Paula Ibargüen Ponce received her law degree from the Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala and is currently an LL.M. candidate (’25) at Harvard Law School. Prior to coming to HLS, Paula practiced for five years at the regional LATAM law firm Aguilar Castillo Love as part of the firm’s arbitration and dispute resolution team. She participated as counsel in several arbitration and litigation proceedings dealing with complex disputes relating to highly regulated sectors. She has experience as part of the advisory team in energy sector disputes administered by the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (“ICC”). Paula was appointed as a member of the Commission on Arbitration and ADR for ICC Guatemala in 2022 and her appointment has just been renewed for the 2024-2027 mandate. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Guatemalan Arbitration Association (“AGA” for its acronym in Spanish), is an active member of the Young Miami International Arbitration Society (“MIAS”), was a founding member of the Guatemalan Young Arbitrators (“GYA”) chapter and is on the arbitral tribunal secretary roster for one of the main arbitration centers in Guatemala. In addition to her professional experience in arbitration, Paula has been actively involved in moot court competitions since 2016, both as a participant and as a coach in the International Foreign Investment Arbitration Moot Court (“CAII”) organized by the American University Washington College of Law and the Universidad Externado.
