Santiago Bejarano advises clients on a range of high-stakes international disputes around the world, under both civil law and common law regimes. 

Mr. Bejarano regularly represents domestic and multinational corporations and state-owned enterprises in a wide variety of industries and business sectors in their highest-stakes international disputes. Drawing on his dual qualification as an attorney in Colombia and New York and his in-depth understanding of Latin America’s legal systems and business practices, he has particular expertise advising clients on matters involving this region.  He regularly conducts advocacy in dual-language arbitrations.

Mr. Bejarano brings over a decade of experience representing clients in international commercial and investment arbitrations held under all major institutional and ad-hoc rules, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). He has conducted arbitrations seated in all major arbitral hubs, including New York, Washington D.C., London, The Hague, and Paris, among others.

He has handled disputes relating to the licensing of intellectual property, M&A deals, distribution contracts in various sectors, and oil & gas development, distribution and commercialization. 

Mr. Bejarano is consistently recognized by clients and peers as a leading arbitration practitioner, and is described by sources in Chambers Global and The Legal 500 as “an increasingly prominent name for Latin America-related work”, “excellent”, “always up-to-speed on the advice”, “able to leverage years of common law training and practice to effectively advise on cross-border disputes”, and “one of the smartest lawyers” in the field. He has been listed in Who’s Who Legal: Future Leaders – Arbitration in every edition since 2019 and in several editions of Chambers Global, Chambers Latin America and Legal 500 USA.  

Mr. Bejarano is Lecturer in Law at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he teaches International Arbitration, and is a frequent speaker at international arbitration conferences around the world.

Mr. Bejarano has also advised clients in connection with high-profile government investigations and inquiries, white collar matters, and complex, multi-jurisdictional internal investigations.

Mr. Bejarano keeps an active pro bono practice, advising clients on immigration-related matters. He received the Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Publico Award in 2015 for his work on immigration cases.

Mr. Bejarano is a member of the Spanish and Iberoamerican Arbitration Association (CEIA); the Latin American Arbitration Association (ALARB); the International Bar Association (IBA); the Young ICCA; the ICC Young Arbitrators and ADR Forum (YAAF); and the LCIA Young and International Arbitration Group (YIAG).

Mr. Bejarano’s experience includes representing:

  • A leading Latin American pharmaceutical business in an ICC arbitration seated in London, governed by English law and Colombian law, in a dispute related to a distribution agreement for highly-specialized medications
  • A leading Japanese hardware manufacturer in a JAMS arbitration seated in San Diego, governed by California law, in a dispute over licensed technology
  • The Dominican Republic in an arbitration under the ICSID Additional Facility Rules, seated in Washington, D.C., related to a contract for gold tailings processing and environmental remediation
  • A leading American biomedical company in a AAA arbitration seated in Chicago, governed by Delaware law, in a dispute relating to a research collaboration agreement in the oncology field
  • Calidda, a Colombian-owned gas utility, in an ICSID arbitration under the Colombia-Peru Bilateral Investment Treaty, in a dispute relating to the gas infrastructure in the city of Lima
  • A Swedish oncology drug developer in an ICC arbitration seated in London and governed by New York law, in a dispute relating to the termination of a global collaboration agreement
  • A major Asian petroleum company in an ICC arbitration seated in London, governed by New York law, in a dispute related to a Joint Operating Agreement for the development of an oil field in Brazil
  • Several Latin American subsidiaries of a US pharmaceutical company in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris, governed by Colombian law, in a dispute related to an M&A transaction
  • A US biotech company in an ICDR arbitration seated in New York, governed by New York law, in a dispute arising out of a licensing agreement
  • A US midstream oil and gas company in an LCIA arbitration seated in Houston, governed by New York and Texas law, in a dispute arising out of a gas distribution agreement with a Latin American state-owned utility company
  • Several European subsidiaries of a US public company in the plastics sector in parallel ICDR arbitrations, governed by New York law, against subsidiaries of a US company, in connection with the operation of several industrial sites in Europe*
  • A petrochemical company against a Caribbean state-owned gas company in an ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (1976), resulting in a favorable settlement for the client*
  • Merck, Sharpe & Dohme in an ad hoc investment arbitration under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (1976) against the Republic of Ecuador under the US-Ecuador bilateral investment treaty arising out of an investment in Ecuador*
  • A leading Swiss luxury goods manufacturer in an ICDR arbitration against a Middle Eastern distributor, governed by New York law*
  • Helmerich & Payne in an expropriation claim against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its state-owned petroleum company in US federal court*
  • One of the world’s largest commodities trading companies in connection with a criminal investigation by US and foreign authorities in relation to the company’s operations in Latin America, Africa, and Europe*
  • A leading US media company in a criminal investigation by US authorities in relation to the soccer industry in Latin America*
  • Several individuals in a criminal investigation conducted by US authorities against a US-based ophthalmic company in connection with their medical device business in Asia*
  • A leading US media company in an internal review of its soccer broadcasting rights in Latin America*
  • One of the world’s leading audit firms in an internal investigation related to independence issues arising out of work by a member firm in Latin America*

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham 

Bar Qualification

  • Colombia (Abogado)
  • New York

Education

  • LLM, New York University
    Hauser Global Scholar, Starr Foundation Scholar
  • LLB, Universidad del Rosario (Bogotá)

Languages Spoken

  • Spanish