Isabela Lacreta

Member of the Paris, Lisbon and São Paulo Bars, Isabela Lacreta is counsel in the International Arbitration practice of the Paris office.

She regularly represents clients in commercial and investment arbitrations arising from different economic sectors and industries, namely energy and constructions projects and commercial agreements. She has acted as counsel for states, investors and companies in over a dozen international arbitrations conducted under the ICSID, ICC, SCC, UNCITRAL, ICDR and CAM-CCBC rules. Isabela also sits as an arbitrator and has acted as administrative secretary of arbitral tribunals in a number of cases.

Isabela holds a PhD in law as part of a double degree program between the Universidade de São Paulo and the Université Paris Nanterre. Her thesis focuses on the determination of the law applicable to arbitration. She has published a number of articles on international arbitration. 

Isabela joined Mayer Brown in 2021. Previously, she was an attorney in the International Arbitration group of an international firm in Paris. Before that she practiced at a boutique dispute resolution firm based in São Paulo (Brazil).

In addition to her native Portuguese, Isabela is fluent in English, Spanish and French.

Isabela represents a wide range of corporate and commercial and State clients in arbitral proceedings and arbitration-related litigation.

Prominent experience as Counsel includes:

Investor-State Arbitration

• Klesch Group Holdings Limited & others v. European Union, ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/23/1 - counsel to Claimants in an investment treaty arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty and the ICSID Additional Facility Rules.
• Klesch Group Holdings Limited, Klesch Refining Denmark A/S and Kalundborg Refinery A/S v. Kingdom of Denmark, ICSID Case No. ARB/23/48 - counsel to Claimants in an investment treaty arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty and the ICSID Convention.
• Klesch Group Holdings Limited and Raffinerie Heide GmbH v. Federal Republic of Germany, ICSID Case No. ARB/23/49 - Klesch Group - counsel to Claimants in an investment treaty arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty and the ICSID Convention.
• Veolia Environment S.A. and others in an investment arbitration against The Republic of Lithuania in relation to district heating and power generation systems in Lithuania (ICSID Case No. ARB/16/3). The claims are brought under the Lithuania-France bilateral investment treaty and the ICSID Convention.
• Veolia Propreté SAS in an investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty and the ICSID Convention against the Italian Republic (ICSID Case No. ARB/18/20).
• A Chinese investor against a Latin-American State in an ad hoc investment arbitration related to the expropriation of mining concessions.
• A Peruvian national against a Latin-American State in an investment arbitration related to the expropriation of mining concessions.
• A Latin-American State in an investment arbitration administered by the PCA, related to the alleged expropriation of mining concessions.*
• A concessionary in a commercial international arbitration under the rules of ICSID, against a Latin-American State related to the construction of a road, seated in Washington DC (proceedings in Spanish).*
• A Latin-American State in an ICSID annulment proceeding.*
• A Latin-American State in a billion dollar ICSID investment arbitration related to a telecommunication concession (proceedings in Spanish).*

Commercial Arbitration

• A European energy company in a multiparty commercial arbitration against the municipality of an Eastern European city under the rules of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. The dispute arises from a long-term lease agreement.
• A Malaysian construction company against a Vietnamese subcontractor in an arbitration under the ICC Rules and Swiss law, seated in Geneva, related to electro-mechanical erection works for a refinery projected in Asia.
• Counsel to an American bank in an international arbitration under the ICC Rules and Spanish law, seated in Madrid, in a post-M&A dispute.*
• Counsel to a Spanish constructor in an international arbitration under the ICC Rules and Brazilian law, seated in São Paulo, regarding the alleged breach of an exclusivity agreement for the supply of trains for an intercity rail line in Bolivia (proceedings in Spanish and Portuguese).*
• Counsel to the owner of a hotel against its international manager in an arbitration under the ICC Rules and Brazilian law, seated in São Paulo (proceedings in English and Portuguese).*
• Counsel to a manufacturer of wind power turbines in an international arbitration under the ICC Rules and Brazilian law, seated in São Paulo, in a dispute arising from a supply, installation and maintenance of wind turbines agreement (proceedings in Portuguese).*
• Counsel to a corporation that imported and distributed home goods in an international arbitration under the ICC Rules and Brazilian law, seated in Brasília, in a dispute against a US supplier (proceedings in English).*
• Counsel to a distributor of automotive vehicles and agriculture machines in an arbitration under the ICDR Rules and Illinois law, seated in Chicago, in a dispute arising from the termination of a distribution agreement.*
• Counsel to a corporation of the sugar and alcohol industry in an arbitration under the CAM-CCBC Rules and Brazilian law, seated in São Paulo, in a dispute arising from a consortium agreement regarding the generation of energy from biomass (proceedings in Portuguese).*
• Counsel to a football club in an ad hoc arbitration subject to CAM-CCBC Rules and Brazilian law, seated in Recife, against a concessionary having the right to explore a sports arena (proceedings in Portuguese).*
• Counsel to an electric energy transmission company in an arbitration under the CAM-BOVESPA Rules and Brazilian law, seated in São Paulo, in a dispute arising from a stakeholder agreement, a purchase of social quotas agreement and the construction of a transmission line (proceedings in Portuguese).*
• Counsel to an investment fund in an arbitration under the FGV Rules and Brazilian law, seated in São Paulo, in a corporate dispute (proceedings in Portuguese).*
• Counsel to an investment fund in an arbitration under the rules of CAF-Federasul and Brazilian law, seated in Porto Alegre, in a corporate dispute and its correlated judicial litigation (proceedings in Portuguese).*
• Counsel to an individual in a corporate dispute regarding the sale and purchase of quotas, under the CAMARB Rules and Brazilian law, seated in São Paulo (proceedings in Portuguese).*

* Handled prior to joining Mayer Brown.

Prominent experience as an arbitrator includes:

• Co-arbitration in an international arbitration under the ICC Rules, seated in Paris and subject to French law, related to the construction sector.
• Sole Arbitrator in a domestic arbitration under the rules of Arbi-ON, seated in Curitiba, in a dispute related to the termination of an agency agreement.

• 2021, 2022, 2023 Who’s Who Arbitration: Future Leaders – non-partner (France).
• 2020 Who’s Who Arbitration: Future Leaders – non-partner (Brazil).
• “Isabela Lacreta is ‘one of the most prominent young practitioners’ in the field. Interviewees note that her ‘dedication to the cases, analytical skill and sharp thinking are widely acknowledged by the market’.”
• 2019 Who’s Who Arbitration: Future Leaders – non-partner (Brazil).
• Isabela Lacreta “‘has years of experience in both international and domestic cases’ and stands out as ‘excellent at all areas of arbitration law’.”

• University of São Paulo and Université Paris Nanterre , (double degree), PhD in Law, with honors
• University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas, Masters on Litigation, Arbitration and ADR and Diplôme Supérieur d’Université – International Private Law, with honors
• Pontifical Catholic University PUC/SP, Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

• Paris
• São Paulo
• Lisbon

• Englisch
• Französisch
• Portugiesisch
• Spanisch

• Member of the Brazilian Arbitration Committee (CBAr).
• Member of the Brazilian Chapter of the Club Español del Arbitraje (CEA).
• Member of ArbitralWomen.
• Member of young practitioners groups: ICC YAF, Inovarb (Amcham Brasil), Young ICCA, CEA-40, LATAP.