Aníbal Sabater is a licensed lawyer in the United States (California, District of Columbia), England and Wales (solicitor), and Spain, where he obtained his Ph.D. and practiced law in the field of international dispute resolution between 1997 and 2003. Later that year Aníbal joined the Houston office of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., where he specializes in international arbitration and the representation of clients in cross-cultural legal settings.

Aníbal usually serves as counsel in complex cases conducted in English and/or Spanish under major international arbitration rules such as the AAA/ICDR, ICC, ICSID, LCIA and UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.

Additionally, Aníbal Sabater is frequently appointed to serve as an arbitrator in international cases. He is a member of the ICDR international list of arbitrators and other arbitrator rosters detailed below.

The arbitration cases on which Aníbal has worked in recent times involved, among others, agency relationships, construction, distribution agreements, energy, foreign investment, joint ventures, project finance, maritime operations, intellectual property, sports and software disputes.

The seats of the international arbitration cases on which Aníbal has worked include Bogota, Cairo, Dallas, Houston, Geneva, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, Montevideo, New York, Paris, The Hague, Washington DC and Zurich. 

The laws applicable to resolve the arbitration cases on which Aníbal has worked include international law and the laws of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, England, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela, as well as the laws of the United States and some of its jurisdictions.

Aníbal's transnational legal experience extends to advising parties on pre-dispute matters (including the choice of dispute resolution methodologies) and conflict of foreign laws. He has also been involved in cross-border litigation, mediation and conciliation matters, as well as in cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. 

A frequent speaker on his field, in 2007 and 2008 Aníbal taught as an adjunct professor a course on the International Law of Foreign Investment at the University of Houston Law Center.

Aníbal's recent representative experience includes:

As counsel:

• Representing a North-American corporation in an arbitration involving the energy sector (ICC arbitration)
• Advising a party in connection with an energy dispute (AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules)
• Representing an electronic components manufacturer in an arbitration against a TV operator (arbitration conducted under the AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules, including the AAA Procedures for Large, Complex Commercial Disputes, as complemented by the AAA International Commercial Arbitration Supplementary Procedures)
• Representing a North-American corporation in an investment dispute against a Latin American government (UNCITRAL arbitration)
• Representing a North-American energy company in a contractual dispute against a Latin-American state-owned entity (UNCITRAL Arbitration; the case also involved 28 USC 1782 applications for discovery and depositions filed by the Latin-American state-owned company)
• Representing a US oil services company in a dispute against an Eurasian oil company (ICDR arbitration; as part of this representation, Aníbal successfully requested and obtained emergency interim relief for the U.S. company under Article 37 of the ICDR International Arbitration Rules; this was the third application of this nature ever granted)
• Representing a European construction company in an investment dispute against a Latin American government (ICSID arbitration)
• Representing a US energy company in investment disputes against two Latin American governments (two ICSID arbitrations)
• Representing a European company in financial disputes against two other European companies (two ICC arbitrations)
• Representing a Latin American company in a construction dispute against a consortium of US companies (ICC arbitration)
• Representing a US company in a dispute against a European company arising out of a distribution agreement (ICDR arbitration, plus subsequent enforcement proceedings before European courts)
• Representing a natural person in complex international family law dispute involving several European national and supra-national jurisdictions
• Representing a European soccer/football federation in an international dispute
• Advising a European public utility company in connection with a US federal and state-court multi-million dollar dispute involving complex issues of interaction with an ICSID arbitration

As an arbitrator:

• Chairman of the Arbitral Tribunal in construction dispute (ICC arbitration)
• Sole arbitrator in dispute involving American and Middle-Eastern companies (ICC arbitration)
• Emergency arbitrator in dispute involving services agreement (emergency proceedings under the AAA Optional Rules for Emergency Measures of Protection)
• Chairman of the arbitral tribunal in case involving chemical sector (IACAC/CIAC arbitration)
• Co-arbitrator in dispute arising out of agency relationship (ICDR arbitration)
• Sole arbitrator in dispute between European and American companies regarding oil services (ICDR arbitration)
• Co-arbitrator in dispute arising out of distribution agreements (ICDR arbitration)
• Chairman of the arbitral tribunal in software agreement dispute between Latin American companies (ICDR arbitration)
• Sole arbitrator in a construction dispute involving companies from Europe and the Americas (ICC arbitration)

Most of the above-listed cases involved complex issues and extensive briefing and oral argument.

• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators – Fellow
• International Centre for Dispute Resolution – International List of Arbitrators; 2007 - 2011 Chairman of Translation Committee
• Singapore International Arbitration Centre - Panel of Arbitrators 
• DR-CAFTA Chapter 20 – Roster of Arbitrators
• The Institute for Transnational Arbitration – Advisory Board, Executive Committee, and, from 2007 until 2009, Chairman of Young Arbitrators Initiative
• International Law Association - American Branch - Executive Board and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Committee, Chairman
• Spanish Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Law (Real Academia Española de Jurisprudencia y Legislación - Académico Correspondiente)
• Register of Arbitrators of the Houston Maritime Arbitrators Association
• Arbitrators' Roster of the Madrid Court of Arbitration
• Panel of Arbitrators of the Central America - Chile Free Trade Agreement
• List of Arbitrators of the International Center of Arbitration of the American Chamber of Commerce of Peru
• London Court of International Arbitration
• ICC Latin American Group
• Institute for International and Comparative Law - Advisory Board
• Houston Maritime Arbitrators' Association – Register of Arbitrators
• Mexico's National Chamber of Commerce (Cámara Nacional de Comercio de México, CANACO) - Mediation and Arbitration Center's Editorial Committee
• Academy of American and International Law Alumni Association,  Deputy Secretary General (2003 - 2004)
• Spanish Arbitration Club
• American Bar Association
• Madrid Bar Association
• Houston Bar Association
• State Bar of California - International Law Section

• Global Arbitration Review, "45 Under 45" Leaders List (2011)
• Chambers & Partners USA Guide, International Arbitration (2011): Aníbal Sabater "has impressed the market as 'a young partner developing a fantastic practice'"
• Latin Lawyer 250 (2011): Aníbal Sabater "is also rapidly making a name for himself in the field" of international arbitration
• Chambers Global Guide, International Arbitration - Latin America-wide (2011)
• Chambers & Partners USA Guide, International Arbitration (2010): "Aníbal Sabater is an up and coming member of the practice and identified as a future leader of the market"
• Global Arbitration Review 100 (2010): "Aníbal Sabater, a lynchpin of work run from the US"
• Chambers & Partners Latin America, International Arbitration (2010): "[Fulbright's] Kevin O'Gorman and Aníbal Sabater efficiently and effectively tackle difficult and complex situations with impressive dexterity, timeliness and success"
• Chambers & Partners USA Guide, International Arbitration (2009): "Interviewees predict great things for rising star Anibal Martin Sabater, who wins praise for his expertise in Latin American disputes."
• "The International Who's Who of Commercial Arbitration" (2010)
• "Guide to the World's Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration,"  The Legal Media Group (2010)
• "Guide to the World's Leading Experts in Commercial Arbitration," The Legal Media Group (2008) (100 U.S. lawyers were listed in the Guide)
• "500 New Stars, New Worlds," Lawdragon (2006) (This publication, based on peer reviews, listed the "500 new star attorneys" in international practice)
• Honorary Degree (Diploma de Honor) for excellence in teaching international arbitration – Universidad Mayor de San Andrés – Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Políticas, La Paz (2007)
• Judge in the Currents STCL Chester Taylor Writing Competition (2006)
• Spanish Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Law (Real Academia Española de Jurisprudencia y Legislación), Appointed (Académico Correspondiente) (2005)
• Japan Essay Contest Prize, in recognition of an essay on the development of Spain - Japan bilateral relations (1996)

In English:

•  The Influence of Investment on Commercial Arbitration:  Should the Small Fish Eat the Big One?," News and Notes from The Institute for Transnational Arbitration, Vol. 25, Number 1, Page 1, First Quarter 2011
• "When Arbitration Begins Without A Seat," Journal of International Arbitration 27(5): 443–472, 2010
• "Towards Transparency in Arbitration (A Cautious Approach)," Berkeley Journal of International Law — The Publicist, Vol. 5, Page 47, 2010
• "Foreign Investment Arbitration in the Global Interdependent Economy," Michigan State Journal of International Law, Vol. 18, Issue 1, Page 131, 2009
• "Practicing International Arbitration: A New Landscape," ILSA Quarterly, Vol. 17, Issue 1, Page 16, October 2008
• "Arbitration, EU Regulation 44/2001, and The 'Italian Torpedo'," News and Notes from The Institute for Transnational Arbitration, Vol. 22, Number 3, Page 1, Summer 2008 
• Co-authored with Jonathan Sutcliffe, "UNCITRAL Arbitration: New Rules on Transparency?," Mealy's International Arbitration Report, Vol. 23, No. 5, Page 32, May 2008
• "Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in Civil, Commercial, and Investment Matters," ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law, Vol. 14, Page 461, 2008
• "International Arbitration and the Making of the World Order," at CDI/LAWS web-page
• "28 USC 1782(a): Arbitration Goes to Court in the U.S.," 12 LCIA News, Volume 2,  Page 27, July 2007
• Co-authored with Mark Friedman, Ian Laird, Emily J. Mathieu, Steven Michaels, Kevin O'Gorman, Dietmar W. Prager, and Ben H. Sheppard, Jr., "International Legal Developments in Review: 2006 – International Arbitration," 41 The International Layer, Volume 2, Page 251, Summer 2007
• Co-authored with William D. Wood, "CAFTA: New  Horizons for Free Trade Agreements," 6 Latin Lawyer Magazine, Issue 4, Page 37, May 2007
• Co-authored with John P. Bowman, "International Energy Disputes: Regional Developments – Latin America," Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Trends in Energy Litigation 2007,  Page 7
• Co-authored with David Chung, "On the Air in Three, Two, One ... Witness Examination by Videoconference in International Arbitration," 59 International Law Section e-brief/State Bar of California, December 2006
•  Co-authored with C. Mark Baker, "ADR Continental Adrift," The National Law Journal, November 27, 2006
• "National Courts, Supranational Courts and Arbitral Tribunals in International Litigation," 14 Currents - International Trade Law Journal 3, Summer 2005
• Co-authored with C. Mark Baker, "Under-Privileged in the E.U.," Corporate Counsel, April 2005
• "The Weaknesses of the "Rosatti Doctrine": Ten Reasons Why ICSID's Standing Provisions Do Not Discriminate Against Local Investors," 15 Am. Rev. Int. Arb. 465, 2004
• Co-authored with Miguel Angel Fernandez-Ballesteros, "The New Spanish Insolvency Act," The European Lawyer, July 2003

