According to one source, Adell & Merizalde ‘is becoming one of the most important boutiques in Latin America’. The firm concentrates exclusively on international arbitration from its platforms in Bogotá, Santo Domingo and Panama and its specialist focus pays dividends in an impressive client list, which includes corporate and state entities from across the region and beyond. Acclaimed as ’the next star of arbitration in Latin America’, Bogotá office head Juan Felipe Merizalde has acted on over 90 international arbitrations before many leading arbitral institutions. Among his recent cases, Merizalde acted as co-counsel, alongside Dechert, to the Republic of Colombia in an ICSID case launched by Glencore International, Prodeco and Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Nuevo concerning Puerto Nuevo’s operation of a coal port in Colombia. The group also draws on a capable second line of non-partners including Guatemala-qualified associate Sofía Galindo, who re-joined the firm in October 2023 following a stint at Latham & Watkins in Paris, and junior associate María José Monroy. Associate Juan Pablo Gómez Moreno left in 2024 to become an independent adviser.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘In my view, Adell & Merizalde is becoming one of the most important boutiques in Latin America. It is composed of top-notch professionals who do impeccable work. Its work is comparable to that of any US or European firm. My impression is that its product is better than that of its competitors.’
‘I feel that there is usually a quite relevant gap between the product produced by domestic firms and international firms. In the case of Adell & Merizalde I don't see that gap. The work they do is first class. I really liked working with Juan Felipe Merizalde.’
Key clients
- Republic of Costa Rica
- Republic of Colombia
Work highlights
- Advised Oleoducto Central (Ocensa) on the successful settlement of a $15m arbitration relating to the construction of Colombia’s largest monobuoy structure for the transportation of crude oil.
- Acted as co-counsel alongside Dechert, to the Republic of Colombia, in an ICSID case launched by Glencore International, Prodeco and Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Nuevo concerning Puerto Nuevo’s operation of a coal port in Colombia.