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Estefania Contreras

Estefanía Contreras

Associate
Baker & McKenzie S.A.S.

Biography

Estefanía Contreras is a member of Baker McKenzie Bogota's Dispute Resolution Practice Group, focusing on international arbitration. Estefanía obtained her law degree in 2014 from Universidad Externado de Colombia. Estefanía has an LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS) from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and the University of Geneva, where she obtained the MIDS Young ICCA scholarship.

Before joining Baker McKenzie, Estefanía worked in two law boutique firms in Colombia and, later, in a recognized law firm in the Iberian Peninsula in international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration. Estefanía has in-house experience in an international bank and in a Colombian state company. Currently, Estefanía is a lecturer in international litigation at the Universidad Externado de Colombia.

Practice Focus

Estefanía has experience in international arbitration in procedures mainly under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and in the Madrid Court of Arbitration (CAM). Estefanía is primarily focused on the construction and energy sectors.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advising a major Latinamerican company in public services in connection with a contractual dispute in an ICC international arbitration. 
  • Represented the claimant in an ICSID arbitration against the Republic of Peru arising out of a concession contract: Metro de Lima Línea 2 S.A. v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/3). 
  • Represented the investors in disputes against the Kingdom of Spain related to the renewable energy sector under the Energy Charter Treaty: RENERGY S.à r.l. v. Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/14/18), InfraRed Environmental Infrastructure GP Limited and others v. Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/14/12), JGC Corporation v. Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/27), and Itochu Corporation v. Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/18/25).
  • Represented a Brazilian company in an ICC arbitration against a leading aerospace corporation related to an agency contract.
  • Represented a major Spanish engineering and construction company in an ICC arbitration against a Balkan State entity related to a construction project.
  • Represented a leading Spanish engineering and construction company in an ICC arbitration against a southeastern European State entity related to a construction project.
  • Represented a Mexican company in an arbitration in the Corte de Arbitraje de Madrid against a Spanish company related to a shares purchase agreement.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Colombian Very Young Arbitration Practitioners (COLVYAP) coordinator
  • ICC Young Arbitration Forum
  • Young International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA)
  • Member of the Young ICCA programme (“2018-2019 Young ICCA Mentoring Programme”)
  • Club Español del Arbitraje
  • Club Español del Arbitraje - 40
  • Latin American Arbitration Practitioners

Education

  • Universidad de Nebrija (J.D.) (2019)
  • University of Geneva (LL.M.) (2016)
  • Universidad Externado de Colombia (J.D.) (2014)

Languages

  • English
  • Spanish

Publications

  • Author, "Recurso de anulación en el arbitraje de inversión". J.M Álvarez y M. Żenkiewicz (Eds), El Derecho Internacional de las Inversiones. Desarrollo actual de normas y principios. Universidad Externado de Colombia. Bogota, Colombia, 2021
  • Co-author (Contreras, E y Ruiz, V). "Capítulo 8. Otras fuentes del Derecho Internacional". R. Urueña, N. López y L. Galindo (Eds). Manual de Derecho Internacional Público, Bogota, Colombia: Universidad de los Andes (in edition process)

Events

  • Panelist, "Carreras en Arbitraje Internacional en Europa: Un café con amigos", COLVYAP, december 2020