Employer: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Title and Practice Area: Senior Associate, International Arbitration

What was the most valuable lesson you learned in your first year of practice? I went from practicing domestic law in a small firm in Argentina to assisting in investor state arbitration cases in the Paris office of a global law firm in less than six months. I had to learn to adapt to a different legal culture, different applicable law and working in another language. You don't learn that in law school!

Describe your biggest win or accomplishment in practice. I'm very proud of a settlement agreement that I helped achieve for one of our largest clients in the oil and gas industry in a Latin American country. I led the negotiations with the government on the ground and drafted the agreement, saving our client about $500 million in liabilities.

Who is your greatest lawyer mentor, and what has he or she taught you? Nigel Blackaby hired me fresh out of law school because he saw something in me that I couldn't even see at the time. I admire his ability to bring people together, to create cohesive and kind work environments, and to treat people inclusively.

Please share a brief key to your success. I work mostly in investor state arbitration cases. It requires large teams to pull off what we do. I believe my success has been based in my ability to recruit, train and manage talented and collaborative people.