Professionals

Georgina Fabian

President and Founding Member

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Profile

Experience

Georgina Fabian is recognized in the international arena for her knowledge of international contractual issues involving private parties, as well as governments, international dispute resolution proceedings, and international treaties.  Within the context of several industries, Georgina’s experience practicing law in several United States jurisdictions and in Mexico gives her a unique cross-cultural awareness, business judgment, and procedural perspective that benefits States, individuals, or businesses with investments worldwide.  Georgina has experience in cases involving arbitrability, judicial review of arbitration awards, and the taking of evidence under international treaties.   Since 1997, she has had a leading role as a bilingual lawyer in various international commercial arbitrations, investor-State proceedings, international litigation, and international business agreements, first as an associate at Basham, Ringe y Correa in Mexico City and then as an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton and Mayer Brown in New York City and Chicago, respectively.

Georgina is well known for creating long-term sustainable solutions for her clients while leading complex commercial cases and transactions amid cross-cultural dynamics.   She is Mexican and received her law degree from the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City, where she was awarded the Eduardo Trigueros Prize for the best thesis of the 1995-1996 academic year, entitled “Adoption Considered from the Domestic and International Point of View in Mexican Positive Law.”  In 2008, Georgina was appointed by USAID as Special Consultant to prepare and conduct intensive 3-day training sessions for high-ranking Nicaraguan Government officials in Investor-State Arbitration Procedures under CAFTA/DR.  She has been authorized to practice law in Mexico since 1995, in New York since 2001, after receiving a Master’s degree in comparative law at New York University, and in Illinois since 2005.  Georgina has also been admitted in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Georgina actively participates in national and international associations involving alternative dispute resolution, and since 2003 has participated in several community mediations as a volunteer mediator.  She has regularly published articles on international dispute resolution topics and frequently participates as a speaker in continuing legal education and industry forums on dispute resolution for both English and Spanish speaking audiences.

Education

New York University School of Law, Master of Comparative Jurisprudence(LLM equivalent), 1997 • Escuela Libre de Derecho, Juris Doctor, Título de Abogado, with honors for the most outsanding thesis of the year, “Adoption Considered from the Domestic and International Point of View in Mexican Law,” 1995 • Universidad Panamericana, Post-Graduate Certificate in Civil & Commercial Procedure, 1998.

Admitted

  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2005
  • Illinois, 2005
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2005
  • New York, 2001
  • Mexican Republic, 1995

Areas of Practice

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation
  • International Commercial and Business Litigation
  • International Collections
  • Nationality Planning
  • Investor-State Arbitration
  • Entity Formation
  • Civil, Commercial and Administrative Agreements
  • Business Planning and Estate Planning

Speaking Engagements

Executive Presentations

  • “Investor-State Arbitration Procedures under CAFTA-DR,” USAID/Nicaragua DR-CAFTA Implementation Project, Managua, Nicaragua, March 26-28, 2008.
  • “Obligaciones de los Estados y Derechos de los Inversionistas bajo los Tratados Bilaterales de Inversión y el CIADI” (“Investors’ Rights and States’ Obligations Under Bilateral Investment Treaties and ICSID”), presented to the Government of Nicaragua, October 16, 2006.
  • “Mexican Dispute Resolution Law & Procedures,” Dow Chemical Company, Videoconference, January, 2005.

 

