Eduardo De la Peña Bernal

Partner

Eduardo J. De la Peña Bernal is a Partner in the Miami office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he is a member of the International Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group.

Eduardo focuses his practice on international arbitration and litigation, representing corporate transnational clients in complex disputes across the Americas stemming from a broad array of industries and sectors (e.g. power/energy, water, petrochemical projects, mining, construction, infrastructure, concessions, commodities, manufacturing, distribution, utilities, tariffs, hospitality, financial services, post M&A/joint ventures/shareholder agreements, and others). Eduardo’s most recent representations involve large-scale disputes in, arising from, or related to: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, the United States of America, and Venezuela.

Eduardo has extensive experience handling complex international arbitration proceedings conducted in English or Spanish, under the rules of the major international arbitration institutions or bodies (e.g. ICC, ICDR, AAA, LCIA, IACAC, UNCITRAL), and key regional centers (e.g. Mexico’s CAM and CANACO, Panama’s CeCap, Peru’s CCL), and involving the application of U.S. law or the laws of a variety of Latin American countries. Eduardo also advises frequently in investment treaty-arbitration issues and related matters.

Eduardo also represents clients in commercial litigation matters before state and federal courts in the United States. He additionally manages civil, criminal, and administrative litigation proceedings seated in Latin America for U.S., European and Asian based corporations, devising the overall litigation strategy while coordinating and overseeing the work of local counsel.

Eduardo serves as Honorary President of the globally renowned International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA).  He has been a speaker on issues related to international arbitration and litigation at specialized conferences throughout the world (North America, Central America, South America, Europe and Asia), and currently teaches the course of International Arbitration in Latin America and the Caribbean at the University of Miami School of Law.

• President (2023-2024);
• First Vice-President & Member of the Bureau (2022-2023);
• Treasurer & Member of the Bureau (2020-2022);
• Co-Chair 60th AIJA Annual Congress (Singapore 2022);
• President International Arbitration Commission (2019-2021);
• Co-Chair AIJA’s Fall Half-Year Conference (Miami 2019);
• Vice-President International Arbitration Commission (2017-2019);
• Chair AIJA’s 10th Annual Arbitration Conference (Singapore 2018).

• Former Vice-Chair NAFTA Committee, Florida Bar Int’l Law Section;
• Former Secretary of the International Commercial Arbitration Committee, Latin American Arbitration Association (ALARB).

• University of Miami School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2008
  • Claude M. Olds Scholar
  • CALI Excellence for the Future Award for Excellent Academic Achievement
  • Assistant Coach for the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot Team
• Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico, J.D. 2001
• Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Commercial Arbitration Diploma, 2001