President Obama To Appoint Two Additional Arnold & Porter Attorneys To Key ICSID Panel of Arbitrators
WASHINGTON, DC, December 21, 2015 -– President Barack Obama last week announced his intent to appoint Arnold & Porter LLP attorneys Paolo Di Rosa and Ambassador (ret.) David Huebner as members of the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). “The key Administration posts” mentioned in the White House press release entail six-year terms. Service on ICSID panels are of particular interest to the international arbitration community because ICSID is an autonomous international institution affiliated with the World Bank and is the world’s principal forum for investor-state arbitrations. The latest news follows the appointment of the firm’s Jean Kalicki to the ICSID panel of Arbitrators last year and Eli Whitney Debevoise II in 2011. Mr. Debevoise also sits on the ICSID Panel of Conciliators, along with Arnold & Porter’s José Antonio Rivas. A review of the ICSID roster indicates Arnold & Porter currently has more appointed members serving the organization’s panels than any other law firm.
Said President Barack Obama: “I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country. They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them.”
Mr. Di Rosa has served as head of Arnold & Porter’s International Arbitration practice since 2007 and after practicing for more than five years as a partner and counsel at two other Am Law 100 law firms. He served in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the Department of State from 1994 to 2002, including as the Assistant Legal Adviser responsible for the Western Hemisphere Affairs office. During his tenure at the Department of State, he was awarded a Superior Honor Award as well as a Meritorious Honor Award. Mr. Di Rosa received an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
The Hon. David Huebner is a member of the Arnold & Porter’s International Arbitration and Public International Law practices. Previously, he served as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and the Independent State of Samoa from 2009 to 2014. From 2005 to 2009, he worked in both the Shanghai and Los Angeles offices of a prominent West Coast firm and was the founding Managing Partner of its Shanghai office. Earlier in his career, Mr. Huebner held a number of legal roles from 1986 to 2005 and served as a Special Assistant in the Office of Koji Kakizawa, a member of the Japanese Diet (parliament), from 1984 to 1985. Mr. Huebner received an A.B. summa cum laude from Princeton University and a J.D. from Yale University. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, chaired the California Law Revision Commission under Governors Davis and Schwarzenegger, and teaches International Intellectual Property Law & Policy at UCLA School of Law.
Created through an international convention, ICSID resolves disputes arising under multilateral and bilateral investment treaties and free trade agreements, national investment promotion legislation and State investment contracts. There are currently 150 Contracting States, including the U.S., that have agreed to arbitrate their investment disputes before ICSID. The White House press release can be read by clicking on the following link: White House Press Release.