Ricardo Ampudia

Ricardo A. Ampudia represents clients in a wide variety of high-profile international and cross-border disputes, including investor-State, commercial and State-State arbitration, as well as litigation in matters pertaining to securities, international trade, international human rights, and international proceedings before INTERPOL.

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He has handled disputes under numerous international investment and trade agreements, including bilateral investment treaties, free trade agreements and multilateral investment agreements such as the Energy Charter Treaty and the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

As part of his professional and academic research, he also regularly publishes on topics such as international investment agreements, the New York Convention, the ICSID Convention and the U.S. Federal Arbitration Act.

His experience includes a wide range of industries, including agriculture, construction, hospitality, health care, internet and technology (including ICANN disputes), oil and gas, electricity and heat generation, textiles, steel manufacturing and transportation.

He also has assisted clients in civil and criminal investigations related to the procurement of public contracts.

Ricardo has advised clients and clerked for international tribunals in proceedings in various languages and under various arbitration rules, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, DIAC, ICC, DR-CAFTA, HMAA, the AHLA and the ICDR, conducted at the Permanent Court of Arbitration/International Court of Justice (PCA/ICJ) and the facilities of the World Bank Group in Washington, DC.

Additionally, he has advised clients in litigation before U.S. courts involving foreign parties and transactions overseas. The matters he has handled at Shook and previous law firms include:

• Omega Engineering LLC v. Republic of Panama, No. ARB/16/42 (ICSID). Represent claimants, a U.S. construction company and its CEO, as lead co-counsel in a multimillion-dollar investment dispute arbitration under ICID rules.
• Represent European and South American hospitality investors as lead counsel in a multimillion UNCITRAL investment treaty dispute against a North American state (proceedings and pleadings entirely in Spanish).
• Represented a North American investor as lead counsel in proceedings before INTERPOL, resulting in the deletion of two Red Notices.
• Advised a U.S. health care provider in proceedings before state and federal courts, as well as a panel constituted under the arbitration rules of the American Health Lawyers Association.
• Pluspetrol Perú Corp. v. Perupetro S.A., No. ARB/12/28 (ICSID). Represented a consortium of energy companies from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America in ICSID proceedings in Washington, DC, against a South American state-owned enterprise in a natural gas dispute; proceedings and pleadings entirely in Spanish.
• EDF International S.A. v. Republic of Hungary. Represented Hungary in UNCITRAL proceedings under the Energy Charter Treaty in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in an investment dispute against a European multinational company over energy and heat co-generation.
• MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas Co. PLC v. Republic of Croatia, No. ARB/13/32 (ICSID) and No. 2014-15 (UNCITRAL). Represented an investor in parallel proceedings in Washington, DC, and Paris against a European state in a dispute over energy investments and allegations of corruption.
• Advised a South American hydrocarbon transport company in a cross-border contractual dispute with a North American distributor under the Rules of Arbitration of the Houston Maritime Arbitrators Association.

Ricardo has lectured on international commercial arbitration at Georgetown Law, and is co-founder of the Georgetown International Arbitration Alumni group.

Before joining Shook, Ricardo was the principal of International Dispute Resources, LLC, where he represented clients in international investment treaty and commercial arbitrations.

He also represented investors and sovereign states as part of the international arbitration and trade group at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Washington, DC.

During law school, he served on the executive board of the American University International Law Review and was the editor of the Human Rights Academy and Humanitarian Law Book.

He also was an intern at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Education:

• L.L.M., Georgetown University Law Center (2013)
• J.D., American University Washington College of Law (2010)
• B.A., Davidson College, 2004 (Philosophy, Economics)

Bar Admissions:

• District of Columbia
• Florida
• New York

Memberships:

• Georgetown International Arbitration Alumni

Community Involvement:

• Teach for America Corps Member

Clerkships:

• In the Matter of Guatemala – Issues Relating to the Obligations Under Article 16.2.1(a) of the CAFTA-DR, United States v. Guatemala
• A Mexican Steel Smelter v. A German Plant Parts Manufacturer, International Chamber of Commerce
• A United States Investor v. An Emirati Builder, Dubai International Arbitration Centre