ICC YOUNG ARBITRATORS FORUM - Regional Chapter Committee Members 2014-2016 ICC YAF Leadership
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ICC YOUNG ARBITRATORS
FORUM
Regional Chapter Committee Members
2014-2016
ICC YAF Leadership
ICC YAF Co-Chairs
ICC YAF Chapters
Asia
Europe & Russia
Latin America
Middle East & Africa
North America
ICC YAF Co-Chairs
José Ricardo Feris
Co-Chair - ICC YAF;
Deputy Secretary General - ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris
José Ricardo Feris is the Deputy Secretary General of the ICC International Court
of Arbitration in Paris, France. He also acts as Secretary of the ICC Latin
American Arbitration Group. He received his law degree “magna cum laude” from
the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic
and his LL.M. in International Legal Studies from New York University. He is
admitted to practice in the Dominican Republic. His experience in international
dispute resolution includes being a law clerk at the International Court of Justice
in The Hague and representing the Dominican Republic before the Free Trade Agreement of the
Americas’ negotiation rounds. In 2006 he was recognized by Junior Chamber International as “Joven
Sobresaliente de la República Dominicana.” He has also been identified by Latin Lawyer as one of the
most noteworthy careers of the Latin American diaspora. In addition to Spanish, his native language, he
speaks English, French and Portuguese.
Hannah Tümpel,
Co-Chair - ICC YAF;
Senior Counsel and Manager – ICC International Centre for ADR, Paris
Hannah Tümpel heads the International Centre for ADR of the International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The Centre administers all proceedings under
ICC’s Mediation, ADR, Expertise, Dispute Board and DOCDEX Rules as well as
disputes arising out of the application for new generic top level domain names.
The Centre is in charge of organizing the annual ICC International Commercial
Mediation Competition, the only international mediation moot for law and
business students worldwide, as well as the annual ICC International Mediation Conference which she
initiated. Hannah was one of the main drafters of the new ICC Mediation Rules and is a member of the
Drafting Committee for the revision of the ICC Expertise, Dispute Board Rules and DOCDEX Rules.
Prior to her current position Hannah was a Deputy Counsel at the Secretariat of the ICC International
Court of Arbitration. Hannah is a German qualified lawyer and a trained mediator. She studied law in
Germany, Italy and Portugal and holds a MA degree in mediation from the Viadrina university of
Frankfurt/Oder (Germany). Hannah regularly speaks at international conferences on ADR and has taught
courses about these topics at numerous universities in Europe. She is among others a member of the
Independent Standards Commission of the International Mediation Institute (IMI), of the IBA Working
Group on Rules for Investor-State Mediation and of the advisory council for the European Institute of
Peace. In 2011, she was one of two lawyers to receive an honorary mention by the international Bar
Association for her nomination for the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. In 2014, she was admitted to
the mentorship program of the International Academy of Mediators.
Since 2013, Hannah is the global co-chair of the ICC Young Arbitrator Forum, ICC’s young practitioner
branch.
2
Asia Chapter
Sylvia Tee
Regional Director - ICC YAF Asia Chapter; Director - Arbitration & ADR,
International Chamber of Commerce, Asia
Sylvia Tee is ICC’s Director of Arbitration & ADR, Asia. As regional director, she is
responsible for raising awareness of the range of dispute resolution services
available in Asia under ICC, and coordinating the activities of the ICC Young
Arbitrators Forum across Asia. Sylvia regularly speaks at international
conferences on arbitration and ADR, covering a broad range of topics including
emergency arbitration, drafting of dispute resolution clauses, enforcement of
arbitral awards, management of time and costs of arbitration proceedings, multi-
party and multi-contract arbitrations, as well as the use of mediation and dispute boards. She has also
conducted various workshops and seminars for various law firms, bar associations and corporations
across Asia.
Prior to joining ICC, Sylvia practiced in the Dispute Resolution Department of Allen & Gledhill LLP, a
leading law firm in Singapore. She has advised on and/or acted in a variety of commercial litigation and
arbitration cases, including shareholders’ disputes, employment disputes, regulatory compliance claims,
professional negligence claims and contractual disputes, with an interest in cross-border disputes.
Sylvia graduated from the National University of Singapore with an LLB (Hons) degree, and is admitted
as an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore.
Thayananthan Baskaran
Partner - Zul Rafique & Partners, Kuala Lumpur
Thayananthan Baskaran appears as Counsel in arbitration and also sits as an
arbitrator. Thaya has appeared as Counsel in several domestic and international
arbitrations governed by ICC, KLRCA, PAM and UNCITRAL rules. He has been
appointed as an arbitrator in domestic arbitrations in diverse commercial matters.
Thaya is on the panel of the KLRCA, the database of the LCIA and the list of the
HKIAC. He is a Fellow of the CIArb and serves on the committee of the CIArb
Malaysia Branch, ICC Malaysia Arbitration Committee and ICC Consultative Task
Force for the Revision of ADR, Expertise and Dispute Board Rules. He is the
author of the Malaysian chapter of several books on international arbitration.
Kun-Hee Cho
Associate - Kim & Chang, Seoul
Kun-Hee Cho is a member of International Arbitration & Cross-Border Litigation
Group at Kim & Chang. He has experience in arbitration cases involving contract,
M&A, construction, insurance and maritime disputes before ICC, KCAB, and ad-
hoc arbitrations. He has also participated in various cross-border litigation and
insolvency cases. He is admitted to the Korean Bar, and a country reporter for
Korea in the Institute of Transnational Arbitration.
