Álvaro Martínez is an associate at Wordstone Dispute Resolution, specializing both in investor-State and commercial arbitration. Álvaro has experience acting in proceedings under ICSID, ICC, and UNCITRAL rules, in disputes in the construction, oil, energy, and mining industries. He has special experience defending States and State-owned entities.

Prior to joining Wordstone Dispute Resolution, Álvaro worked in the international arbitration teams of Adell & Merizalde in Bogotá, Colombia and AVL in Quito, Ecuador.

Álvaro is an active member of the arbitration community. He has participated in several international arbitration competitions. In 2024, he won first place in the International Arbitration Competition organized by the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Rosario.

• Representing the Republic of Ecuador in the PCA-UNCITRAL arbitration “Chevron Corporation and Texaco Petroleum Company v. Ecuador” (PCA Case No. 2009-23) concerning Chevron and Texaco’s application not to enforce an Ecuadorian decision ordering them to pay USD 18 billion for environmental damage.
• Representing a South American State Entity in a commercial arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules arising from a project for the development and implementation of a customized enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
• Representing the Republic of Ecuador and its National Mining Company (Enami EP) against a Chilean company in an ICC arbitration arising out of a copper mining project.
• Representing a South American State in a commercial arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules arising from alleged breaches of a participation agreement for the exploration and exploitation of crude oil, an exploitation operational agreement and their amendments.
• Representing a State Entity of a South American state in an ad hoc arbitration related to the expansion and conversion project of a high-capacity road. Over US$75 million in dispute.
• Representing a Central American company in an ICC arbitration seated in Houston, Texas, against several respondents in relation to a large photovoltaic energy project in the Dominican Republic.

University San Francisco de Quito, Bachelor in Law, 2025

Quito

• The Receptum Arbitri Contract: The Elephant in the Room. Ecuadorian Arbitration Journal No. 14, pp. 121-148, January 2024 (co-authored with Mila Farina C.).
• On the Nature of the Indivisibility of Obligations. USFQ Law Review Vol. X, No. 2, pp. 275-289, October 2023.

Spanish and English

• Winner of the National Arbitration Essay Competition, organized by the Ecuadorian Institute of Arbitration, 2024.
• Winner of the International Arbitration Competition organized by the University of Buenos Aires and the University of Rosario, 2024.