
Sovereign & States Litigation Summit USA
Gain actionable insights with managing complex and high-stakes disputes in North and Latin America.
23rd - 24th September 2025, Washington, D.C., USA
Agenda
FIRE Americas Conference
9am - 5:30pm
Join us for the 3rd Annual FIRE Americas which will be held the previous day, at the same venue.
Pre-event Networking Drinks
5:30pm
A unique networking drinks reception, where you will meet both the FIRE and Disputes Community.
Registration & Welcome Refreshments
09:00
Chairperson's Opening Remarks
09:20
Sovereign & States Litigation in a Multi-Polar World – Chartering The Future
09:30
- Key industries to look out for
- International court’s impacts on climate change and energy transition
- Popular selection with the seat of arbitration – is this changing?
- Exploring national security in the international litigation and arbitration space
Francisco A. Rodriguez - Partner - Reed Smith (Miami)
Danielle Morris - Partner - Wilmer Hale (DC)
Enforcement with Intra EU Investment Arbitration
10:15
- How are US courts dealing with this?
- The interplay with DIFC and LCIA
- Bilateral Investment Treaties and the outcomes of terminations
Mahmoud Abuwasel - Managing Partner - Wasel & Wasel (DC
Networking & Refreshment Break
11:00
Exploring The Concept of Sovereign Immunity
11:30
- Deep dive with the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
- What does it mean for enforcement against sovereigns?
- Impacts on your litigation strategy
- Compare and contrasting surveillance and employment
Viren Mascarenhas - Partner - Milbank (New York)
Tara J. Plochocki - Partner - Sequor Law (DC)
Unpacking the Significance of Investor-State Disputes Settlement
12:15
- Discussing the significance of the ISDS system with international investment
- The challenges of sovereignty, transparency and enforcement
- Balancing investor protection and state sovereignty
Caroline Richard - Partner - Freshfields (DC)
Bruce Marks - Founding and Managing Member - Marks & Sokolov (Philadelphia / Moscow)
Networking & Lunch Break
13:00
What Does It Take to Enforce Awards Against a Sovereign?
14:00
- Key developments of the DC Federal Courts on matters involving European sovereign
- Looking at recoverability rates and lengthy enforcement proceedings
- How costly can it be? Establishing everyone’s expectation on the costs of enforcing awards
- Challenges around enforcing against state-owned companies
Alexander A. Yanos - Partner - Alston & Bird (New York / DC)
Alex H. Loomis - Partner - Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan (Boston)
Navigating The Waters with Respect to Sanctioned Sovereigns
14:45
- Designing an execution strategy around the US sanctions
- How the sanctions regime has changed with the new administration
- How to engage with sanctioned sovereigns
Networking & Refreshment Break
15:30
Best Practices for Client Communication for High Stakes Disputes
16:00
- Key skills for navigating the range of clients you get
- Minimising the number of surprises and managing expectations
- Addressing cultural and diplomatic sensitivities
- Reputational risks - Preparing for public and media inquiries
Richard C. Lorenzo - Regional Managing Partner Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment - Hogan Lovells (Miami)
Juan Perla - Partner - Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle (New York / DC)
Spotlight on Foreign Investment
16:45
- Balancing investment opportunities and potential disputes
- How political volatility impacts foreign investment in LATAM
- Ensuring a comprehensive protection strategy
- Growth of Chinese investments into LATAM
- Exploring the Middle East and Sovereign Wealth Funds
José García Cueto - Partner - Clifford Chance (DC)
Chairperson's Closing Remarks & End of Conference
17:30
Join us for the 3rd Annual FIRE Americas which will be held the previous day, at the same venue.
A unique networking drinks reception, where you will meet both the FIRE and Disputes Community.
- Key industries to look out for
- International court’s impacts on climate change and energy transition
- Popular selection with the seat of arbitration – is this changing?
- Exploring national security in the international litigation and arbitration space
Francisco A. Rodriguez - Partner - Reed Smith (Miami)
Danielle Morris - Partner - Wilmer Hale (DC)
- How are US courts dealing with this?
- The interplay with DIFC and LCIA
- Bilateral Investment Treaties and the outcomes of terminations
Mahmoud Abuwasel - Managing Partner - Wasel & Wasel (DC
- Deep dive with the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
- What does it mean for enforcement against sovereigns?
- Impacts on your litigation strategy
- Compare and contrasting surveillance and employment
Viren Mascarenhas - Partner - Milbank (New York)
Tara J. Plochocki - Partner - Sequor Law (DC)
- Discussing the significance of the ISDS system with international investment
- The challenges of sovereignty, transparency and enforcement
- Balancing investor protection and state sovereignty
Caroline Richard - Partner - Freshfields (DC)
Bruce Marks - Founding and Managing Member - Marks & Sokolov (Philadelphia / Moscow)
- Key developments of the DC Federal Courts on matters involving European sovereign
- Looking at recoverability rates and lengthy enforcement proceedings
- How costly can it be? Establishing everyone’s expectation on the costs of enforcing awards
- Challenges around enforcing against state-owned companies
Alexander A. Yanos - Partner - Alston & Bird (New York / DC)
Alex H. Loomis - Partner - Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan (Boston)
- Designing an execution strategy around the US sanctions
- How the sanctions regime has changed with the new administration
- How to engage with sanctioned sovereigns
- Key skills for navigating the range of clients you get
- Minimising the number of surprises and managing expectations
- Addressing cultural and diplomatic sensitivities
- Reputational risks - Preparing for public and media inquiries
Richard C. Lorenzo - Regional Managing Partner Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment - Hogan Lovells (Miami)
Juan Perla - Partner - Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle (New York / DC)
- Balancing investment opportunities and potential disputes
- How political volatility impacts foreign investment in LATAM
- Ensuring a comprehensive protection strategy
- Growth of Chinese investments into LATAM
- Exploring the Middle East and Sovereign Wealth Funds
José García Cueto - Partner - Clifford Chance (DC)

Contact Us
Speakers
For Speakers enquiries please contact Melody Mok on +44 (0) 20 3997 8527 or email melody@thoughtleaders4.com
Partnership
For Partnership enquiries please contact Ben Jobson on +44 (0) 20 3059 9525 or email ben.jobson@thoughtleaders4.com
Venue & Logistics
For Venue & Logistics enquiries please contact Laura Fraser on +44 (0) 20 3433 2284 or email laura.fraser@thoughtleaders4.com
Marketing
For Marketing enquiries please contact Yelda Ismail on +44 (0) 20 3398 8551 or email yelda@thoughtleaders4.com
Booking & General Queries
For Booking & General Queries enquiries please contact ThoughtLeaders4 on or email info@thoughtleaders4.com