Gautam Bhattacharyya welcomes Rebeca Mosquera, Reed Smith senior associate and the President of ArbitralWomen. Rebeca shares her career journey, detailing her path from Panama to Alaska, and then to New York, the mentors who have shaped her path, and the inspirations that fuel her future. The conversation then discusses the significance of ArbitralWomen, its notable achievements to date, and Rebeca's vision for the association's future reach and impact.

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Transcript: 

Intro: Hello and welcome to Arbitral Insights, a podcast series brought to you by our international arbitration practice lawyers here at Reed Smith. I'm Peter Rosher, Global Head of Reed Smith's International Arbitration Practice. I hope you enjoy the industry commentary, insights and anecdotes we share with you in the course of this series, wherever in the world you are. If you have any questions about any of the topics discussed, please do contact our speakers. And with that, let's get started.

Gautam: Hello, everyone, and welcome to our latest edition of our Spotlight On podcast series. And I'm delighted today to have as my guest, the fabulous Rebeca Mosquera, who is not only one of my colleagues at Reed Smith, based in our New York office, but is also the president of ArbitralWomen and does a wonderful role in that position and is a real champion for women in the world of international arbitration. In all its various forms. Hello, Rebeca.

Rebeca: Hello, Gautam. Thank you for the introduction and for the invitation. I don't know if you know this, but I have been following Spotlight On for a while now. And so it's exciting to finally be on the other side of the microphone today.

Gautam: Well, it's fabulous to have you. And I'm looking forward to our discussion, not least because we're going to be covering some topics I know of very much mutual interest and ones on which you are perfectly qualified to give us your thoughts. One of the things that I think is always wonderful is someone's background, how they got to where they are now. And I know because I know you well, Rebeca, that you've got a very interesting background to how you are where you are now as a senior attorney at Reed Smith in our New York office. It's a fascinating background and I wonder if we could begin with that and I could hand over to you to tell our listeners about your background, your journey to where you've got to where you are today.

Rebeca: Absolutely, Gautam. So as you know, I was born and raised in Panama, where my legal career started, mainly focusing on corporate transactions and domestic disputes. But, you know, life took a surprising turn when I moved to Alaska to work with Shell Oil. At Shell, I was involved in upstream and exploration work, which was an extraordinary experience. It truly gave me a deeper understanding of the business side of a large corporation. And I think that is something crucial for any attorney who wants to be well-rounded. After my time with Shell, I moved back into private practice, and that's when I had my first exposure to investor state arbitration, which is what I do now. It was a construction dispute, and I found myself learning everything about asphalt viscosity because the case centered on the rehabilitation of a major road network, part of the Pan American Highway that stretches across the Americas. And at that time, I had just finished my master's of science in project management. So that became real handy. And it was fascinating. And that's when I realized I wanted to dive deeper into this area of law. And that led me to further my studies at NYU, get dual qualified in New York. I was already qualified in Panama since 2004, 2005. And from there, I've had the opportunity to work on many international disputes, which has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding.

Gautam: Yeah, it's a real fascinating story you've got there, Rebeca, because, you know, you know, you're a native Spanish speaker. You had to learn English as a second language, which is not as easy as some people might think it is. And you've lived in many different countries. You've been exposed to many different cultures and ways of life. And now you're in New York. And did you come to New York because of your studies to do your master's? Was that the primary reason why you landed up in New York?

Rebeca: Yes, that was the primary reason why I landed in New York. But I'll be honest, Gautam, I never thought I would end up living in New York or Alaska for that matter. I studied law because I had no intention of leaving home, which is Panama. But here I am almost 20 years later. And something that you will appreciate, you know Manhattan well. So I lived at the NYU Law School campus in Greenwich Village. That's on 4th Street. And I remember at the beginning of my studies walking up to 14th Street, which is Union Square. And I'll tell myself, okay, this is as far as I will go today. I will not there go beyond 14th Street. I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the city. You will think after Alaska, I'll be ready for anything. But New York is its own kind of challenge. The energy here pulls you in and can take everything from you. But if you embrace it, the city gives back tenfold. Now, I am an avid walker, which has earned me the nickname of Juanita La Caminadora, kind of like Johnny Walker, but in the feminine version.

Gautam: That's very good. Now, I didn't know that, Rebeca. I didn't know you had that nickname ah now you i've learned something new!

Rebeca: Yes no I love walking and and honestly I did the same when i visited london for for the first time in in June 2021 obviously there was no much like no many people on the streets but and I walked everywhere and I feel it's the best way to discover you know those hidden gems that make each city so unique.

Gautam: Absolutely. No, no, that's, I couldn't agree more. And, you know, one of the other things that I know from your background, which is, which I think is, is fascinating, and which I think our listeners will be very interested in, as we deal with this particular segment is that you started out life in Panama as a corporate lawyer. And you know naturally because Panama is well known for being the hub for corporate transactions so not surprising then and then as you said you moved to the US to Alaska and you worked in the energy sector and then your practice gradually evolved into dispute resolution so tell us a little bit about sort of whether you still do any corporate work and how your corporate background has helped your dispute resolution work.

Rebeca: No, absolutely. You know, when you graduate in Panama, which is a civil law jurisdiction, you kind of do everything. But my focus was primarily on corporate. And, you know, I went from being a corporate attorney in Panama to focusing on disputes in the United States. That has helped me a lot because I've found a real niche in bringing or assessing disputes related to Latin America, not only in international arbitration, but cross-border litigation as well. So it really has been a way of building a wholesome practice. And while international arbitration and cross-border disputes are the core of my work, something, as you mentioned, many people might not know is that I have also developed a niche practice focused on luxury brands in Latin America. I often collaborate with our Paris office on these matters. It is a highly sophisticated area of law. It blends commercial, intellectual property, and contractual elements. And it is really fascinating. So, you know, for me, just having gone full circle from corporate to disputes and then somewhat back into corporate in a more niche area. It just makes my practice very interesting, dynamic. And now on top of that, I've become deeply invested in technology, particularly the role of AI in arbitration. And I think this is a shared interest, as you might know with my husband, Ben Malik, who shares the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center Task Force on the guidelines for using AI in arbitration. I think AI, it's really transforming how we approach everything in the legal field. And, you know, it's making processes far more efficient and dynamic. So, you know, like I said, although disputes are at the core of my work, I tend very, in an almost daily basis, to also do other types of things, mostly in the luxury field and in technical and tech disputes.

Gautam: Fabulous. Thank you, Rebeca. Yeah, I mean, see, the thing is, I know a lot about this, but I think our listeners will be fascinated by the many facets to your background, your practice and your interests. So thank you for sharing all of those great points with us. Now, let me ask a slightly different question. Given that you grew up in Panama, you practiced in Panama, then you went to Alaska, then you came to New York, along the way, you must have had a number of people who were very instrumental in making you who you are today. Some people who inspired you, who gave you incredible encouragement and who really helped you get to where you are today. I wonder whether you could share with our listeners some of those people who've been really important to you as you've made this progression through your life.

Rebeca: No, absolutely. I mean, there were, there've been, you know, a few key figures that immediately come to my mind. And I think that we'll be here a long time if I mention all of them by name. But, you know, of course, you'll be too humble, Gautam, but you have been one of those tremendous influences, the same as John Fellas, who you know well. Your leadership, champion