exhibits noted skills in sovereign and state-owned entity disputes, ICSID proceedings, and award and judgment enforcement. Dividing his time between New York, Miami and Washington DC, Gustavo Membiela  is a key port of call for disputes involving Latin American and Spanish parties, often acting for corporates, financial institutions, developers and investors. In Chicago, Ricardo Ugarte leverages his multilingual capacity capable in commercial and investment treaty arbitrations and uses his multilingual capacities to operate across a range of international arbitration matters. Houston’s Laurens Wilkes is a one-stop-shop for arbitrations involving infrastructure, fiduciary duty and product liability disputes.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Great quality team and responsiveness.’

  • ‘Gus Membiella represents a safeharbor when dealing and confronting with problems. He is very professional, but also business oriented.’

  • ‘They bring truly engaged teams and make an effort to do so while keeping costs low.'

  • ‘The law firm with which we have collaborated stands out for its high level of professionalism and technical rigour. Its team demonstrated strong legal analysis skills, meticulous attention to detail, and clear, efficient communication throughout the project. Furthermore, their willingness to work in synergy and their results-oriented approach generated significant value in the joint strategy. We consider their participation to have been decisive in achieving the objectives set.’

  • ‘The professionals we have worked with at this firm stand out for their high level of technical expertise, commitment, and strategic vision. What differentiates them from their competitors is their ability to combine legal rigour with practical solutions, while maintaining clear and proactive communication at all times. We have particularly valued: Partners: Strong leadership, impeccable legal judgment, and the ability to anticipate complex risks. Associates: Dedication, responsiveness, and technical proficiency that inspires confidence at every stage of the project. Additionally, their openness to collaboration and willingness to integrate innovative approaches (including technological tools and flexible work schemes) reinforce their position as a highly competitive, results-driven team.’

Key clients

  • Suntech Power International
  • Corning Inc.
  • Avanzalia Panama
  • Banco San Juan Internacional Inc.

Work highlights

Representing Suntech Power International (SPI) in a dispute filed under the Energy Charter Treaty to recover damages from the Republic of Italy arising from Italy’s reduction of feed-in-tariffs that severely damaged SPI’s investments in solar plants in Italy.
Representing Avanzalia Panama in a dispute arising from the defendant’s efforts to block our Spanish client’s ability to connect its solar power plant to a Panamanian substation owned by the defendant.
Representing Banco San Juan Internacional, Inc. (BSJI) in connection with its recognition and enforcement of two UK judgments in the United States against Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) and PDVSA Petroleo regarding payments due under two credit agreements.
Practice head

Michael Stepek

Other key lawyers

Marcelo Blackburn; Imad Khan; Gustavo Membiela; Ricardo Ugarte; Laurens Wilkes