José-Manuel García Represa is a founding partner at Wordstone, specializing in international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration in proceedings under the major institutional rules including UNCITRAL, ICSID, ICC, among others.

José-Manuel’s practice focuses on disputes relating to Latin America, Europe and Africa. He regularly represents clients in arbitrations involving concession contracts, hydrocarbons, engineering and construction, the generation and distribution of electric power (both renewable and conventional), mining, and industrial facilities. He also regularly acts as an arbitrator.

Consistently recognised as one of the market’s leading international arbitration experts, José-Manuel maintains strong rankings in the global Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 directories. He is consistently recognized in the Chambers Europe, Global and Latin America Guides for his international arbitration expertise, and a client highlights that José-Manuel is “absolutely fantastic to work with; he is diligent and respects timelines. He provides us with excellent work products.” Furthermore, Chambers notes his active role “across the oil and gas, energy and telecommunications sectors” and that he “regularly acts for sovereigns and private investors on investor-state cases across Latin America”. In The Legal 500 Guide, José-Manuel is ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ for international arbitration, with the directory praising him as a “stellar practitioner”, an “excellent cross-examiner” with strong “experience in economics and calculations”. The Who’s Who Legal Guide recognizes José-Manuel as a Thought Leader for arbitration and he is also Recommended in the Who’s Who Legal Mining and Construction Guides. He is described as an “outstanding advocate” and “simply the best lawyer of his generation”. José-Manuel has also recently been featured in the GAR 45 under 45 2023 directory.

In 2018, José-Manuel was appointed as a member of the ICC Working Group on Climate Change Arbitrations and presently sits as Chair of the Spanish Arbitration Club (CEA) in France.

José-Manuel teaches Damages at Sciences Po Law School (LL.M. in Transnational Arbitration and Dispute Settlement), the specialization course on disputes in the energy and mining sectors (Energy & Mining Disputes II) at the LL.M. A.W.Ar.D.S (Assas World Arbitration and Disputes Settlement) of the University Paris II – Panthéon Assas, and Witness & Expert Cross-Examination at the Swiss Arbitration Academy.

“José-Manuel is one of the lawyers that I admire the most in Paris. I must admit that he is excellent – extremely dedicated and able to work in three languages at the same time. He also knows very well both the common law and civil law systems.” – Chambers Global 2024

“José-Manuel García Represa is absolutely fantastic to work with; he is diligent and respects timelines. He provides us with excellent work products.” – Chambers Global 2024

“He is extremely competent. He is an incredibly mature person with tremendous expertise and experience behind him.” – Chambers Global 2024

“José-Manuel García Represa of Wordstone Dispute Resolution regularly acts for sovereigns and private investors on investor-state cases across Latin America.” – Chambers Latin America 2024

“José-Manuel García Represa… focuses on investment arbitrations, often acting in cases with Latin American elements. He is active across the oil and gas, energy and telecommunications sectors.” – Chambers Global 2024

“His intellectual capacities are extraordinary, and he is able to handle the most difficult issues in international arbitrations.” – Chambers Latin America 2023

“He has a very comprehensive approach of the cases he handles and this is because he knows his cases in depth. You can feel it at the hearings, he has both a legal and strategic vision of the cases.” – Chambers France 2021

“An experienced figure” – The Legal 500

“José-Manuel has a lot of experience in economics and calculations.” – The Legal 500

