Profile: Jose Maria Abascal

Commercial Arbitration

Biography: Commercial Arbitration

Jose Maria Abascal currently acts as counsel or arbitrator.

He has been counsel or arbitrator in numerous commercial arbitral proceedings in Mexico, the United States, Latin America and Europe, under, inter alia, the ICC, ICDR, UNCITRAL, CIAC, CANACO, Panama Chamber of Commerce Rules and ad hoc arbitrations under different national laws.

He is the chairman of the Mediation and Arbitration Commission of the National Chamber of Commerce of Mexico City (CANACO). He was commissioner of the United Nations Compensation Commission, Panel E2 (corporate and other entities' claims), (1996 to 2003), which heard claims against Iraq for the invasion and occupation of Kuwait. He was chairman of the Uncitral Working Group in Arbitration (2000 to 2006), which drafted the UNCITRAL Model Law in International Commercial Conciliation, chapter IV on interim measures of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Arbitration, new model provisions on interpretation, the written form of the agreement to arbitrate and a recommendation on the flexible interpretation of the New York Convention. Mr Abascal chaired the hall committees in the UNCITRAL plenary meetings that adopted those instruments.

Mr Abascal also chaired all the travaux préparatoires of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

He is member of the board, its executive committee and the international advisory committee of the American Arbitration Association and in 2006 was granted the Outstanding Director Award. He is a court member of the LCIA. He was vice president of the Mexican Bar in 2001, chaired the Trade Law Committee (1991 to 1998) and the Ethics Committee of the Mexican Bar (2002) and is currently chairman of the Insolvency Committee. He is emeritus professor of the Latin American University of Mexico City and has written numerous publications.

Mr Abascal speaks English, French and Spanish.