David L. Attanasio

David L. Attanasio concentrates his practice on international arbitration and international litigation matters, and especially those with difficult issues of public international law or foreign law. He has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal as an Arbitration Future Leader and by The Legal 500 USA as a key lawyer in Dechert’s international arbitration practice. He recently co-authored a book on international investment law entitled International Investment Protection of Global Banking and Finance: Legal Principles and Arbitral Practice, published by Wolters Kluwer.

Dr. Attanasio has extensive experience in international arbitration under a range of procedural rules, including the ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICDR, SCC, and EDF rules, as well as with ancillary litigation, including Section 1782 proceedings. He has deep understanding of the banking and finance, oil and gas, mining, information technology, and construction sectors as well as multiple geographic regions, including Latin America, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

Beyond arbitration, Dr. Attanasio has advised private parties, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations on a range of public international law matters, concerning business and human rights, diplomatic and consular law, the law of international organizations, and the international law of human rights.

In addition to his work as counsel, Dr. Attanasio is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches a course on current topics in investor-State arbitration. He is a member of the global International Law Association’s Rule of Law and International Investment Law Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Law Association (American Branch) and as Co-Chair of the International Law Association (American Branch) Investment Law Committee. He regularly teaches at the International Law Institute’s annual program on International Investment Treaties and Investor-State Arbitration.

Dr. Attanasio frequently publishes and speaks on topics in international arbitration, international investment law, public international law, and international human rights law. His articles, case comments and chapters have appeared in ICSID Reports, the American Journal of International Law, the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, the Florida State University Law Review, B-Arbitri, as well as in various edited volumes.

He is the co-author of the forthcoming book chapters “Applicable Law in Central Asian Investor-State Arbitrations” and “Investment Treaty Interpretation in Central Asian Investor-State Arbitrations” in International Investment Law and Arbitration in Central Asia: Emerging Issues (Crina Baltag et al. eds., Wolters Kluwer, 2022).

Prior to joining Dechert, Dr. Attanasio received a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research on remedies for human rights violations. He also held positions as a visiting professor of law at the Universidad de los Andes and as an associate professor of law at the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, both in Bogotá, Colombia.

Investor-State Disputes

A South American State in an ICSID investment dispute with two mining companies relating to the enforcement of domestic regulations.
A South American State in an UNCITRAL investment dispute with a foreign mining company relating to the reversion of mining assets to the State.
A Central European energy company in an ICSID investment dispute with a Central European State concerning corporate control of an energy company.
A Central European energy company in an UNCITRAL proceeding with a Central European State concerning corporate control of an energy company.
A Central European State in an UNCITRAL investment dispute with a company relating to regulation in the gambling sector.
A Central European State in an UNCITRAL investment dispute with a foreign company relating to the privatization of a formerly State-owned construction company.
A South American State in an ICSID investment dispute with a foreign oil company relating to the termination of an oil contract.
A South American State in an UNCITRAL investment dispute with a foreign mining company relating to the termination of a mining project.
A South American State in an UNCITRAL investment dispute with a foreign oil company arising from domestic litigation

Internet Governance

An internet company in an Independent Review Process against the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers under the ICDR Rules regarding the failure to delegate a top level internet domain name for political reasons.
An internet company in an Independent Review Process against the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers under the ICDR Rules regarding the rejection of a community-based application for a top level internet domain name.

Includes matters handled at Dechert or prior to joining the firm.

Corruption Findings and Investment Law - ASIL Biennial Conference on International Economic Law, Miami, FL (February 14, 2020)
Investment Law and Human Rights: Friends, Strangers, or Enemies? - University of Virginia, (November 12, 2019)
Investment Law and Human Rights: Friends, Strangers, or Enemies? - ILA American Branch International Law Weekend, Washington, D.C. (October 4, 2019)
Document Production is a Useful Tool in International Arbitration - Freshfields-ASIL Young Arbitrator Debate Series, Washington, D.C. (July 25, 2019)
Resolving Corruption Allegations in International Arbitration: Practical Challenges - Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA (April 15, 2019)
Negotiation of Treaties for the Promotion and Protection of Foreign Investment - Dechert LLP - The Embassy Law Series (April 10, 2019)
What to do about Corruption Allegations? Debating the Options for Investment Law - Georgetown International Arbitration Society and ILA American Branch Investment Law Committee, Washington, DC (February 19, 2019)
Is Investment Arbitration in Serious Danger? — International Law Association American Branch, New York, NY (October 19, 2018)
Investment Arbitration, Human Rights Defenses, and the Transformation of International Law —Joint North American Conference on International Economic Law incorporating the 2018 ASIL IEcLIG Biennial, Montreal (September 21-22, 2018)
Investor-State Dispute Settlement as a Norm Generating System — Harvard International Law Journal 2018 Symposium: Frontiers of International Law, Harvard Law School (March 31, 2018)
Resolver Conflictos entre el Derecho de los Derechos Humanos y el de Inversión - Inversión Extranjera y Arbitraje de Inversiones en Colombia: Retos y Oportunidades para el País y la Región — Universidad de los Andes (March 21, 2018)
Practical and Strategic Dimensions of Counterclaims in Investor-State Arbitration — Georgetown International Arbitration Society and International Law Association American Branch Investment Law Committee, Washington, DC (February 13, 2018)
Georgetown University Latin American Conference —Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. (October 27, 2017)
Alternative Dispute Resolution CLE Seminar (March 16, 2017)
Review and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards — Washington, D.C. (December 10, 2015)
Extraordinary Reparations, Legitimacy, and the Inter-American Court — American Society of International Law Midyear Meeting and Research Forum, Chicago, Illinois (November 8, 2014)
The Future of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives — Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Bogotá, Colombia (August 26, 2013)
Transformative Reparations: A Social Repair Framework — Foro Fulbright Seminar Series, Bogotá, Colombia

Rule of Law and International Investment Law Committee of the International Law Association
Board of Directors of the International Law Association (American Branch)
Co-chair of the International Law Association (American Branch) Investment Law Committee
ISDA Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Group
American Society of International Law

David L. Attanasio

Investor-State Disputes

Internet Governance

Office

Washington, D.C.

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Education

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