Luis is an associate based in the Madrid office. He has experience in a variety of international commercial arbitrations under several institutional rules in industries including construction, energy, pharmaceutical and banking. He also has experience advising private parties on matters of public international law.
Luis’ recent experience includes:
- Representing an Asian company in the renewable energy industry in disputes over EPC contracts for the construction of five wind farms in a Latin American country
- Representing a company of the oil and gas industry in two arbitrations against a gas liquefaction company, under the LCIA arbitration rules
- Representing a company of the oil and gas industry in a dispute with a gas licensee in Latin America related to gas processing, in an arbitration under ICC arbitration rules
- Representing a multinational construction and engineering company in a dispute over an EPC contract for the construction of a biodiesel production plant in Latin America, in an arbitration governed by ICC arbitration rules
- Representing a company in the IT industry in a dispute against a Brazilian client of the banking industry, in an arbitration under the ICC arbitration rules
- Representing a company in the paper industry in a dispute against a Latin American State, in an arbitration under the ICC arbitration rules
- Representing a foreign capital company in a claim regarding the acquisition of a fishing company, in an arbitration governed under the ICC arbitration rules
- Representing a company in a dispute with an international company in the audit field of pharmaceutical industry in relation to a contract for the sale of shares and non-compete obligations, in an arbitration governed by ICC arbitration rules
Luis holds an LL.M. from Columbia Law School, where he graduated as a James Kent Scholar, awarded in recognition of outstanding academic achievement. He also holds a J.D. from the University of Buenos Aires School of Law, where he was awarded a distinction as an outstanding student for his performance in international moot court competitions. Luis continued coaching university teams in moot court competitions.
Luis speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese, and is admitted to practice in the City of Buenos Aires.
Macarena is an associate in the Madrid office. She specialises in commercial and investment arbitration under a variety of arbitration rules in a range of sectors including energy and natural resources, pharmaceuticals, and construction.
Macarena’s recent experience includes:
- Representing Ecuador in an investment arbitration under UNCITRAL rules against two oil companies under the BIT between the United States and Ecuador, derived from a claim for denial of justice
- Representing Ecuador in an arbitration under UNCITRAL rules against a pharmaceutical company under the BIT between the United States and Ecuador, derived from a claim for denial of justice
- Representing Ecuador in a dispute against a Peruvian national regarding claims for non-observance of the BIT between Ecuador and Peru
- Representing Ecuador in a dispute against a Chinese company under the Ecuador-China BIT
- Representing Ecuador in a dispute with a Chinese company for the interpretation and application of Ecuadorian legal provisions
- Representing Ecuador against a Spanish oil company in a dispute under the BIT between Spain and Ecuador
Prior to joining Three Crowns, Macarena was a lawyer in the International Arbitration Directorate of the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Ecuador, where she represented the Ecuadorian State in various international arbitrations and annulment and enforcement proceedings in foreign jurisdictions.
Macarena is admitted to practice in Ecuador and her results for the New York Bar are pending. She completed her Master of Laws at Harvard Law School, where she was a Fulbright Scholar and Gammon Fellow. Macarena also obtained a Master of Laws and Postgraduate Diploma in Laws from the University of London School of Law in a joint programme with University College London and Queen Mary University of London. She graduated first in her class at University of San Francisco of Quito.
Macarena is a co-founder of Ecuadorian Very Young Arbitration Practitioners (ECUVYAP) and she coaches the arbitration moot team of University of San Francisco of Quito. Macarena was elected as the Ecuadorian Arbitration Institute Young Members’ Representative and is an Arbitrator Intelligence Ambassador for Latin America. She speaks Spanish, English, and French.
Laura, an associate in the Madrid office, specialises in international commercial and investor-State arbitration. She has experience acting in complex and high-value disputes across a range of sectors, including banking and finance, energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, and retail. Laura has acted in proceedings under a number of arbitration rules, including ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL, and AAA-ICDR.
