Alvaro Santos is a Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Center for the Advancement of the Rule of Law in the Americas (CAROLA) at Georgetown Law. He teaches and writes in the areas of international trade, economic development, transnational labor law, drug policy, and the future of NAFTA. In 2018, he served as Deputy Chief Negotiator of the USMCA Agreement for the newly elected government of Mexico.

Professor Santos is co-editor of the books World Trade and Investment Law Reimagined: A Progressive Agenda for an Inclusive Globalization (2019), Law and the New Developmental State: The Brazilian Experience in Latin America (2013), and The New Law and Economic Development: A Critical Appraisal (2006). He is also the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters. He serves on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Comparative Law, the Journal of International Economic Law, the Law and Development Review, and the Latin American Journal of International Trade Law.

He served as Co-Director of the Center for Transnational Legal Studies (CTLS) in London from 2014-15. He regularly teaches at Georgetown’s Global Trade Academy and Harvard’s Institute for Global Law and Policy (IGLP). He has also taught at the University of Texas, Tufts University, Melbourne Law School, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), and the University of Turin. He received an LL.B. with high honors from Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (UNAM) and an LLM and SJD from Harvard Law School.

 

 

 

Research Team

Daniela-Olivia Ghicajanu is a Fellow at CAROLA, focusing on International Investment law, policy, and arbitration in Latin America and the Caribbean. She holds an LL.M in International Economic and Business Law with a Certificate in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution from Georgetown Law Center and an LL.M in European Legal Studies from the College of Europe (Bruges). Until recently, Daniela was part of the International Arbitration Group of a law firm in Washington, DC. She acquired experience in E.U. litigation, regulatory, and Investment law while in the Legal Services of the European Commission and European Securities and Markets Authority. Currently, she is part of the team coaching the Georgetown VIS moot court team. Daniela is also the Marketing Director of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations. She is involved in some pro bono projects with the New Markets Lab and the Global Pro Bono Bar Association.

 

Bernarda Muriel Bedoya is a Research Assistant at CAROLA, where she supports the Center’s portfolio in investment law, primarily in Investor-State Dispute Settlement in Latin America. Bernarda is an LL.M candidate at Georgetown University Law Center and one of the International Arbitration Scholarships recipients. Bernarda is also the Vice-President of Georgetown’s International Arbitration Society for the 2022-2023 academic year. Before joining Georgetown, Bernarda was an Associate in an Ecuadorian boutique law firm’s Arbitration and Dispute Resolution team for four years. She also served as Coordinator of the Ecuadorian Arbitration Institute; she is still a member of the organization. She holds an LL.B from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, where she was the USFQ Law Review editor. She was a teaching assistant for introductory courses and arbitral procedures. During her LL.B, Bernarda participated in several national and international commercial arbitration moot courts.

 

Arye Beck is a Research Assistant at CAROLA, contributing to the project “Measuring and building institutional capacity for investor-state dispute settlement in Latin America and the Caribbean.” He is currently a J.D. student (2L) at Georgetown University Law Center and a part of the Georgetown Journal of International Law. Before law school, Arye received his B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from Stetson University, where he focused his studies on Latin America’s political economy and foreign relations. He has also served as a research intern for Transparency International’s Chilean Branch, researching municipal corruption and analyzing representatives’ programs to the Chilean Constitutional Convention.

 

Rebecca Contreras is a Research Assistant at CAROLA, where she contributes to the project “Measuring and building institutional capacity for investor-state dispute settlement in Latin America and the Caribbean.” She is a second-year student in the Masters in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. Until recently, Rebecca was a Program Associate at the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative. She designed judicial training and anti-money laundering programs in Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Rebecca also worked on the rule of law issues as a research assistant for the Stanford Governance Project and at the IACHR. Her academic coursework focuses on business and human rights and sustainable development in Latin America.

 

Marcos Peña is a Research Assistant at CAROLA, contributing to the project “Measuring and building institutional capacity for investor-state dispute settlement in Latin America and the Caribbean.” He is an LL.M. in International Business and Economic Law and a Merit Scholar candidate pursuing a certificate in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution. Marcos is the Vice President of Graduate Programs of Georgetown Law’s Student Bar Association and a Board Member of Georgetown International Arbitration Society. For four years, Marcos was part of the litigation department of an internationally recognized law firm in the Dominican Republic. He holds an LL.B. from Universidad Iberoamericana, where he was the President of the Law Students Association.

 

 

María Calderón is a Research Assistant for CAROLA, contributing to the “Measuring and building institutional capacity for investor-state dispute settlement in Latin America and the Caribbean.” María is expected to graduate in May 2023 with her LL.M. in International Legal Studies. She graduated from Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City. Before starting her LL.M., María was a Legal Associate at a Mexican boutique law firm’s administrative and regulatory law practice. She oversaw the research and planning of environmental, energy, and food labeling public policy initiatives at Mexico’s federal and local levels. María also focused on public-private partnerships, legal tenders, and concession agreements for infrastructure projects. She also has previous experience in Corporate and M&A law. At Universidad Panamericana, she was an Assistant Professor on the Philosophy of Law and Law and Art.

Emanuel is a Research Assistant for CAROLA, contributing to the “Measuring and building institutional capacity for investor-state dispute settlement in Latin America and the Caribbean.” Emanuel is expected to graduate in May 2023 with his LL.M. in General Studies with a Certificate in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution. He graduated from Universidad de Lima in Peru. Before starting his LL.M., Emanuel was an Associate at the Lima’s office of an international law firm’s Infrastructure and International Arbitration practice, where he was mainly focused on international construction and concessions contracts and represented investors in international investment arbitration proceedings under ICSID Rules, and in international commercial arbitrations under the ICC, UNCITRAL, and Peruvian arbitration rules.