3
Anne Hoffmann
Senior Legal Associate - Herbert Smith Freehills, Sydney
Anne is a senior associate in the international law group at Herbert Smith
Freehills in Sydney. She has represented corporations and states in a variety of
commercial and treaty arbitrations, including under the rules of the LCIA, ICC
and UNCITRAL, and governed by a variety of governing laws (both common and
civil law). She has acted for clients in numerous sectors and jurisdictions,
including Information Technology, Banking and Energy & Resources in Asia Pacific, Europe and North
America. Anne has acted as Tribunal Secretary to arbitral tribunals appointed under LCIA, ICC, DIAC and
CAS rules. Prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills, Anne has worked in the international arbitration group
of a leading law firm in London and Paris.
Anne speaks English, German and some French and is admitted to practice in England & Wales and New
York.
Smitha Menon
Partner – WongPartnership LLP, Singapore
Smitha Menon is a partner in the Banking & Financial Disputes Practice at
WongPartnership LLP. Her main areas of practice are litigation and arbitration,
encompassing banking and commercial transactions, corporate and shareholder
disputes, insolvency and restructuring. Smitha is active in the Singapore
Academy of Law and the Law Society of Singapore. She served as a Council
member of the Law Society and the Chairperson of the Law Society's Young
Lawyers' Committee. She is currently a member of the Professional Affairs
Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law and chairs the Young Members Chapter. Smitha is also the
Chair of the Singapore network of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation
(IWIRC). Smitha graduated from King’s College, London and is admitted to the Singapore Bar.
Lei Shi
Senior Associate - Clifford Chance, Hong Kong
Lei Shi is a registered foreign lawyer (New York, USA) / senior associate of
Clifford Chance Hong Kong. Prior to joining Clifford Chance, Lei worked at the
Beijing office of Fangda Partners, a leading PRC law firm, for three years.
Lei has extensive experiences in representing clients in resolving joint venture,
share transfer, real estate, intellectual property and mining disputes by arbitration
under the rules of ICC, HKIAC, CIETAC, SIAC, UNCITRAL and AAA/ICDR and
with seats in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Manila and New York. Lei also handles court
proceedings relating to arbitration.
Lei is admitted in New York and has also passed the PRC Bar Exam. He has law degrees from Peking
University (LL.B.) and Harvard Law School (LL.M.).
4
Sonal Kumar Singh
Partner - A.K. Singh & Co, Delhi
Sonal Kumar Singh is working as a partner with M/s A.K. Singh & Co., a law firm
based in Delhi, India, known for its dispute resolution practice. He spearheads
one of the dispute resolution teams of the firm and advice Indian and
multinational clients on several issues pertaining to International Arbitration and
Commercial disputes. He has been involved in LCIA, SIAC, ICC, ICADR, DAC
Arbitrations, as well as Arbitration under UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. He has also conducted various
domain name arbitrations before NIXI and WIPO.
Sonal is a practicing attorney in India and regularly appears before the High Court of Delhi, Supreme
Court of India and other forums/tribunals. He is also a qualified solicitor in England & Wales.
Sonal holds a Bachelor degree in Commerce from the University of Delhi, India and a Master’s degree in
Law from Kings College, University of London.
Janie Wong
Senior Associate – Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Hong Kong
Janie Wong, Senior Associate at Orrick's Hong Kong office, is a member of the
Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. Her practice focuses on a
broad range of contentious matters, including commercial litigation and corporate
investigations, but has a particular focus on arbitration. She has extensive
experience advising international and regional clients on high-valued arbitrations
across the Asia-Pacific region under various rules. Janie is admitted as a solicitor
in Hong Kong and England & Wales (non-practicing). She has been identified by
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2014 and Chambers Global 2014 as an “Associate to
Watch”.
5
Europe & Russia Chapter
Alina Leoveanu
Head - ICC YAF Europe & Russia Chapter; Deputy Counsel - ICC International
Court of Arbitration, Paris
Alina Leoveanu joined the ICC International Court of Arbitration as Deputy
Counsel in August 2007. In her function, Alina has administered hundreds of
arbitration proceedings from Central and Eastern Europe.
Alina is also the Head of the ICC YAF (Young Arbitrators Forum) Europe and
Russia Chapter.
Before joining the ICC International Court of Arbitration, Alina worked as a Case processing Lawyer at the
European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Alina holds a Master’s degree in European
Union Law from the University of Paris I Panthéon – Sorbonne (2006) and a Bachelor’s degree in
Romanian legal studies from the University of Craiova, Romania (2004).
Since 2010, Alina has been a member of the Organizing Committee of the Concours d’Arbitrage
international de Paris organized by l’Ecole de Droit de Sciences Po, Clifford Chance, Editions Lamy, Total
and ICC.
In addition to Romanian, Alina is fluent in English and French and has good knowledge of Spanish.
Ania Farren
Special Counsel - K&L Gates, London
Ania Farren is Special Counsel in the arbitration team at K&L Gates, London. She
has previously practised in London, Frankfurt and Paris and speaks English,
French and Polish. Ania’s experience covers both commercial and investment
arbitration and spans all the major arbitral institutions. Ania is a member of the
ICC YAF Europe & Russia Regional Coordinating Committee. She assists in
teaching the Queen Mary summer school Certificate Program in Global
Arbitration Law and Practice for Hamline University. She is Vice Chair of the
International Arbitration Charity Ball Committee.
