Francisco Franco’s practice focuses on international arbitration and international disputes. He has experience in investor-state and commercial arbitrations relating to various sectors, such as mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and construction.
Francisco represents governments and companies in complex international arbitrations under various governing institutions, including the ICC, LCIA, ICSID and UNCITRAL. He acts for and against states and state bodies, with particular experience in the energy sector and large infrastructure projects. He has acted on investor-state disputes under ICSID as well as under the ICC Arbitration Rules.
His experience also includes representing a gold mining corporation against a South American state in an investment arbitration, where the corporation obtained a $1.2 billion award and representing an Anglo-Dutch oil and gas leading company and a Russian oil and gas giant in a $700 million ICC arbitration against an American energy company relating to an LNG plant in Northern Mexico.
Francisco was Vice Chair of the New York State Bar Association, International Section's International Arbitration Committee.
Prior to joining the firm, Francisco worked for international arbitration firms in Mexico City, Paris, London and New York.
Francisco is fluent in Spanish.
WORK HIGHLIGHTS
Prior to joining Kasowitz:
- An Anglo-Dutch leading oil and gas corporation and a Russian gas company in an ICC arbitration against an American energy company relating to an LNG plant in Northern Mexico.
- U.S. subsidiaries of a Spanish infrastructure group in an ICSID arbitration against a South American state relating to the construction of six hydroelectric power plants.
- A gold mining corporation against a Latin American state in an arbitration challenging the expropriation of the company's rights over one of the world's largest gold deposits.
- A consortium of water treatment companies against a South American country in the damages stage of an ICSID arbitration over the mistreatment of the companies' investments.
- An East African government in a major highway construction dispute with a Japanese company.
- A construction company in a case against a Middle Eastern country over the government's unlawful interference in a power plant construction project awarded to the client.
- A Cypriot group of companies in a dispute against an Eastern European country over the country's politically motivated harassment campaign against the group's investments.
- A pharmaceutical company against a Latin American state in an UNCITRAL/PCA arbitration over the misconduct of the state's judiciary and other authorities.
Media