Ms Jennifer Haworth McCandless > Baker Botts L.L.P. > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

Baker Botts L.L.P. Offices

Baker Botts L.L.P.
700 K Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001-5692
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
United States
Visit website 1 202 639 7700 1 202 639 7890

Ms Jennifer Haworth McCandless

Jennifer Haworth McCandless photo
+1 202 639 1311 [email protected] View profile

Work Department

Litigation / International Disputes

Position

Partner

Career

Jennifer Haworth McCandless is an international disputes partner and serves as legal counsel in complex, high-stakes international arbitration cases, focusing, in particular, on investor-state arbitration. She has successfully advised and represented both private sector investors (the claimants) and sovereigns (the respondents) in international arbitral proceedings concerning more than US $59 billion in claims before ICSID and its Additional Facility, the ICC, and other arbitral institutions around the world. She has also handled international commercial arbitrations, often involving state or state-owned entities. Her cases span the full range of economic sectors, including electricity, mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, real estate development, and financial services, and cover the globe, with a particular emphasis on the Americas. She has also advised and represented private parties and governments in WTO disputes. In addition, she counsels clients on the implications of investment rules for their global operations.

Jennifer has worked for nearly 25 years in international arbitration, with a focus on investor-state arbitration. After interning at the US Trade Representative’s Office in Washington, D.C. and in Geneva, Switzerland and clerking at the US Court of International Trade in New York, Jennifer joined the international trade and dispute settlement practice group at a US-based law firm in Washington, D.C. She moved with that group to Sidley Austin in 2001 focusing on international arbitration and WTO dispute settlement. While at Sidley, Jennifer served as a member of the Investment Subcommittee of the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy Regarding the U.S. Model Bilateral Investment Treaty in 2009. She moved with a Spanish-speaking team from Sidley to Baker Botts in 2023.

Memberships

District of Columbia Bar; State Bar of California; American Society of International Law; American Bar Association, International Law Section; ArbitralWomen; London Court of International Arbitration; International Council for Commercial Arbitration; International Bar Association

Education

J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law 1997

M.A.L.D., Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University 1997

Master of Education, Harvard University 1992

B.A., Whitman College 1988

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Dispute resolution > International arbitration

Primarily recognized for its strength in energy—primarily oil and gas—disputes, Baker Botts L.L.P.’s international arbitration group additionally shines in IP, construction, joint venture and general contractual cases. The firm’s continued investment in diversifying its practice was recently evidenced by the hire of two lawyers into its Washington DC office: seasoned investor-state specialist Jennifer Haworth McCandless and special counsel María Carolina Durán both joined from Sidley Austin LLP. The national department includes key names such as Houston-based senior counsel Michael Goldberg, who is a disputes veteran, and New York-based global practice co-head Andrew Behrman, who plays a lead role in many of the department’s most high-profile cases. Also recommended are New York-based special counsel Edward Schorr, who is sought after for energy disputes; and energy and TMT-focused Vern Cassin, whose practice is split between New York and Washington DC.

Latin America: International firms > International arbitration

(Leading partners)

Jennifer Haworth McCandless – Baker Botts L.L.P.

Baker Botts L.L.P. cemented its position in the international arbitration field by hiring Jennifer Haworth McCandless and special counsel María Carolina Durán, ‘two of the best lawyers in the field‘, along with a broader Washington DC-based team from Sidley Austin LLP in 2023. Featuring a number of native and fluent Spanish speakers, the new group brings further credibility – particularly as regards investor-state arbitration; current mandates include the ongoing representation of the Republic of Peru in a series of ICSID and other arbitrations; the team has also acted for a number of other Latin American states. Beyond sovereign governments, the firm represents a range of investors and Latin American corporates. The practice continues to be recognised for energy and infrastructure disputes, with further growth in technology, mining, ESG and energy transition cases. The wider Latin America-focused department is largely spread across  the firm’s Washington DC, New York and London offices, the latter housing key partner Alejandro Escobar (‘an outstanding lawyer who works to the highest standards‘) is located. London senior associate Ernesto Féliz De Jesús (‘critical thinking and assertiveness in understanding aspects of technical complexity‘) specialises in Latin America cases, including public international law matters, and commercial and construction arbitration.

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