DIEGO ZAVALA

Partner
diegozavala@mersanlaw.com
Biography

Law degree from the Universidad Católica “Nuestra Señora de la Asunción” (1992) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Yale Law School (1994). He is one of the most prominent figures in corporate law, arbitration, foreign investment, and competition law in Paraguay, with a distinguished career in both the public and private sectors.

During his tenure as Vice Minister of Commerce (2012) and Minister of Industry and Commerce (2013), he played a key role in strengthening the institutional framework of the competition regime and in formulating strategic policies related to foreign investment and industrial development. His experience gives him a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory and economic functioning of markets.

He currently leads the firm’s arbitration and competition practices, advising on investigations, complex administrative proceedings, compliance strategies, and high-stakes disputes in regulated industries and concentrated markets.

He was appointed as an arbitrator before ICSID by the Paraguayan government (2010), served as director of the Center for Arbitration and Mediation of Paraguay (CAMP), and was a member of the drafting committee for Arbitration and Mediation Law No. 1879/02. He previously served as a professor of public international law and is a founding member of the Paraguayan Institute of Law and Economics (IPDE), as well as a co-author of specialized international publications on arbitration and investment.

Practice Areas
  • Corporate Law.
  • Banking and Financial Law.
  • Administrative Law.
  • Tax Law.
  • Civil and Commercial Law.
  • Dispute Resolution.
Education
  • Law degree, 1992. Faculty of Legal and Diplomatic Sciences, “Nuestra Señora de la Asunción” Catholic University.
  • Master of Laws (LL.M.), 1994. Yale Law School (New Haven, USA).
Languages
Spanish | English | Portuguese
Memberships and Associations
  • Bar Association.
  • Paraguayan-American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM).
  • Arbitrator, Arbitration and Mediation Center (CAMP), National Chamber of Commerce and Services of
  • Paraguay.
  • Institute for Transnational Arbitration.
  • International Bar Association (IBA).
  • Paraguayan Institute of Banking and Corporate Law (IPDBS).
  • Founding Member, Paraguayan Institute of Law and Economics (IPDE).
Other Academic and Professional Activities
  • Participant in the advanced course on “Banking and Capital Market Law” at the University of Geneva, Faculty of Law, 1994.
  • Consultant for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce on the implementation of the “Consumer Protection System Strengthening Program” – ATN/MT 7674-PR, agreement between MIC and CAMP – ATN/MT 6539, and in the implementation of Subprogram A, “Reforms to the Investment Regulatory Framework,” of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), 1996.
  • Intern, Organization of American States (OAS), Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Washington, D.C., USA, 1992.
  • Court Clerk, Court of First Instance for Civil and Commercial Matters, Asunción, Paraguay, 1990.
  • Participant in the 27th Session of the External Program of The Hague Academy of International Law, covering topics such as state territories and boundaries, recent developments in interstate arbitration, the law of international watercourses, and the role of law in international economic integration, 1998.
  • Assistant Professor of Public International Law, Faculty of Law and Legal Sciences, Catholic University of Asunción.
  • Member of the Organizing Committee of SELA, a joint project involving law schools from universities in Latin America, the United States, and Spain.
  • Member of the Special Commission of Jurists, sponsored by the Chamber of Commercial Exchange, responsible for proposing a draft law on dispute resolution—currently Law No. 1879/02 on Arbitration and Mediation.
  • Co-author of “ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION,” published by the Paraguayan Center for Arbitration and Mediation under the direction of Dr. José A. Moreno Rodríguez, 2003.
  • Author of “Main Challenges for the Institutional Development of Arbitration in Our Country,” an article published in the Legal Journal of the Student Association of the Catholic University “Nuestra Señora de la Asunción,” 13th Edition, 2004.
  • Co-author of the Paraguayan chapter of the book:
    “LEGAL REGIME OF DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND SPAIN,” published by the Universidad Externado de Colombia, 2013.
  • Appointed by the Paraguayan Government as an arbitrator to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators, 2010.
  • Co-author of the Paraguayan chapter of the book:
    “LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT PROTECTIONS: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON LAWS, TREATIES, AND DISPUTES FOR INVESTORS, STATES, AND COUNSEL,” edited by Jonathan C. Hamilton, published by Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2012.
  • Co-author of “ADMINISTRATIVE PREJUDICIALITY IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS – VOLUME,” published by the Research, Legislation, and Publications Division of the Supreme Court of Justice of Paraguay.
  • Deputy Minister of Commerce, serving as Coordinator of the Paraguayan Negotiating Team in negotiations with Rio Tinto Alcan regarding the establishment of an aluminum plant in Paraguay, 2012.
  • Minister of Industry and Commerce, 2013.
  • Co-author of the Paraguayan chapter of the book:
    “RECOGNITION AND ENFORCEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL AWARDS IN LATIN AMERICA,” edited by Omar García-Bolivar and Hernando Otero, published by Brill Nijhoff, 2014.
  • Former Director of the Arbitration and Mediation Center of Paraguay (CAMP).
  • Co-author of the Paraguayan chapter of the book:
    “FOREIGN INVESTMENTS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR,” edited by Carlos Espluges-Mota, published by Tirant Lo Blanch, 2016.
  • President, Paraguayan Institute of Law and Economics, 2016.