José Humberto represents clients in domestic and international arbitrations, including commercial and investor-state disputes. He is also specialized in antitrust, regulatory and public law.

Before becoming a partner at D’Empaire in 2005, José Humberto worked with the Venezuelan antitrust authority (Procompetencia), and as a foreign associate at the New York offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in 2001. He received a J.D. from Universidad Catolica Andres Bello (1993) and an LLM from McGill University, Montreal (2000). He teaches legal philosophy at Universidad Catolica Andres Bello.

José Humberto’s recent work includes:

• Representing two investors from Luxembourg and Portugal in two ICSID arbitrations against the Government of Venezuela
• Acting for a German company in an ICC arbitration arising from a commercial claim by a Venezuelan company
• Representing a Spanish company in an ICC arbitration arising from a claim by a Venezuelan company
• Acting as arbitrator in domestic commercial arbitrations
• Participating in many of the most significant antitrust cases in Venezuela, representing international and Venezuelan clients (including Telecom Italia, Cemex and Sanofi-Aventis) in several important cases before the Constitutional and Administrative Chambers of the Supreme Court of Venezuela
• Advising clients in complex administrative and regulatory matters, including representing Santander, Cemex, Ternium and AEI Energy in their nationalizations by the Government of Venezuela

José Humberto is currently ranked as “Band 2” by Chambers & Partners and as a “Leading Lawyer” by The Legal 500. He has also been consistently top ranked by Chambers as one of the best antitrust and public law lawyers in Venezuela.

He is fluent in Spanish and English.