6
Stepan Guzey
Partner - Lidings, Moscow
Stepan Guzey is partner and co-chair of the Dispute Resolution Practice Group at
Lidings also heading the Tax and Customs Practice Group at the firm.
He specializes in tax disputes, contentious regulatory cases (antitrust and
competition, customs etc.), bankruptcy (including international and cross-border)
and financial litigations involving companies from various industries, including,
among others, automotive, financial institutions and IT and electronics.
His selected representative matters include: developing and implementing a unique strategy leading to
successful recognition of decision of the court of Northern Ireland and insertion of the client into creditors'
register of debtors; representing second world largest independent oil terminals operator in recognition
and enforcement litigation followed by bankruptcy litigation; representing Tetra Pak in multiple ICAC
arbitration with respect to debt collection, foreclosure on the mortgaged property, and bankruptcy trials;
representing Garanti Bank as a creditor in a series of bankruptcy proceedings against a number of
Russian companies; advising large international integrated professional financial and investment services
provider in arbitration proceedings in Russia; advising Finnish company during the procedure of
recognition and enforcement of the foreign arbitral award issued by the ICC International Court of
Arbitration, and other landmark projects.
Stepan is frequently invited to act as expert in matters of Russian arbitration, tax and customs regulation
and covers these aspects of law as speaker at various events in of the professional legal community in
Russian and abroad.
Giulio Palermo
Associate - Lalive, Geneva
Giulio Palermo is a dual-qualified lawyer both in Italy and Spain and an associate
in LALIVE’s Arbitration Group in Geneva. He specialises in international
arbitration as well as cross border litigation. He has been involved as arbitrator,
counsel and secretary, in several international commercial arbitration
proceedings (ICC, SRIA, ad hoc) and investor-state arbitration proceedings
(ICSID and NAFTA) conducted in English, Spanish, Italian and French.
He previously practised in Paris, Madrid and Rome. In addition to his role in the ICC YAF, Giulio is a
member of the Club Español del Arbitraje (where he is a member of the Italian Chapter’s Executive
Committee) as well as a member of a number of major associations for young international arbitration
practitioners.
He studied Law at the LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome where he graduated with honours in 2007
after being awarded the Leonardo da Vinci Scholarship by the European Commission in 2003. He also
graduated in Spanish law from ULL University of Tenerife in 2009 and holds an LL.M International Legal
Practice from the Instituto de Empresa Law School in Madrid and in International Commercial Arbitration
from Stockholm University. Giulio is an Italian native speaker and is fluent in English, Spanish and has a
good working knowledge of French.
7
Marily Paralika
Associate - White & Case, Paris
Marily Paralika is an associate in the White & Case Paris office and specializes in
international arbitration. She has experience of arbitral proceedings conducted
under the auspices of ICC, as well as ad hoc proceedings. Industry sectors in
which she has advised include construction and oil & gas. Prior to joining White
& Case, Marily was Assistant Counsel to the International Court of Arbitration of
the ICC, where she oversaw thousands of arbitrations, spanning almost all
industry sectors and regions. Marily holds a postgraduate degree (LLM) in European and International
Law from the University of Athens, as well as a postgraduate degree (DEA) in International Law from
Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas. She is a member of both Paris and Athens bars. Marily is currently
the Greek National Commissioner to the ICC, as well as a member of LCIA Young International
Arbitration Group, ArbitralWomen and the ICC Arbitration Commission for Greece. In addition to Greek,
her native language, Marily speaks English, French and German.
Patricia Saiz
Professor and Director - Arbitration Programs, Esade Law School,
Barcelona/Madrid
As of 1 September 2014, Patricia will be a full-time professor of international
arbitration and Director of Arbitration Programs at Esade Law School. She will be
based both in Barcelona and Madrid. Previously, Patricia was a senior associate
in the International Arbitration Group of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP. She was
based in their Washington DC office.
Patricia has represented various multinationals and foreign governments in
international commercial, investor-state, and state-to-state arbitrations, under the
rules of the International Chamber of Commerce of Paris, the International Centre for Settlement of
Investment Disputes, the London Court of International Arbitration, as well as the UNCITRAL Rules. She
has handled numerous matters involving multiple foreign laws and languages. Patricia obtained a Master
of Laws at Harvard Law School. She received her Juris Doctor and Master in Business Law degrees from
Esade University in Barcelona, Spain, and is admitted to practice in New York, Washington D.C., and
Spain. She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Catalan, and has a good knowledge of Portuguese
and German.
Nils Schmidt-Ahrendts
Partner - Hanefeld Rechtsanwalte, Hamburg
Nils Schmidt-Ahrendts primarily acts as arbitrator and counsel in domestic and
international arbitration proceedings. He has been involved in proceedings under
the rules of ICC, the DIS, the SCC and the LCIA. Nils also represents domestic
and international clients in proceedings before German courts and assists them
with the enforcement of foreign awards and judgments. His focus lies in the
areas international trade, sales law, construction law, corporate law and post
M&A.
Nils holds a Doctor of Laws in international sales law (CISG). Before joining Hanefeld Rechtsanwälte, he
worked several years with CMS Munich in the team of Dr. Klaus Sachs. Nils is a permanent lecturer on
arbitration and CISG at the Universities of Berlin, Freiburg and the European Business School. He
regularly speaks at international conferences and is the author of a number of publications. Nils speaks
German, English, French and Spanish.