Speaking Engagements

  • Moderator, “Haciendo Negocios en México” (“Doing Business in Mexico”), 2010 Hispanic Business Expo & HACE Career Conference, Chicago, IL, August, 2010.
  • Presenter,“El Transporte Transfronterizo de Carga entre México y Estados Unidos: ¿Qué Pasa con el Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Estados Unidos, Canadá y México?” (“Cross-Border Trucking Between Mexico and the United States: What Is Happening With NAFTA?”), Conference via skype, American Chamber of Commerce, Lima, Peru, May, 2010.
  • Presenter , “El Acceso al Mercado de Bebidas Alcohólicas en los Estados Unidos” (“Access to the Market of Alcoholic Beverages in the United States”), National Chamber of the Tequila Industry, Guadalajara, Jalisco, March, 2010.
  • Presenter , “El Mercado Estadounidense: Cuestiones Prácticas y Legales” (“The U.S. Market: Practical and Legal Considerations”), presented during IV Meeting of International Business “Laguna Exporta 2009”, Torreon, Coahuila, November, 2009.
  • Panelist, “Counsel’s Arbitration Strategy and the Arbitrator’s Perspectives: Effective Arbitration Tactics—What Works And What To Avoid From Personal Experiences,” presented during “The 2009 ICDR International ADR Reporting Program Series,” International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), Colombia, Bogota, November, 2009.
  • Panelist, “Counsel’s Arbitration Strategy and the Arbitrator’s Perspectives: Effective Arbitration Tactics—What Works And What To Avoid From Personal Experiences,” presented during “The 2009 ICDR International ADR Reporting Program Series, ” ICDR, Lima, Peru, November, 2009.
  • Presenter , “Los Tratados Bilaterales Internacionales Celebrados Entre los Estados Unidos Mexicanos y la República Federativa del Brasil y las Recientes Decisiones de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación Mexicana en Materia de Arbitraje Comercial Internacional” (“International Bilateral Treaties Executed Between the United Mexican States and the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Recent Decisions of the Mexican Supreme Court on International Commercial Arbitration”), presented at the Conference of the Legal Committee of the Brazil-Mexico Chamber, Sao Paulo, Brazil, October, 2008.
  • Panelist , “Recent trends in Alternative Dispute Resolution in Mexico,” presented at “The International ADR Reporting Program Series,” International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Sao Paulo, Brazil, August, 2008.
  • Presenter , “Dispute Resolution Procedures Under DR-CAFTA,” presented at “Arbitration and Mediation Under Free Trade Agreements,” Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission, Chicago, IL, April, 2008.
  • Panelist , “Common Pitfalls and Mistakes in International Arbitration,” presented at “ADR After NAFTA,” International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Chicago, IL, April, 2008.
  • Panelist , “Reconocimiento y Ejecución de Laudos Arbitrales Expedidos en el Exterior” (“Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards”), presented at “Experiencias y Retos del Arbitraje Local e Internacional – Análisis Global” (“Experiences and Challenges of Domestic and International Arbitration – Global Analysis”), Centro de Arbitraje y Mediación, Cámara de Comercio Ecuatoriana-Americana, Quito, Ecuador, June, 2007.
  • Presenter , “Nociones del Procedimiento de Arbitraje” (“Principles of the Arbitral Proceeding”), presented at “El Arbitraje Comercial Como Método de Resolución de Controversias” (“Commercial Arbitration as a Dispute Resolution Method”), National Association of Business Attorneys (ANADE), Querétaro, Querétaro, May, 2007.
  • Presenter , “Nociones del Procedimiento de Arbitraje” (“Principles of the Arbitral Proceeding”), presented at “El Arbitraje Comercial Como Método de Resolución de Controversias” (“Commercial Arbitration as a Dispute Resolution Method”), Mexican ICC Chapter, Monterrey, Nuevo León,  May, 2007.
  • Panelist , “Improving International Arbitration,” presented at “Decision 2007 – Debates on International Arbitration: Asia-Pacific,” International Centre for Dispute Resolution, San Francisco, CA, March, 2007.
  • Presenter , “Tertulias: Roundtable Discussions,” presented at the ICDR 5th Annual Miami International Arbitration Conference, “Arbitration in Las Americas: A 360 Degree View,” Miami, FL, February, 2007.
  • Panelist , “The Changing Face of International Commercial Arbitration,” presented at International Law Association (ILA) 2006, Toronto, Canada,  June, 2006.
  • Presenter , “Gatekeeper Issues in Enforcing Arbitration Clauses,” presented at the 4th Annual International Litigation & Arbitration Update, Miami, FL, May, 2006.
  • Moderator , “Drafting the Arbitration Clause,” presented at the International Commercial Dispute Resolution ICC Conference “Understanding the ICC System,” Charleston, SC, May, 2006.
  • Panelist , “Choosing an Effective Mediator,” presented at Mexican Bar Association Annual Conference, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, May, 2004.

