Originally from Investment Treaty Arbitration and International Law - Volume 6

MODERATOR PROFAIZER: Two notes before I begin. First, we have a truly--albeit I’m a little biased--powerhouse panel with us today. But before any one of them says a word, I want to reemphasize the understanding that the Chatham House rules apply; nobody’s stated views on these panels extend to his or her clients, to his or her law firm, or even to him or herself. This way, we can provoke the most productive long-term discussion, consistent with practitioners, academics, and others who are interested in the development of the international legal system.

Second, I want to note that our authors today, Mr. Philippe Charest-Beaudry and Mr. José Antonio Rivas, kindly stepped in at the last minute. Their papers are a little shorter than some others, but they are nonetheless thought-provoking, and we owe them a great gratitude in stepping up to the plate on short notice.

Mr. Philippe is an associate with Fasken Martineau in Montreal, Canada. He practices primarily in the areas of international arbitration and international commercial litigation, and he served as an advocate in several large, very interesting arbitrations before ICSID and ICC.

Mr. José Antonio Rivas is a unique individual on the stage for a number of reasons. He is currently a foreign attorney at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. He is qualified in not only the District of Columbia but also the Republic of Colombia, where he served—and I think we’re all looking forward to his insight--as the Foreign Investment Director of the Ministry of Trade and as Colombia’s head negotiator of over a dozen international investment agreements, including bilateral investment treaties as well as investment chapters of free trade agreements. He’s a former counsel at ICSID. In 2005, he received his S.J.D. from Georgetown, where he’s now an adjunct professor.