The age of sanctions: opportunities and challenges for the new generation of lawyers

Justinas works as lead counsel in complex cross-border and national commercial litigation and arbitration. Justinas’ recent experience includes working as a lead counsel for the biggest group of companies within the Baltic States with a yearly turnover of EUR 5 billion in damage litigation. Lithuanian Court of Appeals awarded a record amount in Lithuanian history that exceeds EUR 100 million. As a sworn member of the New York State Bar and a graduate of Harvard Law School (a unique combination in the Baltic States), Justinas is a respected expert in US-related legal matters. Justinas successfully develops financial service disputes practice, including regulatory litigation against supervisory body Bank of Lithuania, contractual disputes, damage litigation as well as fraud and asset recovery related disputes. He recently was appointed to act as lead litigation counsel regarding the improper application of EU sanctions for major Lithuanian holding energy company with subsidiaries in Poland, Latvia and Estonia and major Lithuanian wind electricity producer. Justinas is officer of Asset Recovery Committee of the International Bar Association. He is recommended by Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal Commercial Litigation and Arbitration as well as is ranked as Global Elite Thought Leader.

Pilar is Founding Partner of GNCI Law. In her more than 15 years of professional experience, Pilar worked for recognized international law firms in Madrid and New York such as Eversheds Sutherland, Herbert Smith and Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Pilar is a prominent lawyer with vast experience in investment and commercial arbitrations as well as in complex litigation cases. She has experience in different jurisdictions around the world (UK, Netherlands, USA, Spain) and has successfully represented corporations, States and investors in commercial and investment arbitrations and in highly complex transnational litigation. Among her most notable achievements is the successful representation of the Kingdom of Spain in the first two investment arbitrations of the PV saga (Charanne & Construction; PV Investors). She currently represents the Republic of Panama in an investment arbitration before the ICSID (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes) and a Spanish listed construction company in an annulment proceeding against the State of Kuwait. In the past, Pilar also represented Mexican investors in a complex investment dispute against the Kingdom of Spain which involved discovery proceedings in the USA under 28 USD 1782 and litigation proceedings before the European Court of Justice. Pilar has also handled complex transnational disputes in Arkansas and New Jersey and worked on the enforcement of an ICSID award within a State of the European Union. She holds a degree in Law and Journalism from Universidad Carlos III, Madrid, Spain, and an LLM from Columbia Law School, New York. She is admitted to the Madrid and New York State Bar Associations. Pilar she has participated as a panellist in various conferences, addressing topics such as arbitration in the era of climate change and human rights in investment arbitration. She is an associate professor of Public International Law at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE) in Madrid and has lectured at leading universities and international law associations (New York University, CEA Barcelona). She is a member of the working group of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrators and is a frequent contributor to arbitral and academic institutions.