An “excellent cross-examiner” – The Legal 500

“José-Manuel is an outstanding advocate” – Who’s Who Legal

“He is simply the best lawyer of his generation” – Who’s Who Legal

“He is a really strong cross-examiner” – Who’s Who Legal

• Representing a French engineering and construction company in an ICC arbitration with a Central American State entity related to the construction of a hydroelectric power generation plant.
• Representing an Argentinean construction group against the Republic of Peru in an ICSID arbitration arising out of the alleged wrongful termination of a highway construction and concession contract.
• Representing a group of Costa Rican and Dutch investors in a dispute against Panama relating to a hotel development.
• Representing Colombian investors against the Republic of Chile relating to investments in the transportation industry.
• Representing Interconexión, a large power transmission company, against the Republic of Chile, in an ICSID arbitration under the Free Trade Agreement Colombia – Chile, relating to the construction and operation of a power line and the imposition of fines by the State.
• Representing the Republic of Ecuador in several investment arbitration with foreign oil & gas, mining and telecommunications companies.
• Representing the Plurinational State of Bolivia in several investment disputes arising from nationalizations and other measures in the mining, telecommunications, airports, and oil & gas sectors.
• Representing the Republic of Colombia in various investment disputes.
• Representing the Republic of Guatemala in a PCA-UNCITRAL arbitration arising from the investor’s non-compliance with local income tax regulations and the ensuing tax investigations.
• Representing the Republic of Poland in two parallel PCA-UNCITRAL arbitrations arising out of the alleged loss of the claimants’ investments in coal mines.
• Representing the Argentine Republic in an ICSID arbitration arising out of tariff regulations for electricity generation and distribution.
• Representing the Arab Republic of Egypt against 13 Kuwaiti claimants in an ICSID arbitration arising from a project to develop desert land for urban and agricultural use.
• Represented an American bank’s Spanish subsidiary against a Spanish bank in an ICC arbitration arising from a Business Transfer Agreement.
• Represented a concessionaire company against the Republic of Peru in a dispute arising from the breach of a concession contract for the construction and operation of toll highway.
• Represented a French leader in the engineering and building sectors against a Qatar company in an ICC arbitration arising from contracts for the design and engineering of two major expressways in the Middle East.
• Represented Guatemala’s largest solar power generating company against Guatemala’s manpower distribution company in an ICC arbitration arising from the breach of two PPAs for solar plants.
• Represented a leading container shipping company against the operator of a container terminal in Northern African in an ICC arbitration arising from a joint venture for the exploitation of a container terminal.
• Represented a BVI telecommunications company and South Sudanese telecommunications company against an African State in an ICC arbitration arising from the termination of their operating license.
• Represented the Spanish subsidiary of a multinational electric equipment supplier against a Spanish electric utility company in an ICC arbitration arising from alleged defects in equipment installed at a nuclear plan.
• Represented the Algeria-based joint-venture of three major oil & gas companies against a Lebanese and Algerian construction JV in a dispute arising from delays and costs related to the construction of the base camp of a gas field.
• Represented a French pharmaceutical group against a Swiss pharmaceutical company in several ICC arbitrations arising from a product distribution licensing agreement.
• Represented a Spanish construction group in a dispute against a large French construction group relating to the termination of sub-contracts for the construction of a major hospital in France.
• Represented a Spanish construction group in a dispute involving various FIDIC-type contracts for the construction of a nuclear experimental site in France.
• Represented a major Spanish oil and gas company in a commercial dispute against a UAE company arising out of an alleged service contracts in the North-African area.
• Represented the Paraguayan State national oil company (Petropar) against PDVSA in an ICC arbitration arising out of Petrobar’s alleged failure to comply with a cooperation agreement for hydrocarbons supply.
• Represented a South American Autonomous Municipal Government in an ICC arbitration (and the priori emergency arbitrator proceedings) commenced by a Spanish Consortium, related to the construction of a tramway line.
• Represented a Central American State entity in two ICC arbitrations related to various contracts for electricity generation.
• Represented a Central American State against a Spanish investor in an ICC arbitration related to the construction and operation of a 100 MW wind farm.
• Represented a European State in an ICC arbitration arising from the construction of a bridge between Bulgaria and Romania.
• Represented a Latin American State in an ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules arising from alleged breaches and termination of a contract for implementing and developing a new resource planning software to administer the national budget.
• Represented an Ecuadorian national oil company in three ad hoc arbitrations related to the production of crude through secondary and tertiary recovery techniques.
• Represented 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.
• Represented a Bolivian State entity against an Indian company in an ICC arbitration arising out of a contract for the joint exploitation of an iron ore mining concession.
• Represented two Bulgarian construction companies against their Consortium partner, an Italian construction company, in an ICC arbitration arising from a major highway design and construction project in Bulgaria.

