Patricio Grané Labat has over 20 years of experience of international investor-State arbitration, commercial arbitration, international trade and public international law. He has represented over a dozen sovereign States, and many leading multinational corporations, in challenging and complex disputes across numerous geographies, sectors and subject matters. These include leading a number of high-profile and politically sensitive investment treaty cases.
Patricio has extensive experience representing both claimants and respondents in arbitral proceedings under all the major arbitral rules, institutions and treaties, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, SCC, NAFTA, and CAFTA-DR, as well as in ad hoc arbitrations under bilateral investment treaties. He has acted as counsel in approximately 50 investment arbitrations. He also acts as arbitrator, having been appointed by several sovereign States to the roster of arbitrators and panelists for the settlement of international trade and commercial disputes under BIT and multilateral treaties.
Patricio's expertise and accomplishments have led his peers and clients to recognise him as one of the world's leading specialists in public international law and commercial arbitration. He is listed as a "Leading Lawyer" in public international law by Legal 500 UK. Included in that category are a small number of practitioners who are identified as the elite of the profession, based on praise by their clients for their continued excellence. Patricio is also recognized in the 2019 Guide to the World's Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration, which is the international legal market's leading guide to the top practitioners in the field of commercial arbitration.
As a recipient of a number of recognitions from legal directories and industry commentators over the years, Patricio is described as "an exceptional lawyer" and an "exceptional advocate" known for his "excellent command of investment arbitration issues and proceedings." He has been praised for his "sharp legal mind", "mastery of the jurisprudence and the precision of his thinking and advocacy", "case management", "coherent and effective strategies" and recognised as being "very good in hearings and able to focus on the big picture," as well as being a "skilled and experienced lawyer who knows exactly what to expect and anticipates the required course of action."
Patricio is also widely acknowledged as one of the leading authorities in relation to Latin-American disputes. He has acted for the majority of States in the region and his background as a government official for a Latin American State means his exceptional insights in that area are highly sought after.
Patricio's Public International Law practice is broad. He has represented sovereign States in matters of state responsibility, treaty law, use of force, and international humanitarian law, as well as in judicial proceedings before European courts concerning jurisdictional immunities and diplomatic protection issues. He has participated in proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights and counselled individuals before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He also represents sovereign States and corporations in trade disputes under the WTO Agreements, and appears before WTO panels and the Appellate Body. He has also been a consultant to the United Nations on trade issues.
Patricio is a frequent speaker at key international conferences, seminars and workshops. He is affiliated with leading research institutions and is a partner fellow at the University of Cambridge Lauterpacht Centre for International Law. He was also an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Patricio holds an LLM from Georgetown University Law Center, obtained with distinction.
Patricio has multiple nationalities, reflecting his vast experience and varied cultural background. He speaks and conducts arbitrations fully in English and Spanish.
Experience
- Lupaka Gold Corp. v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/20/46)..
- Worth Capital Holdings 27 LLC v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/20/51).
- Carlos Rios and Francisco Javier Rios v. Republic of Chile (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/16).
- Kaloti Metals & Logistics, LLC v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/21/29).
- José Alejandro Hernández Contreras v. Republic of Costa Rica (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/20/2).
- Enagás SA y Enagás Internacional S.L.U. v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/18/26).
- Hydrika 1 S.A.C. and others v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/18/48).
- Panamericana Televisión S.A. et al. v. Republic of Peru (PCA Case No. 2019-26).
- Astrida Benita Carrizosa v. Republic of Colombia (ICSID Case No. ARB/18/5).
- Alberto Carrizosa and others v. Republic of Colombia (PCA Case No. 2018-56).
- Latam Hydro LLC and CH Mamacocha S.R.L. v. Republic of Peru (ICSID Case No. ARB/19/28).
- Odebrecht v. the Republic of Peru (investment treaty arbitration).
- Carlos Ríos and Francisco Ríos v. Republic of Chile (ICSID Case No. ARB/17/16).
- Diag Human SE and Josef Stava v. Czech Republic (ad hoc, investment treaty arbitration).
- Infinito Gold Ltd. v. Costa Rica (ICSID Case No. ARB/14/5).