Her recent experience includes:
- Representing the Republic of Chile in its investment arbitration with a Colombian construction and power distribution company under the Chile-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
- Representing a leading US private equity firm in two parallel ICC arbitrations involving claims of fraud and breach of warranty arising from a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of a Latin American company
- Representing a major European construction company in its investment treaty arbitration with a Latin American State arising from a “megaproject” to expand a strategic maritime infrastructure installation
- Representing an Asia-based investment manager in an AAA arbitration against an US-based asset manager relating to a seed investment
- Representing a European bank in an ICC arbitration involving post-acquisition claims relating to a Spanish credit card business
- Representing a mining and petrochemical company in its investment treaty arbitration against a Latin American State
- Representing Naturgy in its billion-dollar investment treaty claim against Colombia relating to the regulatory framework for the supply of electricity
- Representing a consortium of oil & gas companies in an arbitration against a Latin American State, and in the ensuing settlement negotiations and agreement, arising out of tax liabilities imposed on the consortium in breach of legal and tax stability clauses included in the relevant investment agreements
Laura also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on the defence of human rights. She is representing the owners of a media group against a Latin American State in a claim filed before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights arising from alleged violations of the American Convention on Human Rights in relation to, inter alia, freedom of expression and the right to property. She also worked with REDRESS on a pro bono project promoting balanced gender representation in UN human rights organs and mechanisms.
Laura holds an LLM from Harvard Law School and an LLB from University of São Paulo, where she graduated first in her class. She studied at Sciences Po Paris, as part of her Bachelor’s degree program, where she graduated summa cum laude.
Laura has also held roles in several organisations, including co-chair of the CPR International Mediation Competition, events commissioner at the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association, and president of the Brazilian Association of Arbitration Students. She also regularly publishes and speaks on a range of topics including arbitration, dispute resolution, contracts, and commercial law. She speaks English, Portuguese, French, and Spanish.
Carmen, a partner in the Madrid office, has appeared as advocate in numerous investment treaty and commercial arbitrations. She has handled arbitrations under the rules of the major arbitral institutions and ad hoc across a variety of jurisdictions, with a particular focus on Latin America and Spain. Carmen also sits as arbitrator.
Carmen’s most recent experience as counsel includes:
- Representing Sacyr in its UNCITRAL investment arbitration against the Republic of Panama arising from the Expansion of the Panama Canal
- Representing the Republic of Chile in its ICSID arbitration with a Colombian construction and power distribution company under the Chile-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
- Representing a Latin-American oil & gas and petrochemical company in its UNCITRAL investment treaty dispute with Ecuador
- Representing a major wind power supplier in an ICC arbitration arising from the termination of a cross-licensing agreement relating to wind turbine technology
- Representing a Spanish bank in an ICC dispute against an American bank relating to post-acquisition claims under a business transfer agreement
- Advising a pharmaceutical company in a post-M&A LCIA dispute
Carmen is recognised in all major publications, including as a “Leading Individual” in The Legal 500 Latin America, with sources describing her as “one of the most impressive legal minds I have encountered”, a “truly gifted practitioner”, who “has worked on some of the biggest cases of all time”, delivers “in a friendly and folksy tone, a very persuasive oral argument and a devastating cross-examination”, “gets into the details while keeping a strategic mindset”, “understands problems very well in a global way”, “has a lot of availability for the client”, and “has certainly been building up a fantastic reputation” in the market for her work in both investment treaty and commercial arbitrations. She has also been described as a “brilliant arbitrator”.
Carmen is dual-qualified in civil law and common law, and regularly handles contentious work in English, Spanish, and French. She is admitted to the New York and Madrid Bars, and is a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales. Carmen holds law degrees from Columbia Law School, the College of Europe and the University of Murcia (Premio Nacional Fin de Carrera and Premio Extraordinario Fin de Carrera).
Carmen serves in a variety of leadership positions, including as the President of the British Chapter of the Spanish Arbitration Club (Club Español del Arbitraje), a member of the Arbitrator Appointment Committee of the Madrid Arbitration Court, and a team leader for the IBA Task Force for the Revision of the 2010 IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence. Carmen writes and speaks regularly on arbitration-related issues.