8
Christof Strasser
Founder - 42Law, Vienna
Christof Strasser is the founder and principal of 42law, a Vienna-based team of
four attorneys specialized in international arbitration, corporate transactions and
banking law. Christof has acted as arbitrator or counsel in institutional and ad
hoc-proceedings in Europe and the US, with a focus on distribution and sales
agreements, construction matters and post-M&A disputes. He has published and
lectured extensively on arbitration and company law, and is a member of the
adjunct faculty of the Vienna University School of Law.
Christof has been practicing law since 2006 and is admitted to the bars of New
York, England & Wales, and Austria. Before founding 42law, he worked as an associate in the New York
and London offices of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Christof graduated from the Vienna University
School of Law with a magister iuris in 2002, and doctor iuris in 2004. He received an LL.M. degree from
Harvard Law School in 2006.
Volodymyr Yaremko
Senior Associate - Arzinger, Kiev
Volodymyr Yaremko is a Senior Associate in the arbitration team at Arzinger,
Kyiv (Ukraine). He specializes in the settlement of complex multi-jurisdictional
disputes in the national courts, as well as under the procedures of international
commercial and investment arbitration. Volodymyr has substantial experience
and particular focus on foreign investment, energy, oil & gas, technology &
construction, banking & finance, as well as corporate disputes.
Volodymyr represents interest of clients in arbitration proceedings under various
rules such as UNCITRAL, ICC, SCC, LCIA, VIAC, ICAC at the UCCI, etc. Volodymyr is also well-
acquainted with peculiarities of arbitrations in specific areas of industries, namely in construction disputes
under FIDIC forms of contracts, as well as in GAFTA and FOSFA arbitrations.
In spring 2013 Volodymyr spent two months in London on secondment at the Commercial Disputes
Department of a City law firm.
Volodymyr speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English and Polish.
9
Latin America Chapter
Katherine González Arrocha
Regional Director ICC YAF Latin America Chapter; Director - Arbitration and
ADR, ICC International Court of Arbitration, Panama
Katherine González Arrocha is a Panamanian lawyer. She joined the Secretariat
of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris in 1996, where she was
entrusted with the responsibility to manage arbitration cases in the Ibero-
American team, first as Assistant Counsel and in 1998 as Counsel. In 2004, she
was appointed Secretary for the ICC Commission on Arbitration and Senior
Counsel for ICC Dispute Resolution Services. She is presently acting as Director
for Latin America of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, based in Panama
City. She also works as an independent practitioner. In this capacity, she
currently sits as arbitrator in domestic and international cases. She is the author of several articles and
has frequently lectured at universities, workshops and conferences on international dispute resolution
throughout the world. She holds a law degree from the University of Santa María La Antigua in Panama
and a postgraduate degree specializing in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution from the
University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas). She speaks Spanish, English and French.
Claudia Benavides Galvis
Partner - Baker & McKenzie, Bogota
Claudia Benavides is the partner and chair of the Dispute Resolution practice
group of Baker & McKenzie Bogotá. Her main areas of practice are transnational
litigation, domestic and international arbitration, conciliation, mediation and other
alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Claudia has represented foreign and
local clients in high-value, complex disputes related to distribution agreements,
construction and infrastructure projects, multimillion stock purchase agreements,
energy and mining, insurance, transport, unfair competition, product liability, real
estate, loans and credits, maritime law, insolvency, constitutional actions, among
others. Claudia is admitted to practice in Colombia where she has been an active practicing litigator for
over 16 years.
Claudia has lectured in the area of private law at the Faculty of Law of Universidad de los Andes, where
she has been a professor for several courses including Obligations (contracts) and Civil Procedural Law.
She has been invited to important national and international conferences as a speaker and has published
several articles, many related to the international arbitration field.
Claudia has been ranked by Chamber & Partners and Legal 500 and is a listed arbitrator of the Center of
Arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá.
Claudia received her law degree from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, where she also majored in
Economics a year after. Claudia did her master studies at the London School of Economics and Political
Science in International Business Law.
10Laura Carmiol Torres
Partner - ADR Deparment of Lara, López, Matamoros, Rodríguez & Tinoco, LLM
Abogados, San José
Laura Carmiol Torres, attorney and public notary from Costa Rica. Has a Masters
Degree in Business Law obtained at Laureate International Universities. She is a
partner member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Department of the Law
Firm Lara, López, Matamoros, Rodríguez & Tinoco, LLM Abogados
(www.llm.co.cr). Worked as the National Director for the Alternative Dispute
Resolution center at the Ministry of Justice and Piece of the Government of
Costa Rica since 2010 to 2014. Has developed programs related to Alternative Dispute Resolutions,
Conciliation and Arbitration programs for the Government of Costa Rica together with the Inter-American
Development Bank, also has executed for US DOL, United States Department of Labor, the project for
the Central American Information Administration and has also worked for other national and international
institutions. Has worked for the Arbitration and Conciliation Centre of the Costa Rican Chamber of
Commerce. Is a member of the Dispute Resolution Centre of the Costa Rican Bar Association, also of the
Spanish-Costa Rican Arbitration Centre, member of the Costa Rican Chapter for Arbitration of the ICC
and is one of the regional coordinators of the ICC YAF.
