Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution

Perfil

Rubén Darío Gómez Arnaiz earned his law degree from the Escuela Libre de Derecho. The education he received from his alma mater, together with the different facets of his professional practice, have shaped him into a lawyer who, without neglecting the importance of specialization, maintains a broad perspective and takes interest in all dimensions of legal challenges, including technical, ethical, philosophical, and genuinely human aspects.

His initial legal training (1992–1997) was rigorous in Private Law, enabling him to confidently navigate contracts and Commercial Law matters.

He later pursued a Master’s Degree in International Law at the University of Strasbourg (1999–2000), where he developed an understanding of issues related to international legal transactions from both the perspective of private actors (Private International Law and international contracts) and the multilateral and regional trade frameworks (WTO Law and regional trade agreements).

Shortly thereafter, he discovered what would become his greatest passion and primary area of specialization: International Commercial Arbitration (Diploma Program from the International Chamber of Commerce, Mexico, 2001).

He founded Gómez Arnaiz Abogados, a boutique law firm specialized in Tax Law (2000–2014). In 2014, he joined Ramos, Ripoll & Schuster as partner in charge of the Tax and International Commercial Arbitration practices. Although this may seem like an unusual combination, the multidisciplinary nature of the firm aligns well with Rubén Darío’s broad vision and approach.

Experiencia Profesional

International Commercial Arbitration Practice

Rubén Darío has more than 20 years of experience in commercial arbitration. He has primarily acted as counsel to parties, although he has also served as sole arbitrator and member of arbitral tribunals.

He has participated in domestic and international proceedings under the principal arbitration rules, including International Chamber of Commerce, International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Centro de Arbitraje de México, Cámara Nacional de Comercio de la Ciudad de México, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, London Court of International Arbitration, as well as in ad hoc proceedings.

The disputes in which he has participated have mainly involved infrastructure-related projects, including natural gas supply, electricity coverage and clean energy, transmission lines, power plant construction, public-private partnerships, and port terminals. He has also handled disputes involving a wide range of economic activities, such as industrial real estate, construction, mining, pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery, international air transportation, cosmetics, wine, tequila, and controlled-environment agriculture, among others.

Rubén Darío has worked with numerous types of contracts, including construction contracts (including a FIDIC case), international sales of goods, supply agreements, distribution agreements, transportation agreements, franchise agreements, and others. He has interpreted and applied various legal frameworks, including Mexican commercial laws, uniform law instruments such as the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods , the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (PICC), and the Montreal Convention. In two cases, he applied U.S. commercial law.

Tax Practice

Rubén Darío’s Tax Law practice dates back to 2002 and has primarily focused on litigation. Thanks to the team he built at Ramos, Ripoll & Schuster and the additional academic training he obtained through a specialization in Tax Law at the Escuela Libre de Derecho, he has successfully expanded his practice into domestic and international tax advisory services.

As a litigator, he has represented clients in all types of tax proceedings and before all relevant authorities, including tax audits and verification powers, administrative enforcement proceedings, tax guarantees, deferred and installment payment agreements, settlement agreements and complaints before Procuraduría de la Defensa del Contribuyente, tax refunds, offsets, compliance with formal obligations, administrative appeals, nullity trials, direct constitutional appeals (amparos), and constitutional challenges against general regulations, among others.

He has advised individuals, corporations, and business groups, both Mexican and foreign residents, of all sizes and across a broad variety of industries, particularly real estate, export maquiladoras, and more recently digital platforms and virtual assets. His collaboration with specialists from other practice areas of the firm is constant and enriching in projects involving corporate, labor, social security, administrative, and international trade matters, among others.

Formación Académica

1. President of the Student Association (1996–1997).
2. President of the Jalisco Chapter of the Barra Mexicana Colegio de Abogados (2009–2011).
3. President of the Jalisco Arbitration Committee of International Chamber of Commerce Mexico (2012–2018).
4. Member of the Arbitration Commission of International Chamber of Commerce Mexico (since 2001).
5. Member of the Arbitration Commission of the Cámara Nacional de Comercio de la Ciudad de México (2019).
6. Doctorate studies in Law at Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City (2006–2008).
7. Undergraduate and graduate professor at Universidad Panamericana, Guadalajara Campus, teaching International Commercial Arbitration, International Trade, International Contracts, and Private International Law (2002–2022).
8. Pioneer in arbitration competitions and coach of university teams for Moot México (CAM) and the Willem C. Vis Moot in Vienna. He also drafted the hypothetical case for the first edition of the UP-ICC Mexico Moot (2006–2012).

Publications and Conferences

1. “Conflicts of Hierarchy of Norms in International Commercial Arbitration,” Academia Mexicana de Derecho Internacional Privado y Comparado, 2014.
2. “A Civil Arbitration Law Based on the Principle of Subsidiarity as a Key to the Proper Implementation of Arbitration in Jalisco,” in Jorge Carpizo National Law Chair, Institute for Legal Research of UNAM, 2014.
3. “A Practical Tax Law Case,” in Practical Cases of Ethics for Legal Professionals in Mexico, Tirant lo Blanch, Mexico, 2019.
4. Co-author of the Draft Civil Arbitration Law for the State of Jalisco, in collaboration with the Instituto de Justicia Alternativa del Estado de Jalisco, 2022.
5. Speaker at dozens of conferences and courses related to international commercial arbitration and tax litigation.

