DIEGO ZAVALA

Partner
diegozavala@mersanlaw.com
Biography

He earned his law degree from the «Nuestra Señora de la Asunción» Catholic University (1992) and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Yale Law School (1994). He is one of the most recognized figures in corporate law, arbitration, foreign investment, and antitrust law in Paraguay, combining an outstanding career in both the public and private sectors.

During his tenure as Deputy Minister of Commerce (2012) and Minister of Industry and Commerce (2013), he played a key role in strengthening the institutional framework of the antitrust regime and in coordinating 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 practice, advising on investigations, complex administrative proceedings, compliance strategies, and high-stakes disputes in regulated industries and concentrated markets.

He was appointed as an ICSID arbitrator by the Paraguayan government (2010), served as Director of the Paraguayan Center for Arbitration and Mediation (CAMP), and was a member of the drafting committee for Law No. 1879/02 on Arbitration and Mediation. He was 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 international publications specializing in arbitration and investment.

Practice Areas
  • Corporate Law.
  • Banking and Financial Law.
  • Administrative Law.
  • Tax Law.
  • Civil and Commercial Law.
  • Conflict Resolution.
Education

Lawyer, 1992. School of Legal and Diplomatic Sciences, «Nuestra Señora de la Asunción» Catholic University. Master of Laws (LL.M.), 1994. Yale Law School (New Haven, U.S.)

Languages
Spanish | English | Portuguese
Memberships and Associations
  • Bar Association.
  • Paraguayan-American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM).
  • Arbitrator, Center for Arbitration and Mediation (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 “Program to Strengthen the Consumer Protection System” – ATN/MT 7674-PR, agreement between the MIC and CAMP – ATN/MT 6539, and in the implementation of Subprogram A, “Reforms to the Regulatory Framework for Investments,” Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), 1996.
  • Organization of American States (OAS), Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Internal, 1992.
  • Clerk at the 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, on the territories of States and their boundaries, recent developments in inter-State arbitration, the law of international watercourses, and the role of law in international economic integration, 1998.
  • Assistant Professor in the Department of Public International Law at the School of Law and Legal Sciences of the Catholic University of Asunción.
  • Member of the SELA Organizing Committee. SELA is 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 Commerce, to draft a bill on dispute resolution—now Law No. 1879/02 on Arbitration and Mediation.Co-author of “ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION,” a book published by the Paraguayan Center for Arbitration and Mediation under the direction of Dr. José A. Moreno Rodríguez, 2003. “”Main Challenges for the Institutional Development of Arbitration in Our Country,“ an article published by the Law Review of the Student Center at the Catholic University “Nuestra Señora de la Asunción,” 13th Edition, 2004
  • .Co-author of the chapter on Paraguay in the book: “THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION IN LATIN AMERICA AND SPAIN,” published by the Universidad del Externado de Colombia, 2013.
  • Appointed by the Paraguayan Government as an Arbitrator for the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators, 2010. Co-author of the chapter on Paraguay in 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 PRELIMINARY ISSUES IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS – VOLUME,” a book published by the Division of Research, Legislation, and Publications of the Supreme Court of Justice of Paraguay.
  • Deputy Minister of Commerce. In that capacity, he was appointed Coordinator of the Paraguayan Negotiating Team for negotiations with RIO TINTO ALCAN regarding the establishment of an aluminum plant in the country, 2012.
  • Minister of Industry and Commerce, 2013.
  • Co-author of the chapter on Paraguay in 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 Paraguayan Center for Arbitration and Mediation (CAMP).Co-author of the chapter on Paraguay in the book *Foreign Investment in the Energy Sector*, edited by Carlos Espluges-Mota and published by Tirant Lo Blanch in 2016.
  • President, Paraguayan Institute of Law and Economics, 2016.