Rodolfo Miranda
Associate - Amprimo & Flury Abogados, Lima
Rodolfo Miranda Miranda is an associate of Amprimo & Flury Abogados in Lima,
Peru. Previously, he has been a foreign associate at Clifford Chance US LLP in
its International Arbitration Practice in Washington DC working in investment and
commercial international arbitration regarding Latin American affairs. Rodolfo
holds a law degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and an LLM in
International Arbitration from New York University (NYU). He has worked in
construction, infrastructure, Public Private Partnerships (PPP) as well as
concession agreements. In international arbitration, he has worked in arbitrations related to corporate
conflicts, construction contracts, concession agreements and in some investment arbitrations against
Latin American governments. He also has extensive transactional experience related to infrastructure in
different sectors like hydro power plants, ethanol plants, highways, health facilities, inter alia. Before his
LLM at NYU, Rodolfo has worked in Intersur Concesiones S.A., Rodrigo Elias & Medrano Abogados, and
Navarro Sologuren, Paredes & Gray Abogados.
Julieta Ovalle
Partner, Bufete Ovalle Favela, S.C., Mexico City
Julieta Ovalle is a partner at Bufete Ovalle Favela, S.C., in Mexico City. Julieta
practices in the areas of domestic and international litigation and arbitration. She
has been involved in a number of arbitrations acting as counsel and arbitrator in
several matters, including construction and banking law. She has had a close
relationship with the International Chamber of Commerce and its Mexican
Chapter. In 2003 she was an intern at the Secretariat of the International Court of
Arbitration, she joined ICC Mexico in 2004 and ever since she has actively
participated in the Arbitration Commission and later in ICC YAF Mexico, organizing and lecturing in
several seminars and courses. She has acted as an expert in Mexican Law before foreign courts and has
published on arbitration and comparative law. She is fluent in Spanish, French and English, and has a
working knowledge of Italian.
11Flávio Spaccaquerche Barbosa
Senior Associate - Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados,
Rio de Janeiro
Flávio Spaccaquerche Barbosa is a senior associate with the litigation and
arbitration practice group of Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga in
Brazil. Based in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, he advises on domestic and
international arbitration matters, civil and commercial litigation and international
law, representing multinational clients in numerous civil trial cases and
arbitrations under the rules of ICC, CIESP/FIESP, CCBC, CAM-BM&F
BOVESPA, FGV and CAMARB, with a particular focus on M&A, corporate, capital markets, construction,
oil& gas and energy disputes. In addition to his role within the ICC YAF, Flávio is a member of YIAG,
Young-OGEMID, ICDR Young&International and Brazilian Arbitration Committee (CBAr). He is a
contributor for the ITA Latin American Arbitration Forum (ITAFOR) and holds a current position as a
Multilaw Academy Faculty Member. For the last years, he has contributed with the Practical Law
Company (PLC) in London for arbitration related matters in Brazil. Flávio has a LLM in international
economic law from the University of Paris 1 – Sorbonne, specializing in international investment disputes.
Flávio speaks native Portuguese and fluent English, French and Spanish.
Joaquin Vallebella
Senior Associate - Brons & Salas Law Firm, Buenos Aires
Joaquin Vallebella is a senior associate at Brons & Salas, practicing in the
arbitration and corporate departments focusing on international and domestic
arbitration, and drafting and negotiations of domestic and international
transactions. He has extensive experience in international arbitrations under the
ICC Rules, UNCITRAL Rules and ad-hoc arbitrations. He has participated in
over 20 arbitration cases. He has also participated in judicial proceedings for the confirmation/annulment
of arbitral awards. He is the representative of Brons & Salas at the Commission on Arbitration of the ICC
Argentine Chapter.
Joaquin is a graduate of Universidad Católica Argentina, School of Law, and Master in Business Law at
Universidad Austral whose Thesis “Changes of circumstances in contracts: traditional perspective and
international modern trend surrounding this phenomenon” was approved cum laude. He has also
attended Post-graduate Courses at Southwestern University School of Law - California, U.S. School of
laws of the Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidad del Salvador.
He has extensive experience in international transactions dealing with loans, joint ventures, distribution
and concession agreements, M&A, shareholders agreements, asset acquisitions and corporate
restructurings. He is a member of the Buenos Aires Bar Association since 2000, and was elected Vice
Chair of the Young Practitioners Committee of the Bar Association of the City of Buenos Aires (2006). He
also published several articles on commercial contracts in legal magazines. He is co-author with Alfredo
L. Rovira of the “The Argentina Chapter for Interim Measures in International Arbitration”, JurisNet, LLC
2014. He was nominated arbitrator in several international arbitration moot competitions. He is fluent in
Spanish and English.
12Middle East & Africa Chapter
Sami Houerbi
Regional Director - ICC YAF Middle East & Africa Chapter; Director - ICC Dispute Resolution
Services for Eastern Mediterranean, Middle-East & Africa; Partner – BKH, Tunisia
Sami Houerbi is the Director of the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle-East and
Africa ICC Dispute Resolution Services, where he is in charge of raising
awareness about Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms throughout the
region and promoting ICC Arbitration and ADR Rules.
Sami is a registered lawyer of the Tunis Bar Association and the Head of the Arbitration Department at
Boussayene Knani Houerbi Law firm (www.bkhassocies.com), which areas of practice include mainly:
Corporate Law, Arbitration and Litigation.
Sami acts frequently as counsel and arbitrator in domestic and international arbitration proceedings.
Prior to that, he was member of the Secretariat of the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, where he
was directly involved in the administration and managing ICC arbitration proceedings.
He holds a post-graduate degree in international law from the University of Paris II and an LL.M in
German Law from the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich.
His working languages are Arabic, English, French and German.
Alain Farhad
Senior Associate - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Dubai
Alain is a senior associate in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s international
arbitration group. He has been based in Dubai since January 2011. Prior to
relocating to Dubai, Alain practiced law in Paris. Alain is admitted as an attorney
and counselor at law in the State of New York and as an Avocat à la Cour in
Paris and has rights of audience before the DIFC Courts. Alain holds degrees
from the University of Paris, Leicester University and Cornell Law School.
