Our practice focuses on arbitration, litigation, and providing strategic advice in complex international matters.
We are independent and free of conflicts of interest. Our team adapts to our clients’ needs and works on each matter with utmost dedication.
David Arias es socio de Arias SLP. David Arias is a partner at Arias SLP. He has more than 30 years of experience in dispute resolution.
He has acted as counsel and as arbitrator in more than 150 cases in venues across Europe, America, Asia and Africa, and he regularly participates in proceedings administered by the main arbitral institutions (ICC, PCA, ICSID, LCIA, ICDR and SCC, among others). He also has extensive experience as counsel in complex commercial litigation.
He is regularly recognised as a Tier 1 litigation and arbitration lawyer and most-in-demand arbitrator in leading international legal publications and directories including the Chambers and Partners publications, Chambers Global and Chambers Europe, Legal 500 and Latin Lawyer 250. He is also ranked in the “Thought Leaders – Arbitration” section published by Who’s Who Legal.
David was Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee between 2016 and 2017. Previously, he also chaired its Subcommittee on Conflicts of Interest, which published the 2014 IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration. Additionally, he helped draft the 2010 IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration. From 2013 to 2017, he was President of the Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club, of which he is currently Honorary President.
He is a Professor of Procedural Law and Arbitration. He obtained his BA in Law, with Honours, and his PhD, also with Honours, from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He was admitted to the Madrid Bar in 1991.
He speaks Spanish, English and French. He also reads and understands Italian and Portuguese.
Nationality: Spain.
Luis Capiel is a partner at Arias SLP. He has over 15 years’ experience practicing international arbitration with international law firms in Europe and Latin America.
He has acted as counsel and as arbitrator in international arbitrations under a variety of applicable domestic laws, administered by the major arbitral institutions in Europe and the Americas (ICC, PCA, ICSID, ICDR and Swiss Arbitration Centre, among others). He has focused his practice on complex commercial and construction disputes in the engineering and construction, banking and finance, insurance, private equity, electricity, and oil & gas sectors.
He is ranked as a dispute resolution lawyer in leading international legal publications and directories including Chambers and Partners and Who’s Who Legal.
Luis is a member of the Arbitration Court of the Swiss Arbitration Centre. He also serves on the board of the Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club and holds the position of deputy director of its journal, Iurgium.
He has been an honorary professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and guest lecturer and speaker at universities and conferences. He holds a law degree from the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and LL.M. (First Class Honours) from The University of Auckland. He was admitted to the Munich Bar in 2007 and to the Madrid Bar in 2008.
He speaks English, German and Spanish.
Nationalities: Argentina, Germany.
Oliver Cojo is a partner at Arias SLP. He has more than 10 years of experience in the practice of arbitration.
Oliver has acted as arbitrator, as counsel and as tribunal assistant in more than 50 cases in venues across Europe, the Americas and the Middle East, administered by the main arbitral institutions (ICC, LCIA, ICSID and SCC, among others). He also has experience in court proceedings related to arbitration.
He is ranked as an arbitration lawyer in leading international legal publications and directories including Who’s Who Legal and Legal 500.
Oliver was co-chair of the young practitioners group of the Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club (CEIA-40) between 2019 and 2020. He was also an assistant to the Subcommittee on Conflicts of Interest that published the 2014 IBA Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration.
He is a professor of arbitration at IE University. He holds a degree in Law and Business Management from University of Valladolid. He also holds an LL.M. from Maastricht University. Oliver was admitted to the Madrid Bar Association in 2013.
He speaks English and Spanish.
Nationality: Spain.
Blas Piñar is a partner at Arias SLP. He has 15 years of experience in the field of arbitration and litigation with international law firms.
He has participated as counsel, arbitrator and tribunal assistant in domestic and international arbitrations administered by some of the main arbitration institutions (ICC, CAM, CEA and CIMA). He has also litigated before courts throughout Spain at all instances, including commercial courts, cassation before the Supreme Court and exequatur of foreign decisions and awards. Blas is also an accredited mediator by the Spanish Ministry of Justice. His experience focuses on contractual and non-contractual disputes in various sectors, including software, energy, construction, corporate, financial, food and pharmaceutical.
Blas has been awarded by the Madrid Bar Association Sections Award (3rd ed.) in the ADR Section. He has participated in the commissions for the study of the annulment of awards and on Spanish jurisprudence of the Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club (CEIA). He has more than twenty specialised publications in various journals and books in collaboration.
Blas is a lecturer in Private International Law and ADR at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, and regularly collaborates with other teaching institutions. He holds a degree in Law and International Relations (E-1) from Universidad Pontificia Comillas (UPCO-ICADE). He also holds an official Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property from the same university. Blas was admitted to the Madrid Bar Association in 2008.
He speaks English and Spanish.
Nationality: Spain.
Santiago Rodríguez is an associate at Arias SLP. He has seven years of experience gained at international law firms in Madrid and Venezuela.
Santiago has acted as counsel advising foreign and domestic companies, as well as States, in international commercial and investment arbitrations under several domestic laws and arbitration rules, administered by some of the main arbitral institutions in Europe and the Americas (ICC, PCA, ICSID, CIMA, among others). He has also acted as counsel in legal proceedings before Spanish and European courts. Santiago has focused his practice in disputes in the engineering and construction, renewable energy, and oil & gas sectors, as well as in disputes dealing with public international law.
Santiago is an adjunct professor at IE Law School in Madrid, where he has taught courses on philosophy of law and international dispute resolution. Santiago holds a law degree from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, a Juris Doctor (Cum Laude) from the University of Miami School of Law, an LL.M. from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and a law degree from the Universidad de Nebrija. He was admitted to the Caracas Bar in 2018 and to the Madrid Bar in 2022.
He speaks English and Spanish.
Nationalities: Spain, Venezuela.
Mercedes Coronel de Palma is an associate at Arias SLP. She has four years of experience in dispute resolution gained at international law firms.
She has acted as counsel in legal proceedings before Spanish and European courts. She also acts as counsel and as arbitrator assistant in cases administered by the main national and international arbitration institutions (ICC, CAM and CIMA).
She holds a degree in Law from CEU San Pablo University, where she also obtained her master to access the legal profession. In 2022 she completed the advanced course in international arbitration organized by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the International Center for Arbitration, Mediation and Negotiation (CIAMEN).
Mercedes was admitted to the Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) in 2019.
He speaks English and Spanish.
Nationality: Spain.
Jorge Romero is an associate at Arias SLP. He has four years of experience gained at international law firms in Madrid.
Jorge has advised national and international companies on regulatory matters related to financial and transactional projects in the energy sector. He also acts as counsel and as arbitrator assistant in cases administered by the main national and international arbitration institutions.
Jorge holds a double degree in Law and International Relations from Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. He also holds a double master to access the legal profession and corporate legal counseling from Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (ICADE).
Jorge was admitted to the Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) in 2021.
He speaks English and Spanish.
Nationality: Spain.
