Felipe González Arrieta
Biography
Felipe González Arrieta has more than 11 years of experience in international arbitration, representing clients in complex arbitrations related to construction, infrastructure, mining, oil and gas, corporate and general commercial disputes, pursuant to Bogotá Chamber of Commerce (BCC), ICC and ICDR rules.
He is recognized as a "Rising Star" in arbitration by the Legal 500 - Latin America 2022.
Felipe is listed as domestic and international arbitrator in the rosters of the Medellín Chamber of Commerce, the Cali Chamber of Commerce, and CEMARC in Argentina, and serves as tribunal secretary in international arbitrations.
He is a professor of arbitration and private law in undergraduate and postgraduate programs in different universities in Colombia, a member of the Colombian Arbitration Committee, a usual panelist in conferences and events in arbitration throughout Latin America, and an author of academic articles published in specialized journals and blogs in arbitration.
Felipe holds a law degree, with honors, from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia and an LL.M. in international business regulation, litigation and arbitration from New York University School of Law (NYU).
Practice Focus
Felipe focuses his practice in the representation of domestic and multinational corporations and state entities in international arbitrations arising out of disputes in the construction, infrastructure, mining, oil and gas and corporate industries. Such arbitrations have been conducted in English and Spanish, under several institutional rules such as the BCC, ICC and ICDR, and have had different seats such as New York, Paris, and Bogotá.
Likewise, Mr. González has been tribunal secretary and assistant to international tribunals and arbitrator in domestic arbitrations under different institutional rules.
Representative Legal Matters
Experience in Baker McKenzie
- Part of the team that represents two Colombian and a U.S. corporation in a multiparty international arbitration against two mining corporations, under ICC rules and with Bogotá, Colombia, as a seat, related to disputes arising out of service agreements in the mining industry. The language of the arbitration is English and the total amount in dispute is USD 180 million approximately.
Experience prior to Baker McKenzie
- Part of the team that represented a Spanish corporation in the construction industry in an international arbitration, under ICDR rules and seat in Medellín, Colombia, against a Colombian public entity. The disputes, valued in more than USD 10 million, arose out of a FIDIC Red Book contract.
- Part of the team that represented Colombia's largest refinery in an international arbitration, under ICC rules and seat in New York, United States, against the EPC contractor in a dispute arising out of the modernization of an oil refinery. The language of the arbitration was English and the disputes were valued in a total amount around USD 4.5 billion.
- Part of the team that represented two mining corporation in a multiparty international arbitration, under ICC rules and with Bogotá, Colombia as a seat. The language of the arbitration was English and the total disputes were worth around USD 1.5 billion.
- Part of the team that represented a Colombian-Venezuelan consortium in an international arbitration, with Bogotá, Colombia as a seat and under the rules of the BCC, against a German multinational corporation related to disputes, worth more than US $10 million, arising out of a sales and technical assistance agreement.
- Part of the team that represented Colombia's largest coal exporter in an international arbitration against a Spanish-Colombian consortium, under ICC Rules and with seat in Bogotá, Colombia, for disputes related to the construction of marine and onshore structures. The total value of the dispute exceeded US $100 million and the client requested additional representation in unsuccessful annulment proceedings and a constitutional writ initiated by the opposing party.
- Part of the team that represented Colombian and Venezuelan corporations in an arbitration, under the rules of the BCC, against Colombian corporation of the construction industry in disputes related to the stock sale in a corporation that was the operator of a highway in the Colombian Caribbean region.
- Secretary of an international arbitration tribunal, under the rules of the Barranquilla Chamber of Commerce and seated in Barranquilla, Colombia, between a Spanish corporation and a Colombian corporation, related to disputes arising out of a chartering agreement.
- Part of the team that represented a Peruvian investor in the pre-arbitration negotiations with a Latin American State aimed to prevent an investment arbitration under the ICSID Convention.
Professional Honors
- Recognized by The Legal 500 – Latin America 2022, as a “Rising Star” in arbitration, noting that: “Key associate support, particularly in relation to mining, construction and infrastructure cases, comes from Felipe González Arrieta; with over ten years' experience, he was recently listed as an arbitrator for both the Cali and Medellín Chambers' of Commerce.”
- Recognized by The Legal 500 – Latin America 2021, as a practitioner to note in international arbitration
- Honors for the undergraduate thesis named “Colombian BIT Model: a practical and legal study” (“El Modelo Colombiano de Acuerdo para la Promoción y Protección Recíproca de Inversiones: un estudio práctico y jurídico”)
- 2012 - 2013 Colfuturo Scholar.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Arbitration Centre of the Medellín Chamber of Commerce - listed as a domestic and international arbitrator
- Arbitration Centre of the Cali Chamber of Commerce - listed as a domestic and international arbitrator
- Arbitration Centre (CEMARC) of the Argentinian Chamber of Commerce - listed as an international arbitrator
- Colombian Arbitration Committee - Member
- Young ITA - Member
- ICC YAF - Member
Admissions
- Colombia (2011)
Education
- New York University (LLM International Business Regulation, Litigation and Arbitration) (2013)
- Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (J.D.) (2011)
Languages
- English
- Spanish