Alain acts as legal counsel in international disputes arising out of commercial contracts and investment
protection treaties. He has acted in over forty international arbitration proceedings conducted under the
ICC rules, the UNCITRAL Rules, the DIAC arbitration rules and ICSID rules. Alain is also regularly
appointed to act as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator or chairman of arbitral tribunals in a variety of
international arbitration proceedings.
Alain is a member of the ICC UAE Steering committee. He regularly publishes and speaks at conferences
in relation to international arbitration matters. He is also at the University of Versailles on international
arbitration and construction projects.
He is fluent in English, French and Farsi and has some knowledge of Romanian, German and Russian.
13Kristen M. Jarvis Johnson
Senior Associate - Squire Patton Boggs, Qatar
Kristen M. Jarvis Johnson is a senior associate in the International Dispute
Resolution and Litigation practice groups at Squire Patton Boggs LLP. She
assists corporations, sovereign governments, and individuals in complex civil
litigation and arbitration matters throughout the world. Kristen has an active
litigation practice from start to finish, including initial case assessment, settlement negotiations, large-
scale discovery management and disputes, motions practice and argument, trial, and appellate
proceedings. She is familiar with many subject matters, including construction, technology and
communications, health care, antitrust, common law torts and contracts, FCPA, False Claims Act, foreign
sovereign immunity, speech and defamation, administrative law, and award enforcement. She dedicates
her pro bono assistance to the areas of international human rights and immigration.
Kristen’s arbitration practice encompasses both commercial and investor-state proceedings under the
rules of UNCITRAL, ICC, ICSID, and ad hoc arbitration panels. She has also participated in matters
before international tribunals, including the UN Human Rights Committee, the European Court of Human
Rights, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
In addition to her commercial practice, Kristen co-founded and directs Pretrial Rights International, a
nonpartisan non-profit organization focused on promoting human rights for people detained before trial.
Additionally, she serves as an Advisory Council member of the Public International Law & Policy Group, a
global pro bono law firm advising states and governments with the negotiation and implementation of
peace agreements, the drafting of post-conflict constitutions, and the creation and operation of war crimes
tribunals. Her knowledge of international affairs is further bolstered by her US Fulbright Fellowship to
Japan, where she focused on labour and civil rights for women.
Amani Khalifa
Lawyer – Khalifa! Arbitration & Construction Legal Consultants, Cairo
Amani Khalifa is a full-time arbitration practitioner. She spends a significant
portion of her professional time prosecuting and defending building and
engineering claims. She also handles cases involving maritime, telecom, foreign
investment, oil and gas, and general commercial claims. She also sits as
arbitrator.
Amani has significant experience of numerous institutional rules, including the
International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the International Chamber of
Commerce (ICC), the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA), the London Court of International
Arbitration (LCIA) and the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA).
Amani is a CEDR accredited mediator. She regularly leads graduate seminars in ADR and is a teaching
assistant on the international commercial arbitration course at the American University in Cairo.
Amani is a member of the ICC’s Young Arbitration Forum Regional Coordinating Committee, a member of
the International Bar Association Arbitration 40 Committee and a sometime regional representative of the
LCIA’s Young International Arbitration Group.
Amani read law at Downing College, Cambridge. She is a solicitor of England and Wales and is licensed
to practice in the State of New York.
14Amani is fluent in Arabic and in English, and has a working knowledge of French.
Armindo Moisés Kasesa Chimuco
Trainee Lawyer - AJA Associação Jelembi e Advogados, Huambo
Armindo Moisés Kasesa Chimuco is a trainee lawyer in Angola admitted to the
Bar Association of Angola on December 2013. Working in the law firm AJA –
Associação Jelembi e Advogados in Huambo - Angola. Before that he enrolled
on CKADVOGADOS one of the biggest Angolan Law Firms (in time administered
by Dr Hermenegildo Cachimbombo, the present Chairman of the Bar Association
of Angola) as paralegal in Luanda – Angola where practiced issues related to
International Law, International Business Law, Arbitration Law, and another
issues on the Angolan legal system. He achieved his Degree in Law with specialization on Juridical
Economics Sciences (Arbitration Private International Law, International Business Law, Environment Law
and commercial Law) from Agostinho Neto University’s Law School. He holds an LL.M in Civil Law from
University of Coimbra (Portugal). After his Degree he was invited and attended to lecturer Private
International Law and to coordinate a Moot Court Competition Project on Human Rights in José Eduardo
dos Santos Univertity Law School in Huambo the Center Province of Angola on 2013. Familiarized with
the ICC Rules of Arbitration and the Angolan system of arbitration, achieved on his academic and
professional work and on some conferences and lectures attended, Armindo also participated on some
research and law practices programs on Procedural Civil and Criminal Law manly relating it with the
Arbitration and others ADR, Human Rights, Administrative Law. Advocacy, arbitration connected with the
education, he believes, are the keys for the law contribution for the development the human kind.
Greg Nwakogo
Managing Partner - Rosberg Legal Practitioners & Arbitrators, Lagos
Greg Nwakogo is the managing partner of Rosberg Legal Practitioners &
Arbitrators. He is a transactional lawyer with expertise in commercial litigation
and Alternative Dispute Resolution. He is an experienced commercial and
dispute negotiator, mediator and arbitrator.