Columbia University – LL.M., 2003, Fulbright Scholar

University of Paris I – Sorbonne, Master in International Business Law, 2001, La Caixa Scholar

Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Bachelor in Law, 2000

University of Paris I – Sorbonne, Bachelor of Law, 2000

Madrid, Paris and New York

Spanish, English and French

• Book chapter “Convencer y dejarse convencer. ¿Por qué un argumento funciona ante un tribunal arbitral internacional?”, Libro homenaje a Miguel Ángel Fernández-Ballesteros (2024)
• Coordinator of the “Panorama de jurisprudencia francesa”, Revista del Club Español e Iberoamericano de Arbitraje/Iurgium (2021-2024)
• Book chapter “Effectiveness of compliance in environment and human rights: appropriate reparations: corrective actions, affectation of proceeds and rehabilitation over time”, Navigating the New Contents of International Public Policy – Compliance in Environment and Human Rights – ICC Institute Dossier XXI (2023)
• Book chapter “What does it mean to be ”Pro-arbitration”? a due process analysis in “pro-arbitration”? A Due process analysis”, A tribute to Professor George Bermann from his students over the years, JURIS Arbitration Law (2023)
• Book chapter “Telecoms arbitrations in Latin America” co-author, The Guide to Telecoms Arbitrations, Global Arbitration Review (2022)
• Book chapter “mining arbitration in latin america: social and environmental issues in investment arbitration cases” co-author, The Guide to Construction Arbitration, Global Arbitration Review (2019)
• Book chapter “Construction arbitration and concession contracts” co-author, The Guide to Construction Arbitration, Global Arbitration Review (2016, 2018 and 2019)
• Book chapter “L’interprétation authentique par les parties aux traités” in Colloque : La protection des investissements étrangers : vers une réaffirmation de l’Etat ? (T. El Ghabdan, C. Mazuy, and A. Senegacnik coord., ed. A. Pedone, Paris, 2018)
• Book chapter “Regionalization trends and foreign investment in South America: the implications of the ALBA and UNASUR initiatives” in The regionalization of international investment treaty arrangements 225 (N.J. Calamita and M. Sattarova eds., London, British Institute of International and Comparative Law, 2015)
• Book chapter “El papel controvertido de las comisiones ad hoc frente a las limitaciones inherentes al régimen de anulación de laudos arbitrales en el sistema de arbitraje del CIADI”, co-authored with Ana Carolina Simões e Silva, in Arbitraje Internacional, Pasado, Presente y Futuro, Libro homenaje a Bernardo Cremades e Yves Derains, Instituto Peruano de Arbitraje (2013)
• Article “Los límites de la protección jurídica de la inversión minera”, co-authored with Eduardo Silva Romero, Energiminas (June 2012) reprinted in Al Derecho y al Reves (2012) & Revista Legal Columnas (2011)
• Contributor to the “Panorama de jurisprudencia francesa”, Revista del Club Español de Arbitraje (2009)
• Contributor to the “Panorama de jurisprudencia francesa”, Revista del Club Español de Arbitraje (2008)
• Article “La consolidation de l’arbitrage commercial international au Brésil: état des lieux 2008”, co-authored with Philip Dunham, Décideurs Stratégie Finance Droit (2008)

Chambers Global 2024

• Band 3 – Arbitration (International) (Latin America – International Counsel)
• Band 3 – International Arbitration (France)
• Foreign Expert – International Arbitration (France)

Latin America 2024

• Band 3 – International Arbitration (International Counsel)

Chambers Europe 2024

• Band 3 – International Arbitration (France)

The Legal 500

• Leading Individual – Latin America: International Firms, International Arbitration
• Recommended – Dispute Resolution: International Arbitration (France)

Who’s Who Legal

• WWL Thought Leader – France – Arbitration
• WWL Thought Leader – Arbitration
• WWL Thought Leader – Arbitration
• WWL Mining
• WWL Arbitration
• WWL Construction

Global Arbitration Review

• GAR: 45 Under 45 2023

• President of the Club Español del Arbitraje (CEA) in France
• Member of the ICC Institute of World Business Law
• Member of the ICC Spanish Committee
• Member of the International Bar Association
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA)
• Member of the Latin American Arbitration Association (ALARB)