Jean-Paul Dechamps

Jean Paul is the firm’s Global Head and has over 20 years’ experience representing private investors, States and State agencies in investment and commercial disputes all over the world. He has been recognized as a “Global Leader” in international arbitration by Who’s Who Legal since 2021 and has been listed in the “45 under 45” ranking of Global Arbitration Review which identifies the 45 most prominent arbitration practitioners under the age of 45 around the globe. He is ranked in the Chambers Latin America Guide 2023 and has been recognized as a “next generation partner” by The Legal 500.

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 energy sectors. He is a solicitor of England and Wales and is also qualified as an attorney in New York and Buenos Aires.

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. In 2017 he founded Dechamps International Law.

Jean Paul maintains an active academic activity in the field of international arbitration. He currently teaches, the Seminar on the Practice of International Arbitration to the students of the Master of Law at King’s College London. He is also a visiting professor at the Austral University (Buenos Aires) where he teaches a Practical Seminar on International Arbitration. Jean Paul also teaches 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 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 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 arbitral tribunal rendered an award in favour of our client, including legal costs
• 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 arbitral tribunal upheld our client’s claims in their entirety and awarded them an amount in excess of US$100 million, including legal costs.
• Representing Latin American Regional Aviation Holding S. de R.L. in an ICSID arbitration against Uruguay (ICSID Case No. ARB/19/16) under the Panama-Uruguay BIT. Claim related to measures taken by Uruguay that affected the claimant’s investment in Pluna Líneas Aéreas Uruguayas S.A., a local airline. The arbitral tribunal rendered an award in favour of our client for over US$ 50 million.
• Representing Dioxitek S.A. 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 legal costs.
• Representing a Guatemalan conglomerate in an arbitration under the LCIA Rules against a US energy company in a dispute related to the terms of a deposit contract (English law). The amount in dispute is confidential. 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 over US$360 million in favour of the investors, including full legal costs.
• 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 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 taken by Romania in the oil and gas sector. The amount in dispute is confidential. The arbitration is ongoing.
• Representing a Panamanian company in two 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 arbitral tribunal upheld our client’s claims in their entirety and awarded them an amount in excess of US$60 million, including legal costs.
• 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 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 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 María de la Concepción Felipe Velázquez and others 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 major European nuclear power plant constructor in an ICC arbitration against its European partners arising out of the termination of an EPC contract for the construction of a nuclear energy plant in a northern European state. The arbitration is ongoing. The amount in dispute is confidential.
• Representing a group of Argentine companies in two parallel ICC arbitrations against their contractors arising out of the termination of EPC contracts for photovoltaic projects in Argentina. The arbitrations are ongoing. The amount in dispute is confidential.
• Representing a Spanish energy group in an ICC arbitration against a Chilean company arising out of the termination of an EPC contract for a photovoltaic project in Chile (Chilean law). The arbitration is ongoing. The amount in dispute is confidential.
• Representing a Qatari consulting company in an ICC arbitration against a Qatari construction company concerning disputes related to a consulting contract (Qatari law). The arbitral tribunal rendered an award in favour of our client, including full legal costs. The award is confidential.
• 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.
• Representing a Guatemalan company in two parallel LCIA arbitrations initiated by a US company in relation to disputes concerning the performance of contracts related to the sale of refined petroleum products and their storage (English law). The amount in dispute is confidential. The arbitrations were successfully settled.

• A Guide to the ICSID Additional Facility Arbitration Rules, Oxford University Press, forthcoming, co-authored with Caroline Richard.
• Insolvency and Investment Arbitration: Procedural issues, IBA Report on Insolvency and Investment Arbitration, forthcoming, co-authored with Horacio Risso.
• 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.