He represents organizations in his capacity as Barrister and Solicitor to negotiate
the complex paper work necessary to running and owning a business, as well as
those involved in investments and divestments, Public Private Partnerships,
financial and investment management transactions, intellectual property and
communications law. He advised in a PPP transaction involving the construction of a mega mall billed to
be the biggest in Africa upon completion. He also advises foreign businesses coming into Nigeria to do
business. He advised in the establishment of the Nigerian franchise of a world class training firm with
presence in all 50 of the United States and in over 80 countries.
Greg has acted in quite a number of arbitrations as counsel and as secretary to arbitral tribunals. In
addition to his role within the ICC YAF, he is an Executive Committee member of the Nigerian branch of
the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and the Chairman of its Young Members’ Group (YMG). He is
the first elected Chairman of the CIArb YMG in Nigeria.
A very distinguished practitioner, Greg holds an LL.B (Law) degree from the University of Benin, Benin
City, Nigeria and a B.L from the Nigerian Law School. He is also currently pursuing an LLM in
International Business Law from the University of London. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005. He
has written several legal articles some of which have been published.
15Mireille Rached
Founding Partner - Rached Law Firm, Beirut
Mireille has more than 15 years experience in international arbitration, especially
in the Middle East. She has represented companies, States, State-owned entities
in international commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, ad hoc (including
under UNCITRAL Rules) and under the various leading Rules such as ICC,
CRICA and ICSID. Her experience includes disputes in the construction,
industrial, infrastructure, energy and banking sectors as well as international
trade and investment. She has been also involved in a number of arbitrations as
an arbitrator.
Mireille is a member of the Beirut Bar and holds an LLM in International Public Law from the Saint Joseph
University of Beirut. She undertakes her own advocacy in her arbitration practice and is fluent in English,
Arabic and French.
Gül Yanık
Attorney at Law - Koksal Attorney Partnership, Istanbul
Gül Yanık is a Turkish lawyer, admitted to Istanbul Bar Association. Her practice
focuses on litigation, alternative dispute resolution, international commercial
arbitration and investment law. She worked for several law firms both in
Switzerland and Turkey.
Gül holds an LL.M degree in International and European Economic and Business
Law from University of Lausanne, Switzerland and LL.B from Başkent University, Turkey. She studied in
England, Italy, Turkey and Switzerland. She speaks Turkish, English, French and Italian.
Gül took a role in the organization of ICC YAF Events in the region since 2012. Currently she is a
member of the Regional Coordinating Committee the Middle East & Africa chapter.
16North America Chapter
Josefa Sicard-Mirabal
Regional Director – ICC YAF North America Chapter; Executive Director -
Arbitration and ADR, North America, SICANA, Inc. / International Court of
Arbitration®, New York City
Josefa Sicard-Mirabal serves as the Executive Director of Arbitration and ADR
for North America for SICANA, Inc. /International Court of Arbitration®. In this
capacity, she represents and promotes ICC dispute resolution services in North
America. She also advises companies, States, and attorneys on all phases of
commercial and investor-state arbitration, including negotiation of arbitration
clauses, requests for arbitration, procedural issues and enforcement of arbitration awards.
Josefa is an adjunct professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law in New York City where she
teaches Introduction to Investor-State Arbitration since 2010. She has been a guest lecturer on
international commercial and investment arbitration at many law schools including, Harvard, University of
Florence, La Sapienza in Rome, Italy, Universidad de Montevideo, among others.
Josefa commenced her legal career as a judge in the Dominican Republic and continued in private
practice in US law firms representing clients in a vast array of international business transactions and
international litigations and arbitrations. She is admitted to the New York State bar and the Dominican
Republic bar. She speaks English, French, and Spanish.
Josefa is a recipient of many awards, including being named one of the “20 Leading Latinas in Business”
by Hispanic Enterprise magazine in its September 2007 issue, one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics”
by Hispanic Business Magazine in its October 2006 issue.
Teresa Garcia-Reyes
Senior Counsel - GE Oil & Gas, Houston
Teresa Garcia-Reyes is senior counsel, litigation for GE Oil & Gas, in Houston,
Texas. She represents her division in commercial disputes world-wide, with a
focus on leading negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, and litigations in North
and South America. Her experience includes acting as counsel in commercial
disputes under the rules of various international and regional institutions, and
coordinating the activities of outside counsel in domestic court and arbitral
proceedings. She also leads policy initiatives within her business, aimed at
managing and reducing the risks of disputes with suppliers and customers, including promoting the use of
mediation as form of alternative dispute resolution.
Teresa is a native of Houston, Texas. She graduated from Texas A&M University, cum laude, with a
B.B.A, in Management, in 2001, and from Tulane Law School, summa cum laude, with a J.D., in 2004.
She is a member of the Texas bar, and is licensed in the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of
Texas.
Prior to joining GE, Teresa was with Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, where her practice focused on
commercial disputes and patent litigation. Prior to that, Teresa was with the international law firm Mayer
Brown LLP, where she represented clients in commercial disputes both in US courts and in international
arbitrations.
17Teresa is active in the Houston Bar Association, including serving as Co-Chair of the HBA’s Gender
Fairness Committee. She is also active in various community organizations, including the Houston
Livestock Show & Rodeo, and she currently serves as her business’ representative on GE’s Diversity &
Inclusion Committee.
Daniel Grodinsky
Associate - Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Montréal
Daniel Grodinsky is a lawyer with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Montréal office.
