LAWYER PROFILE
Eduardo Silva Romero

Eduardo Silva Romero

Global 2026

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Ranked in 4 practice areas

About

Provided by Wordstone Dispute Resolution

Practice Areas

Eduardo Silva-Romero is a founding partner at Wordstone Dispute Resolution, a specialist international arbitration law firm based in Paris, with offices in Washington, D.C. and desks in London and Bogota.

Eduardo is a member of the Paris and Bogota Bars and has over 25 years of experience acting in investment and commercial arbitrations, with a historic focus on disputes involving States and State-owned entities.

Eduardo has acted in numerous proceedings before arbitration panels worldwide, including advising on matters conducted under the auspices of the ICC, ICSID, PCA, ICDR/AAA and the SCC, as well as in ad hoc proceedings under the UNCITRAL and EDF arbitration rules.

Eduardo is also a seasoned arbitrator, and one of the most in-demand worldwide. He has served as Presiding, Sole or Party-appointed arbitrator in more than 180 commercial and investment arbitrations, under the auspices of a wide variety of arbitral institutions as well as ad hoc proceedings and as member of ICSID ad hoc annulment committees.

Eduardo holds numerous academic positions and lectures on international arbitration at major educational institutions worldwide.

In Colombia, he is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Rosario’s Law School in Bogota.

In France, he teaches “International Arbitration” at Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) University, “Investment Arbitration and International Contracts” as part of the TADS LL.M. at the Paris Institute for Political Studies (Sciences Po), and “French Arbitration Law at the University of Paris-Dauphine (Paris IX).

In Switzerland, he teaches “International Commercial Arbitration Involving States and State Entities” at MIDS in Geneva.

In Italy, he is part of the team of lecturers of the master in Global Litigation and Arbitration Management of the Università degli Studi di Milano.

Eduardo is a regular speaker at numerous conferences, seminars and courses in France, Europe, the US and Latin America.

Career

University of Paris II – Assas, Doctorate (Docteur en Droit Summa Cum Laude), 2000

University of Paris II – Assas, Master in Philosophy of Law (DEA), 1996

University of Paris II – Assas, Master in Private International Law (DSU), 1995

University of Paris II – Assas, Masters in Comparative Law and Legal Linguistics, 1995

Professional Memberships

Chair of the ICC Institute of World Business Law

Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) for Colombia

Member of the International Bar Association (IBA) Task Force on Res Judicata

Former Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration

Former Deputy Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration

Former Vice-President of the ICC Commission on International Arbitration

Former Chair of the Arbitration Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA)

Publications

"El 'Sentido de Equidad' en el Arbitraje Internacional", XV Conferencia Internacional Hugo Grocio de Arbitraje, Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU Ediciones, 2025

“In memoriam – Antonio Crivellaro”, ICC Dispute Resolution Bulletin 2025, issue 2

“L’arbitrage entre harmonie, concurrence et chaos normatif”, Revue de l’arbitrage, n° 2, 2024 (With Catherine Kessedjian, Loretta Malintoppi, Jean-Baptiste Racine)

“Chronique de jurisprudence arbitrale en droit des investissements ”, Revue de l’arbitrage, n°2, 2024

“La presunción de competencia y deber de diligencia de los inversores internacionales”, Revista Jurídica de Arbitraje del Centro de Arbitraje de México, n°2, 2023

“The Legal Fiction of the Seat of the International Arbitration”, in Achieving the Arbitration Dream: Liber Amicorum for Professor Julian D.M. Lew KC, Kluwer Law International, 2023

“What places for Compliance in investment arbitration?”, in Frison-Roche, M.-A.(ed.), Compliance Jurisdictionalisation, series “Compliance & Regulation”, Journal of Regulation & Compliance (JoRC) and Bruylant, 2023

“Legal Fictions in the Language of International Arbitration” (Collected Courses of The Hague Academy of International Law, Brill, 2022)

“L’arbitrage d’investissement impliquant les états, une tendance croissante au sein de l’ICC”, in Echanges internationaux, 2022

“Arbitration, a Form of Life”, in “Arbitration and beyond… Une forme de vie”, Liber Amicorum pour Yves Derains, Éditions A. Pedone, 2021

