Nicolas Cordoba

About Nicolas Cordoba

Nicolás Córdoba is a senior associate in our international arbitration group, based in Washington, DC.

Nicolás has acted in international commercial and investor-state arbitrations under ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, and LCIA rules, and has experience across a variety of industries, including mining, oil and gas, energy, and telecommunications.

Nicolás has also acted in international proceedings under the auspices of the UNHCHR, UN Human Rights Council, the OCDE and the High Courts of England and Wales, representing a variety of companies with respect to their ESG commitments.

Prior to joining Freshfields, Nicolás worked as an international affairs adviser and as an associate in a GAR100 law firm in Bogotá. 

His experience also includes serving as an intern at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (Washington) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Hamburg). Nicolás also served as an assistant professor on Commercial Law at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá.

Nicolás speaks Spanish and English.

Recent work

• Representing Eco Oro Minerals Corp. in an ICSID arbitration against Colombia under the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement concerning adverse measures affecting its investment in a gold mining concession, and involving complex administrative and international law issues.
• Representing Glencore International A.G., Prodeco C.I. and Puerto Nuevo S.A. in an ICSID arbitration against Colombia under the Swiss-Colombia BIT concerning adverse measures affecting its investment in the mining and transport sector.
• Representing South32 Investments Limited in an ICSID arbitration against Colombia under the UK-Colombia BIT concerning adverse measures affecting its investment in the mining sector.
• Representing Glencore International A.G. in an ICSID arbitration against Colombia under the Swiss-Colombia BIT concerning adverse measures affecting its investment in the Cerrejón mining project.
• Representing María de la Concepción Felipe Velázquez, Daniel Nava Felipe, and Maitte Josefina Nava Felipe in their investment treaty claim against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela relating to measures  which affected the claimants’ investments in the dairy production and distribution sector. The dispute was brought under the Spain-Venezuela BIT before the PCA.
• Representing two mining companies in an ICC arbitration against a Latin American State concerning their interests in several mining contracts adversely affected by the actions of the State.
• Representing three of the world’s largest mining companies and their local joint ventures in a class action litigation before the High Courts of England and Wales stemming out from alleged breaches of environmental and social obligations under Colombian law.   
• Representing three of the world’s largest mining companies and their local joint ventures in complaints brought before the OECD’s National Contact Points relating to alleged breaches of the OECD's Guidelines for Multinational Companies.
• Representing a leading international paper-based manufacturer with respect to alleged claims of socio-environmental damage in connection to its operations in a South American project. The case was brought before the Special Proceedings of the UN Human Rights Council on the basis of alleged breach of various UN Conventions on Human Rights.
• Representing a major Oil and Gas company and its local subsidiary in a class action litigation before the High Courts of England and Wales stemming out from alleged breaches of environmental and social obligations under Colombian law. the case was successfully settled.