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.