Washington, DC, July 21, 2022 – Miller & Chevalier Chartered is pleased to announce that Margarita R. Sánchez has joined the firm as a Member in the International department and will lead the firm's International Arbitration practice. She joins from Quinn Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, where she was of counsel. 

"The combination of Margarita's arbitration and anti-corruption work makes her a perfect fit for Miller & Chevalier," said Kathryn Cameron Atkinson, Chair of Miller & Chevalier. "Our clients are increasingly turning to alternative dispute resolution over traditional litigation, and her deep and broad experience dovetails with those needs and our existing capabilities. I'm thrilled to welcome her to the team."

Sánchez is a civil and common law trial lawyer who represents clients in both private and public sectors in cross-border disputes, global anti-corruption, and corporate investigations. She has extensive experience representing both respondents and claimants in international arbitration proceedings under major rules, arbitral centers, and international agreements, including the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), CCB (Center of Arbitration and Conciliation of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá), Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and bilateral investment treaties. She serves as an arbitrator and has been appointed to several panels of international arbitrators and conciliators in Colombia, Brazil, and El Salvador, as well as for ICSID. Sánchez frequently handles issues related to international procurement and sanctions proceedings of institutions such as the World Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Office for Project Services (UNOPS). She also handles matters arising from the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other anti-corruption laws. 

A native Spanish speaker born and raised in Latin America, Sánchez has worked in nearly every country in the region.

"Margarita joins our strong bench of practitioners intimately familiar with the nuances of doing business in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our clients will benefit from her knowledge of the emerging markets in the region," said James G. Tillen, Chair of Miller & Chevalier's International department. "The nature of her arbitration work will also lead to collaboration with attorneys across the firm's practice areas."

Prior to Quinn Emanuel, Sánchez spent seven years with the international arbitration and white collar groups of Arnold & Porter LLP, before leaving to found a boutique international law practice focused on Latin America and the Caribbean that was recognized in the 2019 Entrepreneur Magazine's 360 List and received the Chambers and Partner's Chambers Women in Law Award for "Outstanding Firm for Furthering Women's Advancement." She was shortlisted in the same year for the Chambers Women in Law Awards in the category of "Lawyer of the Year." Before entering private practice, Sánchez worked for the IDB's Office of Institutional Integrity (OII), where she investigated allegations of fraud and corruption in activities funded by the IDB. As one of the first members of IDB-OII, Sánchez helped draft the first sanctions proceedings and founded the Uniform Framework for Preventing and Combating Fraud and Corruption, signed by major multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the International Monetary Fund in 2006. Her experiences will serve to bolster further the firm's leadership in MDB/World Bank sanctions proceedings and investigations. Earlier in her career, Sánchez spent time as in-house counsel for a Venezuelan stated-owned chemicals and fertilizer company (formerly partially owned by the Colombian government), where she oversaw the anti-narcotics and anti-money laundering regulatory compliance.

"I am excited to be joining a top-ranked, traditional Washington, DC firm sharply focused on specific areas, with a strong reputation in Latin America and a rich tradition of community and pro bono service," Sánchez said. "The current geopolitical conditions, global economic downturn, and recent developments in the climate change arena has greatly impacted the international arbitration landscape — particularly within the evolving Environmental, Social and Governance commitments and life sciences industries — and Miller & Chevalier, known for its white collar, foreign direct investment, sanctions, and government affairs has the ideal platform on which to continue serving my clients in these areas and beyond."

Sánchez earned her J.D. from the Universidad del Norte in Colombia, and an LL.M. in Law and Government from American University. She maintains an active pro bono practice focusing on international human rights and immigration issues. Sánchez is the Officer of Diversity & Inclusion of the International Bar Association's Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee. From 2019-2020, she was the Co-Chair of the Inter-American Legal Affairs Sub-Committee of the DC Bar, and from 2013-2014, was a Commissioner of the Hispanic National Bar Association Latina Commission, a commission created to encourage Latinas to enter the legal profession and educate the public about these Latina role models. Sánchez lectured at the International Law Institute in Washington, DC and served as Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University from 2014-2016. 

About Miller & Chevalier 

Founded in 1920, Miller & Chevalier is a Washington, DC law firm with a global perspective and leading practices in Tax, International Law, Litigation, ERISA, White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations, Government Contracts, and Government Affairs. Miller & Chevalier is a top-ranked firm sharply focused on targeted areas that interact with the federal government. A significant number of firm lawyers have held senior positions in the U.S. government and have written many of the regulations they currently help clients navigate. For more information on the firm, visit www.millerchevalier.com.

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CONTACT: 
Laura Miller, Media Relations, Greentarget, 312-252-4104