Arbitration; Banking and financial services; Civil fraud and asset tracing; Commodities and international trade; Company law; Energy and infrastructure; Jurisdiction, conflicts and enforcement; Public international law; Shipping; Technology, media and telecoms
Manuel is developing a broad practice across all of Chambers’ areas of expertise, including general commercial law, international arbitration and public international law.
He comes to the Bar with almost ten years of legal experience. Before joining Chambers, Manuel spent four years at WilmerHale in London, first as senior associate and then as counsel, where he specialised in international arbitration (investment treaty and commercial) and public international law. Prior to that, he worked as a judicial fellow (judicial assistant) at the International Court of Justice, in The Hague. Manuel initially qualified as a lawyer in Venezuela, where he practised commercial and public law litigation for several years.
Manuel has acted or advised in matters in more than 20 different jurisdictions (including the United States, Russia, and a good part of Latin America), in four different languages. Manuel enjoys working as sole counsel or as part of a team. His experience working across a variety of legal cultures helps him bring a practical, team-oriented approach to his cases.
He has been recognised by Who’s Who Legal as a ‘Future Leader in International Arbitration’ for several years and was included by the The Legal 500 in the 2022 ‘Arbitration Powerlist’.
Additionally, Manuel is committed to pro bono work, with a particular emphasis on migratory issues and freedom of expression. Manuel worked as a volunteer in the Colombian-Venezuelan border and has acted in freedom of expression cases before the European Court of Human Rights.
Manuel studied law at UCAB Law School in Caracas and at Yale Law School in New Haven, where he is completing a doctorate in international law.
Spanish (native); Portuguese (fluent); French (proficient)