Ms Claudia Benavides > Baker McKenzie S.A.S. > BOGOTÁ, D.C, Colombia > Lawyer Profile
Baker McKenzie S.A.S. Offices
CARRERA 11 NO. 79-35 PISO 9
6TH FLOOR
110221
Colombia
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Ms Claudia Benavides
Work Department
Dispute Resolution
Position
Partner
Career
Claudia is a partner at Baker McKenzie and since 2019, she is the Global Chair of the firm’s worldwide Dispute Resolution practice group. She has led the litigation and arbitration practice in Colombia since 2010, and in 2018 she went on to lead the practice in Latin America, and was later promoted to the global role. Claudia is a highly regarded expert in international arbitration, domestic arbitration and transnational litigation. She has more than 25 years of extensive experience representing clients in complex litigation and arbitration related to construction and infrastructure projects in various sectors, disputes arising from mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries, disputes related to distribution and brokerage agreements, and in general, disputes arising from contractual breaches.
Claudia has significant experience in complex litigation and arbitration involving construction and infrastructure projects, multi-million dollar share purchase agreements, mergers and acquisitions disputes, energy sector disputes, disputes relating to commercial agency, supply, distribution and other intermediation contracts, insurance contracts, transportation, unfair competition, insolvency and contractual breaches of various kinds.
Claudia has been repeatedly recognized by Chambers & Partners (Band 1) and The Legal 500 (Leading Lawyer & Hall of Fame) as a leading expert in dispute resolution. The prestigious publication Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration recognizes Claudia as a thought leader in this area, Benchmark Litigation highlighted her in the list ‘Top 25 Latam Women in Litigation’, Woman in Business Law Awards Americas recognized her as ‘Litigator of the Year’, and in 2023 Forbes recognized her as one of the 100 most powerful women in Colombia. The Legal 500 recently awarded Claudia as Lawyer of the Year 2024 in Colombia, selecting her among highly recognized lawyers practicing in different areas of law. Claudia has been involved in academia, is regularly invited as a panelist in important national and international congresses and is the author of several articles and book chapters related to her practice.
Rankings:
- Band 1, Individual Dispute Resolution Ranking, Chambers & Partners for several consecutive years.
- Hall of Fame and Leading Lawyer in Litigation, The Legal 500 for several consecutive years.
- Hall of Fame and Leading Lawyer in Arbitration, The Legal 500 for several consecutive years.
- Thought Leader, Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration for several consecutive years.
- Arbitration Powerlist Latin America, The Legal 500 for several consecutive years.
- Nominated by Chambers & Partners in Women in Law Awards: Lawyer of the Year in Colombia, 2018.
- Lawyer of the Year in Gender Diversity 2019 for Colombia, Chambers & Partners D&I.
- Litigator of the Year in 2021, Woman in Business Law Awards Americas.
- Lawyer of the Year in Arbitration in Colombia in 2021, Benchmark Litigation America.
- Acritas Stellar Performance Lawyers, 2021, Acritas Star Directory.
- Included in the list of the 100 Powerful Women in Colombia in 2023, Forbes Magazine.
- Lawyer of the Year in Colombia in 2024, The Legal 500.
Languages
Spanish - English
Memberships
- Global Chair of Baker McKenzie’s Dispute Resolution Group worldwide (2019-present).
- Chair of the ICC Colombia Arbitration and ADR Commission (2018-2019).
- Member of the Global Steering Committee of Baker McKenzie’s International Arbitration practice (2015-2018).
- Representative of the Latin American Regional Coordinating Committee for the Young Arbitrators Forum of the International Chamber of Commerce – ICC YAF (2014-2017).
- Member of the International Arbitration Group of Latin America of the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce).
- Member of the Arbitration and ADR Commission of ICC Colombia.
- Member of ALARB – Latin American Arbitration Association.
- Member of the Colombian Arbitration Committee.
- Member of the Colombian sub-committee for The Pledge – Equal Representation in Arbitration.