Área de Práctica

• Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Tax (Advisory & Litigation)

Idiomas

Spanish, English, French.

Certificaciones, Rankings, Publicaciones, Afiliaciones

2026 Edition Best Lawyers Awards: Arbitration and Mediation and International Arbitration

Perfil

Diego Álvarez joined Ramos, Ripoll & Schuster in June 2012. He holds a law degree (J.D. equivalent) from Universidad Panamericana, Guadalajara Campus, and an LL.M. in Energy and Natural Resources Law from Queen Mary University of London, where he was awarded a Chevening Scholarship granted by the British Government.

He has also completed postgraduate studies in commercial arbitration, project finance, and energy law. Upon completing his studies in London, he undertook a professional secondment with the international law firm Clifford Chance in 2018.

Experiencia Profesional

With more than 14 years of professional experience, Diego has focused his practice on infrastructure and energy projects, as well as international arbitration.

Diego has advised a wide range of domestic and international clients on the negotiation, structuring, financing, and implementation of complex infrastructure and energy transactions throughout Mexico and Latin America.

In the infrastructure sector, Diego has been involved in all stages of projects including highways, hospitals, railways, ports, dams, pipelines, and airports. He also has extensive experience in public-private partnerships (PPPs), having advised clients on the successful implementation of PPP structures at the federal, state, and municipal levels, as well as assisting governmental entities in related matters, including the drafting and development of state-level PPP legislation.

Within the power industry, Diego has advised numerous clients throughout all phases of power generation projects involving various technologies, including utility-scale and distributed-generation solar photovoltaic projects, wind farms, combined-cycle power plants, and geothermal facilities. He has also participated in the development of transmission lines, substations, and other types of electrical infrastructure. Diego regularly provides specialized regulatory advice on electricity matters, including the structuring of new business models and operations, migration into the wholesale electricity market, risk identification and mitigation strategies, and legal due diligence for potential acquisitions and divestitures.

Diego also has significant experience in arbitration, having participated as counsel in both commercial and investment arbitration proceedings conducted under the rules of institutions such as the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce), LCIA (London Court of International Arbitration), CIETAC (China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission), CAM (Centro de Arbitraje de México), and CANACO (Mexico City National Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Center). The disputes in which he has been involved primarily relate to energy and infrastructure matters, as well as commercial disputes arising from international sales transactions, distribution agreements, and corporate matters.

Between 2018 and 2019, Diego completed a professional secondment in the Project Finance and International Arbitration practices of Clifford Chance in London.

Diego has been recognized in the Energy and Natural Resources and Infrastructure Projects categories by Legal 500 (since 2022) and Chambers & Partners (since 2025). In 2024, he was named “Rising Star of the Year” in the Infrastructure Projects category by Legal 500.

Formación Académica

Diego served as Professor of Private International Law at Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) from 2023 to 2025.

He has authored numerous publications on energy, infrastructure, arbitration, and public-private partnerships. He is also a frequent speaker at conferences, seminars, and academic programs on these subjects throughout Mexico and Latin America.

Education

1. LL.B. (J.D. equivalent), Universidad Panamericana, Guadalajara Campus (Mexico), 2013.
2. Diploma in International Arbitration, Universidad Panamericana, Guadalajara Campus (Mexico), 2015.
3. Diploma in Energy Law, Escuela Libre de Derecho (Mexico), 2016.
4. LL.M. in Energy and Natural Resources Law, Queen Mary University of London (United Kingdom), 2018.

Área de Práctica

• Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Energy & Natural Resources
• Infrastructure & Public Procurement

Idiomas

Spanish, English

Certificaciones, Rankings, Publicaciones, Afiliaciones

Associates to watch: Energy & Natural Resources: Power, Band 4

Associates to watch: Energy & Natural Resources: Power, Band 4

Leading associate: Projects and infrastructure

Testimonios

Perfil

Camila Gutiérrez Villaseñor is a law student at the Universidad Panamericana. She joined Ramos, Ripoll & Schuster in 2023 at the Guadalajara office and is currently a member of the Tax and Foreign Trade team.

Experiencia Profesional

Camila works in the Tax and Foreign Trade department.

Formación Académica

She worked at the OZ Toyota Country agency in the marketing and finance departments, helping to plan the launch of Toyota’s Prius model.

She worked for a year at the Murillo Gallegos law firm, where she assisted in the Corporate and Business practice.

She is a co-founder of Tranzit, an app focused on disputing vehicle-related debts, which is about to celebrate its second year in operation.

She attended high school at the Instituto de Ciencias and participated in an academic exchange program at Pitt Meadows Secondary School in Vancouver, Canada, where she and her team won first place in a national debate competition.

Área de Práctica

• Arbitration & Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Tax (Advisory & Litigation)

Idiomas

Spanish, English, German