His litigation experience includes commercial arbitration, class actions, contract
disputes, product liability, admiralty, public inquiries, intellectual property and
insurance defence. Daniel regularly appears before arbitration tribunals, the
Québec Superior Court and the Federal Court of Canada, and has represented
clients before the Québec Court of Appeal and the Federal Court of Appeal. His
practice is focused on commercial arbitration, complex product liability class
actions, and on intellectual property, such as trade-mark defence. Daniel regularly advises clients on the
drafting of arbitration clauses and acts as counsel in commercial arbitrations, and has authored numerous
articles on the subject. He is fluently bilingual in English and French.
Yasmine Lahlou
Counsel - Chaffetz Lindsey, New York
Yasmine Lahlou is counsel with Chaffetz Lindsey, a dedicated international
arbitration and litigation boutique established in 2009. She has substantial
experience advising and representing clients on a range of commercial disputes,
in both international arbitration and litigation proceedings. She practiced in Paris
for over four years at Castaldi Mourre & Partners, before joining Clifford Chance
as an associate in New York in 2005.
Yasmine’s recent experience includes representing clients in ICC arbitrations
mainly in large scale construction cases. She has acted as a sole and co-arbitrator in ICC and SCC
arbitrations. Yasmine’s experience is recognized in Chambers USA and Super Lawyers.
Yasmine attended a graduate program at the University of Texas at Austin Law School and received a
Maîtrise en Droit from Paris X - Nanterre University. She is fluent in English, French and Italian.
18Sarah E. Reynolds
Associate - Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago
Sarah Reynolds divides her dispute resolution practice among international and
domestic arbitration, insurance dispute and coverage advice, and a variety of
complex commercial litigation matters.
Sarah is an integral member of Mayer Brown’s International Arbitration Practice
Group. She represents multinational corporations before domestic and international arbitral bodies,
including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Center for Dispute
Resolution (ICDR). Those disputes range from complex commercial supply agreements to
pharmaceutical licensing agreements. Sarah’s arbitration experience also includes obtaining and
defending against judicial review of arbitration awards and drafting and reviewing arbitration clauses in
transaction agreements.
Sarah also has extensive experience in both insurance litigation and in providing strategic coverage
advice in connection with business transactions, and D&O and captive insurance programs.
In addition, Sarah handles a broad range of litigation matters. She has experience in all aspects of
litigation, from pre-trial through discovery, trial and appeal (including briefing and argument to the Illinois
Supreme Court). She represents clients in cases involving antitrust claims, commercial contract disputes,
securities fraud allegations, shareholder derivative actions, intellectual property disputes, criminal
charges, and trust and estate disputes. Sarah also handles government investigations, including SEC,
FINRA, and FDA investigations.
Sarah is a frequent contributor to Mayer Brown’s quarterly publication, International Arbitration
Perspectives.
Sarah has been a member of the Litigation Practice Group in Mayer Brown’s Chicago office since 2005.
Quinn Smith
Founding Partner - Gomm & Smith, Miami
Based in Miami, Quinn Smith is one of the founding partners of Gomm & Smith,
focusing his practice on international dispute resolution. Quinn has acted as
counsel in high-value arbitrations under the rules of a variety of international and
regional institutions with experience in both commercial and investment cases.
He has represented clients with matters in the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
Quinn frequently writes and lectures on topics related to the field in three working
languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. He has also helped form and lead teams to handle
complex litigation matters in federal and state courts in the United States. In addition to his legal practice,
Quinn is active in the local community, supporting regional charitable initiatives, innovative ways to
provide legal services for low-income people, local churches and religious groups, and Miami’s growing
writing and poetry scene. Quinn is married and has one son.
19Elizabeth Silbert
Associate - King & Spalding, Atlanta
Elizabeth Silbert is an associate in the Atlanta office of King & Spalding and a
member of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group. She has
represented private and corporate clients in investor-State, commercial, and
domestic arbitrations under the ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, AAA/ICDR, SIAC, and
CPR Arbitration Rules. Her experience spans from the initial stages of structuring
assets to maximize investment protections and drafting arbitration agreements to
the final phases of award recognition, enforcement, and set-aside. Elizabeth
recently co-authored an extensive article on interim measures (“A Guide to Interim Measures in Investor-
State Arbitration,” Arbitration International, Sept. 2013), and speaks frequently on the topics of arbitration
and international law. Elizabeth is a graduate of Georgetown University and the Northwestern University
School of Law, where she served as an editor of the Law Review.
Tomás Solís
Of Counsel - Squire Patton Boggs LLP, Washington
Tomás Solís focuses his practice on international arbitration and public
international law. He represents sovereign governments and companies in
international arbitrations arising under bilateral investment treaties, free trade
agreements, national investment legislation and contracts. He also advises
sovereign governments around the world on boundary disputes.
Tomás spent five years as counsel to the International Centre for Settlement of
Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington DC. As secretary to arbitral
tribunals, he administered a number of arbitral proceedings conducted in English, Spanish and French
and involving countries in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa and initiated under investment treaties,
contractual provisions and national law. Before this position, Tomás was an intern at the Court of
Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (“ICC”) and is now a Member of the ICC Latin
American Group.
In another prior position, as a legal advisor to the Government of El Salvador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Tomás served on a team that represented El Salvador before the International Court of Justice, seeking
revision of a judgment rendered in a land dispute with a neighboring government. Tomás also served as a
prosecutor in the Fraud and Assets Control units of the attorney general’s office of El Salvador.
Tomás lectures and publishes frequently on matters related to international arbitration and public
international law.
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