María Alejandra is a Colombian-qualified lawyer with over eight years of experience in international arbitration and domestic civil and administrative litigation. Prior to joining the MIDS, she worked at Philippi Prietocarrizosa Ferrero DU & Uría in Bogotá, where she was an Associate in the Dispute Resolution practice.
She has advised a foreign investor in an investment arbitration before an ICSID tribunal and represented multinational companies and State entities in commercial arbitrations in the construction and energy sectors, including proceedings under the ICC Rules and the Rules of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Center. She also has experience litigating before Colombian administrative and civil courts. Through these matters, she has gained experience drafting submissions, managing complex document review and production, preparing and examining expert witnesses, delivering oral arguments at hearings, and coordinating teams in complex cases.
She coordinated her firm's pro bono practice, connecting lawyers across all practice areas with different clearinghouses, and was also part of an arbitration committee of lawyers under 40, bringing together young practitioners from Colombia, Peru, Chile, Spain and Portugal. In addition, she volunteered as a moot court coach in a State project aimed at universities in vulnerable areas of Colombia with no prior experience in arbitration.
She graduated among the top of her class at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and represented her university in international moot court competitions, including the International Commercial Arbitration Moot Madrid and the VIII International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Santiago de Chile. She has also taught at the university level, serving as a lecturer and teaching assistant in procedural law and arbitration courses.
Nationality
Colombia
Working Languages
Spanish
English
Areas of Expertise
International Commercial Arbitration;
Investment Arbitration;
Civil and Administrative Litigation
Bar Information
Colombia, 2017