“Le règlement d’arbitrage de la Chambre de commerce internationale (CCI) de 2021”, in Revue de l’arbitrage, n° 4, 2020

“Mining Arbitration in Latin America: Social and Environmental Issues in Investment Arbitration Cases” in The Guide to Mining Arbitrations, Global Arbitration Review, 2019

“L’annulation des sentences CIRDI impliquant un État d’Afrique”, in Un demi-siècle africain d’arbitrage d’investissement CIRDI, LGDJ, 2019

France Chapter in “Sovereign Immunity 2019”, in Lexology Getting The Deal Through, 2019

“Energy Investor-State Disputes in Latin America” in International Arbitration in the Energy Sector, Ed. Maxi Scherer, Oxford University Press, 2018

“Arbitrating the Conduct of International Investors”, in ICSID Review – Foreign Investment Law Journal, 2018

“La extensión del convenio arbitral a partes no signatarias en Europa: ¿un enfoque uniforme?”, in Revista de Arbitraje, PUCP No. 7, 2017

“Some Remarks on the Contribution of ICC Arbitrators to the Development of International Commercial Arbitration Involving States and State Entities”, in International Arbitration Under Review, ICC Publication, 2015

“Consolidation and Parallel Proceedings”, in Building International Investment Law: The First 50 Years of ICSID, Kluwer, 2015

“Actualité des Clauses de Stabilisation”, in Le contentieux extractif, ICC Publications, No. 770F, 2015

Work Highlights

Representing the Czech Republic in four investment arbitrations in the real estate, gaming, telecoms and airplanes sectors.

Representing the Republic of Poland in two parallel investment arbitrations initiated under the Energy Charter Treaty and the Australia-Poland BIT, arising out of the alleged loss of the claimants’ investments in thermal coal mining projects in Poland.

Representing the Arab Republic of Egypt in a US$8 billion claim sought by Kuwaiti claimants over a cancelled project to build a new city at the south of Cairo.

Representing the Republic of Ecuador in ten investment and commercial arbitrations in, for instance, the telecommunication, oil and gas, construction and mining concession sectors.

Representing the Plurinational State of Bolivia in eleven investment arbitrations (under the auspices of ICSID or under the UNCITRAL rules) and one commercial arbitration involving several sectors, including telecommunications, infrastructure, mining, energy and oil and gas.

Representing the Republic of Colombia in five investment arbitrations (under the auspices of ICSID or under the UNCITRAL rules) in the mining and telecommunication sectors.

Representing a group of Costa Rican and Dutch investors against a Central American State in an ICSID arbitration relating to the construction and development of an ecotourist resort.

Representing a French multinational in a dispute with a Central American state entity in an ICC arbitration related to the construction of a hydro electrical plant.

Representing a Brazilian company against a Portuguese group of companies in an ICC arbitration arising from fraudulent schemes in the execution of several financial agreements concluded for the financing of a construction project.

Representing a leading European gas company in its gas pricing dispute against another leading European gas company in a potential ICC arbitration arising from a long term gas supply contract.

Representing a French fund against a French company in an ad hoc arbitration arising from a shareholders’ agreement in the food industry.

Representing a leading American technology company against a South Korean company in an ICC arbitration relating to the software of the smartphones.

Representing a Spanish company against two Peruvian companies in an AAA arbitration related to the breach of a shareholders’ agreement.

Representing a BVI telecommunications company and a South Sudanese telecommunications company against South Sudan in an ICC arbitration arising from the termination of their operating license.

Key sectors

Government and Public SectorEnergy and UtilitiesIndustrials, Engineering and ManufacturingTechnology, Media and Telecoms (TMT)Health and Life Sciences

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers Global Guide

International Arbitration: Most In Demand Arbitrators - Latin America - International Counsel

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Individual Editorial

Reputed partner Eduardo Silva Romero continues to be considered an authority in the international arbitration market, earning high praise from clients and peers for his remarkable track record serving as both counsel and arbitrator in some of the most significant disputes in Latin America.

Arbitration (International) - Latin America - International Counsel

Band 1
Band 1

Individual Editorial

Reputed partner Eduardo Silva Romero continues to be considered an authority in the international arbitration market, earning high praise from clients and peers for his remarkable track record serving as both counsel and arbitrator in some of the most significant disputes in Latin America.