- State General Reserve Fund of the Sultanate of Oman v. Republic of Bulgaria (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/4).
- A large State-owned enterprise based in Beijing, China, in a potential investment treaty arbitration against an Eastern European sovereign State concerning solar tariffs valued at EUR 450 million.
- Supervision y Control S.A. v. Republic of Costa Rica (ICSID Case No. ARB/12/4).
- Owens-Illinois Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/25).
- Owens-Illinois Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Annulment proceeding (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/25).
- Fábrica de Vidrios Los Andes and Owens-Illinois de Venezuela v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/12/21).
- EDF International S.A., SAUR International S.A. y León Participaciones Argentinas S.A. c. República Argentina (ICSID Case No. ARB/03/23).
- Compañía de Aguas del Aconquija S.A. and Vivendi Universal v. Argentine Republic (ARB/97/3).
- Alasdair Ross Anderson et al v. the Republic of Costa Rica (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/07/3).
- PL Holdings S.A R.L. v. Republic of Poland (SCC Arbitration V 2014/163).
- Alapli Elektrik B.V. v. Republic of Turkey (ICSID Case No. ARB/08/13).
- Vigotop Limited v. Hungary (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/22).
- Duke Energy International Peru Investments No. 1, Ltd. v. Republic of Peru (ARB/03/28).
- ADM and Tate & Lyle v. United Mexican States (ARB(AF)/05/05).
- Marion Unglaube v. the Republic of Costa Rica (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/08/1).
- Quadrant Pacific Growth Fund L.P. and Canasco Holdings Inc. v. the Republic of Costa Rica (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/08/1).
- Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) c. República de Guatemala (ICSID Case No. ARB/07/23).
- Nations Energy, Inc. y otros c. República de Panamá (ICSID Case No. ARB/06/19).
- AbitibiBowater Inc. v. Canada (ICSID Case No. UNCT/10/1).
- Concesionaria Dominicana de Autopistas y Carreteras, S.A. c. La República Dominicana (ICC Case No. 15689/JRF).
- Flughafen Zurich A.G. y Gestión e Ingeniería IDC S.A. c. República Bolivariana de Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/10/19).
- Crystallex International Corporation v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/11/2).
- Highbury International AVV and Ramstein Trading Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/1).
- Longreef Investments A.V.V. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB/11/5).
- Northrop Grummann Ship Systems (NGSS) v. Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Venezuela (Arbitration).
- Vannessa Ventures v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/04/6).
- Supervisión y Control S.A. v. the Republic of Costa Rica (ICSID Case No. ARB/12/04).
- Mercer International Inc. v. Canada (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/12/3).
Perspectives
Recognition
Public International Law (2023)
International Arbitration (2023)
Credentials
- LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center, 2001, with distinction
- J.D. Equivalent, University of Costa Rica Law School, 1996
- B.A., Law, University of Costa Rica Law School, 1995
- Registered Foreign Lawyer, England & Wales
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Costa Rica
- Counselor (trade diplomat), Permanent Mission of Republic of Costa Rica to the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland
- Appointed by the Chamber of Commerce of Lima (Peru) to the roster of international arbitrators of the Chamber's Arbitration Centre
- Appointed by the Parties to the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) to the roster of panelists for the settlement of disputes under Chapter 20 of CAFTA-DR
- Appointed by the Governments of Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras to the roster of arbitrators for the resolution of trade disputes arising under the Central American economic integration agreements
- Appointed by the Government of Costa Rica to the list of arbitrators for the resolution of trade and investment disputes arising under treaties of which Costa Rica is a party
- Named to the list of international arbitrators of the Arbitration Center of the American Chamber of Commerce in Peru (AmCham Peru)
- Former Chair of the Public International and Criminal Law Committee of the DC Bar’s International Law Section
- Former member of the Board of Directors of the New York and Washington, DC Chapters of Club Español de Arbitraje
- Fellow of the Institute of International Economic Law, GULC
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center (Spring 2008-2013)
- Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (Fall Semester of 2002, 2003)
- Research Assistant to Professor John H. Jackson, Georgetown University Law Center (200-2001)
- Spanish