Overview
Fernando Labombarda is a senior associate in the International Arbitration practice atPaul Hastings in Paris. He represents companies, sovereign states and state-owned entities in commercial and investment arbitration, as well as related proceedings before domestic courts.
Fernando has experience in a wide range of industries, including construction and infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, retail and aviation, as well as in corporate, pre-and post-M&A transactions, financing instruments and shareholder disputes, with a particular focus in Latin America. He has acted in proceedings under the major arbitration rules, including ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL and LCIA, among others. Fernando also advises clients on ongoing projects and pre-dispute strategy as well as negotiations.
Fernando is regularly invited to speak on arbitration and is a visiting lecturer in arbitration at the University of Versailles Paris-Saclay (France) and Austral University (Argentina). He is also actively involved in pro bono matters.
Education
- International Arbitration, University of Versailles, Master 2
- International Business Law, University of Versailles, Master 1
- Universidad Austral, and University of California, Hastings, J.D.
Representations
- The employer, a French renewable energy company, in an ICC arbitration relating to the construction of a solar plant in Argentina.
- Grupos Unidos por el Canal and its European partners, Webuild, Sacyr and Jan de Nul, in multibillion dollar ICC disputes with the Panama Canal Authority regarding the construction of new locks at the Panama Canal.
- A Latin American state in annulment proceedings under the ICSID Rules in relation to an investment in the oil and gas sector.
- A Latin American state in an ICSID arbitration arising out of investments in the retail sector.
- Iraq Telecom in its successful ICC arbitration against Korek Telecom and others in claims for breach and corruption arising under a shareholders’ agreement. The a ward assessed damages in the amount of $ 1.65 billion.
- An international telecommunications company in a multibillion-dollar ICC arbitration regarding a shareholder’s dispute arising out of a joint-venture project in sub-Saharan Africa.
- The claimant, the main shareholder of a major retail company, in a post-M&A arbitration under the ICC Rules related to the effects of COVID-19 on the performance of a share purchase agreement worth over €5 billion.
- The respondent, a state entity, in a shareholder dispute under the LCIA Rules in connection with mining assets in sub-Saharan Africa.
- An Italian investor in ICSID proceedings against a Latin American state in connection with a multibillion-dollar construction project.
- The contractor, a French construction consortium, in ICC proceedings relating to a large construction project in Central America.
- The lenders in a LAMC arbitration relating to financing instruments in the telecommunications sector in the Middle East.
- The contractor, a Spanish-Japanese joint-venture, in an ICC arbitration arising from the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in a country in the Caribbean.
- The concessionaire, a German-Austrian joint-venture, in an UNCITRAL commercial arbitration arising from the termination of a concession agreement for the construction and operation of a wastewater treatment plant in Eastern Europe.
- The subcontractor in an ICC dispute against the main EPC contractor in relation to an oil refinery project in France.
- The employer in an ICC arbitration related to the development of a five-star hotel in the Middle East.
- The creditor-plaintiff in recognition proceedings before the French courts in relation to a $500 million foreign judgement rendered against a Middle Eastern state entity.
- A European construction consortium in an ICSID arbitration related to the construction of an urban highway in the Middle East.
*Experiences may have been handled prior to joining Paul Hastings.