Arbitration (International) - Global Market Leaders

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Band 1

Individual Editorial

Eduardo Silva Romero is the founding partner at Wordstone and is highly commended for his exceptional international arbitration capabilities. His client base typically features high-profile clients such as sovereign states and international energy companies, and he is particularly proficient in matters spanning the construction, mining and energy sectors. His previous tenure as deputy secretary general of the ICC International Court of Arbitration is also noted as strength.

International Arbitration - France

Band 1
Band 1

Individual Editorial

Eduardo Silva Romero is held in high regard for his ICSID expertise, especially acting for Latin American and Eastern European states. He handles disputes relating to concession and construction projects. He is dual-qualified in France and Colombia.

International Arbitration: Most In Demand Arbitrators - Global Market Leaders

Band 2
Band 2

Individual Editorial

Eduardo Silva Romero is a Paris-based arbitrator known for his capabilities handling disputes involving States and State-owned entities. He often handles cases under ICC, ICSID and LCIA rules.

International Arbitration: Arbitrators - France

Band 2
Band 2

Individual Editorial

Eduardo Silva Romero is held in high regard for his ICSID expertise, especially acting for Latin American and Eastern European states. He handles disputes relating to concession and construction projects. He is dual-qualified in France and Colombia.

International Arbitration: Most In Demand Arbitrators - Europe-wide

Band 2
Band 2

Individual Editorial

Eduardo Silva Romero has an impressive caseload of investor state arbitration mandates handling significant Europe-linked ICSID and PCA-administered UNCITRAL arbitrations for European states and investors. He also attracts attention from market commentators for his activity as arbitrator.

Arbitration (International) - Europe-wide

Band 2
Band 2

Individual Editorial

Eduardo Silva Romero has an impressive caseload of investor state arbitration mandates handling significant Europe-linked ICSID and PCA-administered UNCITRAL arbitrations for European states and investors. He also attracts attention from market commentators for his activity as arbitrator.

International Arbitration - France

Foreign Expert
Foreign expert in Latin America-wide

Individual Editorial

Eduardo Silva Romero is held in high regard for his ICSID expertise, especially acting for Latin American and Eastern European states. He handles disputes relating to concession and construction projects. He is dual-qualified in France and Colombia.

Eduardo Silva Romero is held in high regard for his ICSID expertise, especially acting for Latin American and Eastern European states. He handles disputes relating to concession and construction projects. He is dual-qualified in France and Colombia.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Eduardo Silva Romero has vast knowledge and experience in the arbitration realm. He comes up with the most suitable strategies.

    International Arbitration: Most In Demand ArbitratorsChambers Global Guide
  • Eduardo Silva Romero's leadership and influence are persuasive. He has an uncanny knack for cutting through the clutter of issues and ideas and getting to the heart of the matter.

    International Arbitration: Most In Demand ArbitratorsChambers Global Guide
  • Eduardo is an excellent litigator and hearing expert. His handling in the hearings is simply extraordinary.

    Arbitration (International)Chambers Global Guide
  • His responsiveness and proactive communication make him an invaluable asset throughout the process. We greatly appreciate his dedication and leadership in delivering results.

    Arbitration (International)Chambers Global Guide
  • Eduardo's knowledge and experience speaks for itself. He is the pillar of his team.

    Arbitration (International)Chambers Global Guide
  • Eduardo Silva-Romero is a real expert.

    International ArbitrationChambers Global Guide

Ranked Individuals at Wordstone Dispute Resolution (11)

Europe-wide

  • Profile image of Eduardo Silva Romero
    Eduardo Silva Romero

    International Arbitration: Most In Demand Arbitrators

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France

Global Market Leaders

  • Profile image of Eduardo Silva Romero
    Eduardo Silva Romero

    International Arbitration: Most In Demand Arbitrators

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Latin America - International Counsel

  • Profile image of José Manuel García Represa
    José Manuel García Represa

    Arbitration (International)

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  • Profile image of Catalina Echeverri Gallego
    Catalina Echeverri Gallego

    Arbitration (International)

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  • Profile image of Eduardo Silva Romero
    Eduardo Silva Romero

    International Arbitration: Most In Demand Arbitrators

    View profile

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