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Vanessa Alarcon Duvanel is a member of the Firm's International Arbitration and Construction and Engineering groups and is based in Geneva. Her practice focuses on complex international disputes in the construction, engineering and infrastructure sector and other industries (e.g., pharmaceuticals, sports, manufacturing, concessions, consumer goods and energy). Vanessa has acted as counsel or arbitrator in over 50 international arbitrations proceedings both ad hoc and institutional (ICC, Swiss Rules, DIS, SCC, AAA/ICDR, ICSID, UNCITRAL, CAIP, CAS) and governed by a variety of procedural and substantive civil and common laws.
Vanessa is admitted to practice in Switzerland and New York/USA and combines a perfect understanding of the common and civil law systems and legal cultures. She speaks and practices in four languages: English, French, Spanish and German.
She also represents parties in arbitration-related court proceedings, such as setting aside proceedings, enforcement actions and applications for interim measures before Swiss and US courts.
In addition, Vanessa has a particular interest in sport law. She has represented athletes and sport officials in arbitration proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport and collaborates on a pro bono basis, with federations and foundations in investigating and prosecuting violations of sport rules, procedures and policies. She served as arbitration in the SAM competition 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Vanessa has been recognized as a Future Leader in Who's Who Legal: Arbitration 2022, 2023 and 2024 and in Legal 500, 2019 as an "excellent" attorney who "always stays on top of things and is a joy to work with." She was a featured ADR Practitioner in the Lagos Court of Arbitration Newsletter, November 2022 (https://www.lca.org.ng/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/LCA-November-2022-Newsletter-1.pdf)
Vanessa is the Co-Chair of the European Advisory Board of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) and an active member of several other arbitration associations and institutions (ArbitralWomen, ASA, NYIAC). She serves on the Program Committee of NYIAC and is regularly invited to speak at conferences and seminars on international disputes resolution. She teaches at the Swiss Arbitration Academy.
Publications
"Climate Change, Carbon Emissions, and the Construction Industry" Guest Editor in Construction Law, October 2023, co-authored with Alex Levin Canal and Alexandra Gerdes
"Annulment of Commercial Arbitral Awards by State Courts: A Comparative Study of Spain and Switzerland", in Matthias Scherer (ed), ASA Bulletin, (© Kluwer Law International; Kluwer Law International 2021, Volume 39 Issue 2) pp. 333 - 354, co-authored with Alex Levin Canal
"Direct and Re-Direct Examination", in: Stephen Jagusch QC and Philippe Pinsolle (eds.), GAR's The Guide to Advocacy, Law Business Research Ltd, 4th edition 2019, co-authored with Anne Véronique Schlaepfer
“A Report on the 2019 CPR European Congress on Business Dispute Management (Part I and Part II)”, 2019, in CPR Speaks (co-authored with Kathleen Fadden).
“A Report on the CPR European Congress on Business Dispute Management (Part I and Part II)”, 2018, in CPR Speaks.
"Jurisprudencia de la Corte Suprema de Suiza en el Arbitraje International" en 2014 – Resumen de un nuevo año de un enfoque de alto nivel respetuoso al arbitraje" Revista de arbitraje comercial y de inversiones, ©KluwerLaw International; IproLex 2015, Volume 8, Issue 2, pp.589-600
"Bifurcación", in Jorge Luis Collantes González, Enciclopedia jurídica del Arbitraje, Volumen 47 Biblioteca del Arbitraje del Estudio Mario Castillo Freyre, (Primera Parte), Lima 2018, pp. 189-190
"Review of the Recent Case Law of the Swiss Supreme Court in International Arbitration", in: Müller/Rigozzi/Besson (eds.), New Developments in International Commercial Arbitration 2013, pp. 112-171. Schulthess Juristische Medien AG, 2013.
Speaking Engagements
"New York and Swiss Perspectives on Arbitration: The Interplay of Arbitral Proceedings and Awards with the Courts,” NYIAC/ASA, April 2023: New York
"Expected Disputes of 2023 and How to Prevent Them", CPR Annual Meeting, March 2023: New Orleans (USA)
"E-Discovery - Virtual Round Table Discussion", Exterro, March 2023 online
"Hot Topics in International Sports Arbitration" 2022 AtIAS Forum, September 2022: Atlanta (USA)
"Welcome to the Party–Joinder and Consolidation" 11th Annual AtIAS Conference, September 2022: Atlanta (USA)
"How Lawyers Should Present Damages" CILS Arbitration Symposium, June 2022: Salzburg (Austria)
"Construction and Hospitality disputes Post-COVID" discussion of Oluwaseun Oloruntimehin's paper "COVID and Construction Disputes: Lessons Learnt and the Future Outlook", University of Lausanne, Switzerland, CEDIDAC International Conference, October 2021: Lausanne
"Story-telling, teoria del caso, e interrogatorio de testigos", 2021 Arbitration Day of the Costa Rican Young Arbitrator, October 2021: online
"The Recognition and Enforcement of Awards in International Arbitration", Harvard International Arbitration Law Student Association (HIALSA) Workshop Session, April 2021: online
“Cybersecurity and Data Protection in the Resolution of Transatlantic Disputes”, CPR Y-ADR/DIS40 joint seminar, March 2019: Frankfurt (Germany)
“Confidentiality and Ethics in ADR”, CPR Annual Meeting, March 2019: Washington, DC (USA)
“Cybersecurity in International Arbitration”, moderator and co-organizer, October 2018: CPR, ICCA and NYCBA Working Group, Geneva (Switzerland)
"Optimizing the Successful and Efficient Resolution of Commercial Disputes", April 2018: SCC & CPR joint conference, Stockholm (Sweden) (co-organizer)
"Effective Dispute Resolution Clauses: Perspectives on Drafting Do's and Dont's", March 2018: CPR Annual Meeting, Atlanta (USA)
"The Swiss Arbitration Perspective" ASA at the 2017 Casablanca Arbitration Days, November 2017: Casablanca (Morocco)
"How do in-house counsel view their role in international arbitration?” CPR Y-ADR Seminar, moderator, April 2017: Geneva (Switzerland)
"Skills-Building Training Session”, CPR Annual Meeting, panelist, March 2017: Miami, FL (USA)
"A Mock Procedural Hearing under CPR Rules for Administered Arbitration of International Disputes"; acting as counsel for Claimant, February 2016: New York, NY (USA)
"Franchise Agreements: Legal Risks and their Management", at Legal Risk Management Conference organized by Akademik Conferences, 22 October 2014: Alexander Palace Hotel Skopje, (Macedonia)
"Everything You Wanted To Know From Corporate Counsel But Were Afraid To Ask", CPR Annual Meeting, moderator of Y-ADR panel, February 2014: San Diego, CA (USA)
"Review of the Recent Case Law of the Swiss Supreme Court in International Arbitration", Conference on New Developments in International Arbitration organized by CEMAJ (French for Research Center on Alternative and Judicial Dispute Resolution Methods) a group of the Faculty of Law of the University of Neuchâtel, 15 November 2013: Neuchâtel (Switzerland)
"How are corporations addressing the high cost of litigation", moderator and organizer of CPR Y-ADR Seminar, September 2013: Geneva (Switzerland)
"The potential of bifurcation or "summary judgment" in arbitration", ASA Below 40 Fall Seminar, November 2012: Zurich (Switzerland)
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