Over 25 Years Advocating For International Clientele
Principal Areas of Practice
Overview
Francis A. Vasquez, Jr. is a retired Partner from White & Case LLP, where he practiced from 1991 - 2020. He is an experienced litigation and arbitration advocate, working with clients in a number of different areas, including antitrust, intellectual property, international commercial law, mining, project finance, international organizations and sovereign immunity. Mr. Vasquez has appeared in numerous international arbitrations and U.S. court actions involving foreign sovereigns, commercial entities, international organizations and related affiliates. He frequently advised and represented International Finance Corporation in negotiations and litigation in U.S. courts, and has advised the International Monetary Fund. Mr. Vasquez is a Georgetown alumnus and has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown Law for over twenty years, where he teaches Trial Practice, and most recently taught international arbitration at the University of Miami School of Law. Mr. Vasquez is also highly proficient in financial and technical matters, and holds degrees in Economics and Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Father McKenna Center in Washington, D.C.
Expertise in International Arbitration and Enforcement
Mr. Vasquez has acted as counsel in some of the largest and most complex international arbitrations and enforcement actions on record, including Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka, A.S. v. The Slovak Republic, Abaclat and Others v. Argentine Republic, Yukos Universal Limited (Isle of Man) v. The Russian Federation, and Micula v. Government of Romania. He is an expert in the enforcement of arbitration awards under the New York Convention and the ICSID Treaty, in the evaluation of claims and awards, and enforcement issues in multiple jurisdictions.
Expertise with Foreign Sovereigns and International Organizations
Mr. Vasquez has over twenty-five years of experience litigating cases involving foreign sovereigns and international organizations from numerous countries, including Argentina, Congo (Brazzaville), Guatemala, Indonesia, Libya, Russia, Romania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Vietnam, among others. He has represented the International Finance Corporation for many years in numerous federal and state cases, including Jam v. International Finance Corporation, the first case involving the International Organizations Immunities Act to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. He has also represented the International Monetary Fund and INTERPOL, and has advised on the creation of new international organizations.
Expertise in Oral Advocacy and Trial Practice
For over twenty-five years, Mr. Vasquez has acted as lead counsel or principal cross-examiner in numerous trials and arbitration hearings and appeals. He has been an Adjunct Professor of Trial Practice at Georgetown for over twenty years, has coached Georgetown’s National Trial Team and has acted as faculty and lecturer in dozens of training programs in U.S. litigation and international arbitration. He is also an expert in witness preparation, improving witness performance with mock cross-examinations, video and other techniques. He is a contributing author to “Ten Guidelines for the Cross-Examination of Financial and Technical Experts.”
