David M Orta

Practice Areas

David Orta is Chair of the U.S. International Arbitration Practice and of the Latin America International Arbitration Practice. Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America report that clients call David Orta a “tenacious” advocate, “a vastly experienced attorney who inspires real confidence, with a remarkable ability to see all the angles.” They also report that Mr. Orta wins praise from clients for his dedication and “goes above and beyond to get the best result.” Clients also reported to Chambers that “David Orta is easy to deal with and is always available to comment on any action related to the matter at hand. He is always open to discussing different proposals and strategies.” Clients noted to Legal 500 Latin America that "David Orta operates at an entirely different level than the most elite lawyers. Watching him perform in a hearing is like watching a movie unfold. Everyone is at the edge of their seat listening to David."

David is a trial lawyer and arbitration advocate with many years of experience successfully representing clients all over the world in complex international arbitrations (including investor-state (treaty) arbitrations and complex, international commercial arbitrations) and complex, commercial transnational litigations. David’s clients and cases have spanned most continents, including North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. David represents both governments and investors in international arbitration matters. His experience spans many sectors, including energy, oil and gas, transportation, infrastructure, construction, power plant, telecommunications, mining, and post-merger and acquisition disputes. He also serves as arbitrator and expert in international investment and commercial arbitration disputes.

David has handled numerous investor-state arbitrations under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties administered under the auspices of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). David also has represented clients in treaty and commercial ad hoc arbitrations administered under UNCITRAL Rules and international commercial arbitrations administered by the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR/AAA). David also has handled many commercial, transnational litigations within and outside of the United States, including post-M&A and asset sale disputes, arbitral award enforcement proceedings, and asset recovery litigation. Legal 500 Latin America reports that "I cannot speak highly enough about David Orta. He is deadly in a hearing or trial. He ensures he knows every aspect of your case and the law, how it can be challenged, and more importantly, what the tribunal needs to understand in order for you to win."

David has received various accolades for his work, including being named consistently as a Leading International Arbitration Advocate by Chambers Global, Chambers Latin America, Legal 500, Euromoney’s Expert’s Guide to the World’s Leading Commercial Arbitration and being named consistently as “one of the world’s leading commercial arbitrators” by the International Who’s Who Legal. David has been referred to as “a very terrific and capable lawyer” and this is backed by his consistent rankings and notable representations. In the 2026 Legal 500 Latin America client testimonials, David is described as “"very efficient" and "very solid in arbitration, very knowledgeable about the process, and very studious." David “is unrivalled in the courtroom.” In 2024, David was selected by Lawdragon 500 Global Plaintiff Guide for his work in International Litigation. In 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2021, David was selected as one of 500 litigators selected from around the world by Lawdragon 500 for Global Litigation. Lawdragon 500 selected 38 honorees from Quinn Emanuel, a larger number of attorneys than any other firm included. He was also named a Top 100 Lawyer for Arbitration & Litigation by Latinvex for 2018-2025. He has been named on two separate occasions (once by the National Law Journal and once by Washingtonian Magazine) as one of the Top 40 Lawyers under 40 in Washington, DC; selected numerous times for inclusion in Super Lawyers—Washington, D.C. for international arbitration; named to the 2014 Lawyers of Color Hotlist; named one of the world’s leading practitioners in The International Who’s Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers 2012; elected as Member of The American Law Institute, included in Global Arbitration Review 100 (2010 Edition) “Names to Know;” and named in Lawdragon 500 “New Stars, New Worlds” in 2006. He regularly lectures on topics of international arbitration and public and private international law all around the world and has published numerous articles on topics of interest within the international arbitration community.