Jean-Paul Dechamps

Jean Paul is the firm’s global head and has close to 20 years’ experience representing private investors, States and State agencies in investment and commercial disputes all over the world. He has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal 2021 and 2022 as a “Global Leader” in international arbitration and has been ranked in the “International Arbitration – International Counsel” section of the Chambers Latin America Guide 2023.

Educated in the civil law and common law systems, Jean Paul has been involved as arbitrator and counsel in over 40 international arbitrations under the rules of the ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL, LCIA and CEMA, with a particular focus in the mining, electricity and hydrocarbon sectors.

He started his career in 2002 in the disputes group of a full-service firm in Buenos Aires. In 2005 and 2006 he worked in the litigation department of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, in London. Between 2007 and 2017, he worked in the international arbitration group of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, spending time in the Paris, Washington D.C. and London offices. He left Freshfields in 2017 to set up Dechamps International Law.

Jean Paul maintains an active academic activity in the field of international arbitration. He currently teaches, together with Constantine Partasides (Three Crowns LLP) the Seminar on International Arbitration to the students of the Master of Law at the London School of Economics. He is also a visiting professor at the Austral University (Buenos Aires) where he teaches a Practical Seminar on International Arbitration. Jean Paul also delivers the Workshop on Examination of Witnesses for the Degree in Law & Bachelor in Global Governance students at ESADE University in Barcelona. He is a member of the Editorial Committee of the Latin American Journal of International Commercial Law, edited by the Faculty of Law of the Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM).

• Representing South32 SA Investments Limited in an ICSID arbitration against Colombia (ICSID Case No. ARB/20/9) under the Colombia-United Kingdom BIT. Claim related to measures taken by various administrative and judicial entities in Colombia that affected the claimant’s investments in a mining project. The amount in dispute is over US$300 million. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing The Lopez-Goyne Family Trust and others in an ICSID arbitration against Nicaragua (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/44) under the DR-CAFTA. Claim related to measures taken by Nicaragua that affected the claimants’ rights under an oil concession agreement. The amount in dispute is confidential. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing Latin American Regional Aviation Holding S. de R.L. in an ICSID arbitration against Uruguay (ICSID Case No. ARB/19/16) under the Panama-Uruguay BIT. Claim related to measures taken by Uruguay that affected the claimant’s investment in Pluna Líneas Aéreas Uruguayas S.A., a local airline. The amount in dispute is over US$800 million. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing Serafín García Armas and Karina García Gruber in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela (PCA Case No. 2013-3) under the Spain-Venezuela BIT. Claim related to measures taken by Venezuela that affected the claimants’ investments in the food distribution sector. The arbitral tribunal rendered an award of around US$360 million in favour of the investors.
• Representing Dick Fernando Abanto Ishivata in an ICSID arbitration against Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/18/6) under the Peru-Venezuela BIT. Claim related to measures taken by Venezuela that affected the claimant’s internet businesses. The amount in dispute is over US$180 million. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing Fernando Fraiz Trapote in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela (PCA Case No. 2019-11) under the Spain-Venezuela BIT. Claim related to measures taken by Venezuela that affected the claimant’s investments in the telecommunications, advertising, real estate and education sectors.
• Representing Diamante Trading Investments Ltd. and others in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela (PCA Case No. 2019-49) under the Barbados-Venezuela and Spain-Venezuela BITs. Claim related to measures taken by Venezuela that affected the claimants’ investments in the food distribution sector. The amount in dispute is over US$100 million. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing Romania in an ICSID arbitration initiated by Fin.Doc S.r.l. and others (ICSID Case No. ARB/20/35) under the Energy Charter Treaty. Claim related to measures allegedly taken by Romania in the renewable energy sector. The amount in dispute is confidential. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing Romania in an ICSID arbitration initiated by Clara Petroleum Ltd. (ICSID Case No. ARB/22/10) under the Energy Charter Treaty. Claim related to measures allegedly taken by Romania in the oil and gas sector. The amount in dispute is confidential. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing an Argentine State-owned entity in an ICC arbitration against a German company concerning disputes related to a contract for the sale of uranium (Swiss law). The amount in dispute was over US$65 million. The arbitral tribunal ruled in favour of our client in the jurisdictional stage and all claims against our client were dismissed with full costs.
• Representing a Chilean mining company in an ICC arbitration against a French multinational in its claim concerning a post-closing dispute related to the sale of a subsidiary in the copper sector (New York law). The amount in dispute was over US$75 million. The dispute was successfully settled.
• Representing a Chilean shipping company in an arbitration under the LCIA Rules against its Greek partner concerning disputes related to the terms of a performance guarantee (English law). The amount in dispute was over US$130 million. The dispute was successfully settled.
• Representing a Hong Kong company in eight parallel ICC arbitrations against a Latin American State-owned oil company concerning disputes related to the breach of several international sales contracts (Dutch law). The amount in dispute is approximately US$50 million. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing Deutsche Lufthansa AG in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela (PCA Case No. 2022-03) under the Germany-Venezuela BIT. Claim related to measures taken by Venezuela which affected the company’s investments in the airline industry. The amount in dispute is over US$280 million. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing Yoram Moussaieff in an ICSID arbitration against Panama (ICSID Case No. ARB/22/26) under the United States-Panama BIT. Claim related to measures taken by Panama that affected the claimant’s investments in the energy sector. The amount in dispute is confidential.
• Representing a group of Spanish investors in an UNCITRAL arbitration against Venezuela under the Spain-Venezuela BIT. Claim related to measures taken by Venezuela which affected the claimants’ investments in the dairy production and distribution sector. The amount in dispute is confidential. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing a British Virgin Islands company in an arbitration under the AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules concerning a derivative suit between the shareholders of the company. The arbitration is ongoing.

• A Guide to the ICSID Additional Facility Arbitration Rules, Oxford University Press, forthcoming in 2022, co-authored with Caroline Richard.
• The Global Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Commercial Dispute Resolution (Argentina), International Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution International Journal, May 2021, co-authored with Florencia Wajnman.
• Fair and Equitable Treatment under BITs with Argentina, Arbitration in Argentina, Wolters Kluwer, 2021, co-authored with Pablo Jaroslavsky.
• Nuevos desarrollos financieros en el Arbitraje Internacional, abogados.com.ar, March 2017.
• Mid-year review 2016—arbitration developments in Brazil, Lexis Nexis PSL Analysis, June 2016.
• ARGENTINA: Appeal court rules on enforcement of ICSID awards, Global Arbitration Review, August 2015.
• Civil and commercial code reform in Argentina, Lexis Nexis PSL Analysis, August 2015.
• La Multilateralización del Acuerdo Arbitral, El Acuerdo Arbitral, Grupo Editorial Ibañez, 2011, co–authored with Nigel Blackaby.
• Arbitrabilidad de Diferencias no Contractuales, Estudio de la Convención de Nueva York con Motivo de su 50º Aniversario; Abeledo–Perrot, 2008, collaboration with Nigel Blackaby.