- Member of the Global Diversity and Inclusion Committee of Baker McKenzie.
Education
- London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom (LLM with merits) (2001)
- Universidad de los Andes, Colombia (Economist) (1999)
- Universidad de los Andes, Colombia (Lawyer) (1997)
Lawyer Rankings
Colombia > Dispute resolution > Arbitration
(Hall of Fame)Forming a key part of Baker McKenzie S.A.S.’s premier Colombian dispute resolution offering, the arbitration practice maintains an impressive record in representing leading local and multinational corporations in complex cases. Striking a balance between domestic and international arbitration work, the group has been particularly active in the latter sphere of late, where it has represented a string of global clients in commercial proceedings. High-profile department head Claudia Benavides
also sits as the global chair of the firm’s dispute resolution group and is particularly sought after for her high-level expertise in multi-jurisdictional litigation and international arbitration. The team also includes up-and-coming dispute resolution partner Cristina Mejia, who brings to bear significant in-house experience as the former head of the litigation department at Coca-Cola Femsa. Mejia is representing Schlumberger in a domestic arbitration initiated by a supplier to terminate a transportation contract. The group additionally benefits from a strong second line of associates, including dual-qualified (Colombia/New York) senior Daniela Páez Cala, who is particularly well versed in international arbitration cases; and Sebastian Quintero, also a senior, who covers a range of arbitration and litigation matters. The group was reinforced the arrival of a trio of new senior associates: rising star Felipe González Arrieta joined from Gómez-Pinzón Abogados (GPA) in June 2022; Ana Carolina Abreo arrived from Brigard Urrutia in June 2022; and Nicolas Rivera Montoya joined in January 2023 from energy company, Oleoducto Central. Former senior María Angélica Burgos left the firm in January 2023.
Colombia > Dispute resolution > Litigation
(Hall of Fame)The ‘strong and dynamic team’ at Baker McKenzie S.A.S. impresses with its capability in multi-jurisdictional judicial and arbitral disputes, where it is distinguished by its ability to plug into its enviable global platform. The practice’s high-quality service skills are also widely praised, with one source asserting: ‘lawyers support the firm-client relationship and are always contributing with their knowledge’. Go-to litigation specialist Claudia Benavides chairs the dispute resolution group, both domestically and globally, and stands out for her track record in cross-border litigation and international arbitration. Among Benavides’ recent cases, she is representing Humax Pharmaceutical and Farmatech in a constitutional action brought by an individual plaintiff for the protection of collective rights against Humax and Farmatech. Next-generation partner Cristina Mejia maintains a rapidly developing practice, which saw her recently represent HSBC, as indenture trustee of certain senior unsecured notes, in judicial bankruptcy proceedings initiated by the Transtel group of companies. The department also fields a sizeable team of talented senior associates, including Sebastian Quintero, who handles a mix of domestic and international disputes; Daniela Páez Cala, who has a strong international arbitration dimension to her practice; and Felipe González Arrieta, who also has a focus on international arbitration. Junior Isabella Mejía Sierra, who supports on a range of dispute resolution matters, is additionally singled out by clients. The firm recently strengthened its dispute resolution offering with the hire of two new senior associates: Ana Carolina Abreo joined in June 2022 from Brigard Urrutia; while Nicolas Rivera Montoya arrived in January 2023 from Oleoducto Central (OCENSA). Junior associate Juana Martínez Quintero departed in June 2022 to become head of regulatory affairs at Trafigura; and senior María Angélica Burgos left the firm in January 2023.
Lawyer Rankings
- Arbitration Colombia > Dispute resolution
- Hall of Fame Colombia > Dispute resolution > Litigation
- Hall of Fame Colombia > Dispute resolution > Arbitration
- Litigation Colombia > Dispute resolution
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > Arbitration
- Competition and antitrust
- Corporate and M&A
- Labour and employment
- Dispute resolution > Litigation
- Tax