 

News Reports and Interviews

  • News Report, “A Bridge Between Two Legal Cultures,” Café Media Magazine, Chicago, IL, July, 2010.
  • Television Interview , “El Arbitraje Entre Partes Brasileñas y Mexicanas” (“Arbitration Between Brazilian and Mexican Parties”), Television México Siempre, Sao Paulo, Brazil, October, 2008.

 

Publications

  • “Las Implicaciones de la Doctrina de la Omisión Manifiesta de la Aplicación de la Legislación Aplicable (‘Manifest Disregard of the Law’) en el Arbitraje Comercial Nacional e Internacional – Porqué las Partes Deben Tomarla en Cuenta al Momento de Redactar Su Cláusula Arbitral” (“The Implications of the Doctrine of Manifest Disregard of the Law in Domestic and International Commercial Arbitration – Why Parties Should Take It Into Consideration When Drafting Their Arbitration Clause”), Fourth Volume of the International Arbitration Collection “El Acuerdo Arbitral” (“The Arbitration Clause”), Instituto Peruano de Arbitraje, forthcoming 2010.
  • “Are You a Board Member?  Do You Know?,” prepared for the Fall Conference and Trade Show of the Association of Condominium, Townhouse and Homeowners Associations (ACHTA), Chicago, IL, October, 2009.
  • “2008 Arbitration Developments in Mexico,” in “The International Lawyer: 2008 Year in Review,” ABA Section of International Law, June, 2009.
  • “Territorial Scope of the New York Convention and its Implementation in Common and Civil Law Countries,” co-authored with Javier Rubinstein, in “Enforcement of International Agreements and International Awards – the New York Convention 1958 in Practice,” Gaillard and Di Pietro editors, Cameron May Publishers, London, June, 2008.
  • “The Resolution of Arbitrability Disputes in the United States,” prepared for the Florida Bar 4th Annual International Litigation & Arbitration Update Conference, Miami, FL, May, 2006.
  • “Drafting Effective Arbitration Clauses in International Commercial Contracts,” prepared for the ICC International Commercial Dispute Resolution Conference: Understanding the ICC System, Charleston, SC, March, 2006.
  • “Elección de un Mediador Eficaz: Las Habilidades que debe Requerir el Examen de Competencias Laborales Contemplado en las Reglas de Operación del Centro de Justicia Alternativa del Distrito Federal” (“Choosing an Effective Mediator: Qualifications that Should be Required by the Working Skills Examination Established by the Rules of Performance of the Centre for Alternative Justice for the Federal District”), in Diagnóstico y Propuestas Sobre los Sistemas de Impartición de Justicia en México, Mexican Bar Association, May, 2004.

Professional Associations

  • Association of Mexican Professionals in Chicago, Business Committee, Co-Chair, 2009 to date.
  • National Association of Professional Women, 2009 to date.
  • Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Member, 2009 to date.
  • Mexico Committee, American Bar Association, Vice Chair,  2006-2008;  Member, 2001 to date.
  • Arbitration Committee, U.S./Mexico Bar Association, U.S. Chair, 2007-2008;  Member, 2001 to date.
  • Midwest Arbitration Committee, U.S. Council for International Business, Member, 2004 to date.
  • International Bar Association, Member, 2001 to date.
  • Association for Conflict Resolution, Member, 2001 to date.
  • The Center for Mediation in Law, Associate, 2001 to date.
  • Safe Horizon, Volunteer Mediator, 2001-2003.

Awards

  • Appointed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as Special Consultant to prepare and conduct intense 3-day training session for high-ranking Nicaraguan Government officials in Investor-State Arbitration Procedures under CAFTA/DR, March, 2008.
  • Honors for the most outstanding thesis of the year, “Adoption Considered from the Domestic and International Point of View in Mexican Law,” Escuela Libre de Derecho, Mexico, 1995.
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