In Spanish:

• "La Prueba en el Sistema Anglosajón" (Evidence in the Common Law System) La Ley / Kluwer, Vol. 4, February 8, 2011, 8 and ff.
• Co-authored with Efrén C. Olivares, "Reconocimiento y Ejecución de Laudos Extranjeros Anulados: Tendencias Globales" (Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Annulled Award: Global Trends), Revista Ecuatoriana de Arbitraje, 2010, pages 213 and ff.
• Co-authored with Jennifer L. Price, "Tendencias en el Arbitraje Internacional:  Resultados de la Encuesta de Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. en 2006" (International Arbitration Trends: Findings of the 2006 Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.'s Survey), 2 Boletín Informativo Canaco 5, May 2008
• "El Incumplimiento de la Obligación de Mediar establecida en las Cláusulas Med-Arb" (The Breach of the Obligation to Mediate Provided for in Med-Arb Clauses), 1 Boletín Informativo Canaco 6, January 2007
• Prologue to Harold Lantan, El Arbitraje en los Tratados de Libre Comercio (Arbitration in Free Trade Agreements), book, San Salvador, 2006
• Normas Comunitarias de Derecho procesal Civil Comentadas (Comments to the EU Regulations on Dispute Resolution) book, Madrid, 2004
• Co-authored with C. Mark Baker, "Últimas Tendencias en los Litigios de Empresa," Latest Trends in Corporate Litigation, Otrosi, Madrid Bar Association Review, November 2004
• Co-authored with Miguel Ángel Fernández-Ballesteros et al., Comentarios a la Nueva Ley Concursal (Comments to Spain's New Insolvency Act), book, Madrid, 2003"
• La Oposicion a la Ejecucion Forzosa: Algunos Problemas (Opposing the Execution of Judgments: Some Problems)," Cuadernos de Derecho Judicial XXIV, 2003
• Eficacia en España de los Laudos Arbitrales Extranjeros (The Effects in Spain of Foreign Arbitral Awards) book, Madrid, 2001
• "La Renuncia al Arbitraje Pactado: su Verdadero Objeto" (Waiver of an Arbitration Agreement: Its Genuine Object), La Ley - Kluwer, May 2001
• "La Reserva de Alegaciones para un Segundo Proceso en la Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil" (Reserving Causes of Action for a Second Procedure under the Civil Procedure Law), La Ley - Kluwer, May 2001  
• "El Dies a Quo de la Firmez de un Laudo," (When Does an Award Become Final and Binding?), Tribunales de Justicia - Kluwer, March 2001
• "La Designación de los árbitros en el Arbitraje Ad Hoc," (The Appointment of Arbitrators in Ad-Hoc Arbitration), Tribunales de Justicia - Kluwer, March 2001
•  Co-authored with Miguel Ángel Fernández-Ballesteros et al., Comentarios a la Nueva Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil (Comments to the New Spanish Civil Procedural Law), Madrid, 2000
•  "Antecedentes Romanos de la Ejecución Forzosa Contemporánea," (Roman Antecedents of the Contemporary Execution of Judgments), Revista de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Complutense, Review of the Universidad Complutense Faculty of Law, 1999 

In German:

• Co-authored with M. Gomez Jene, "Auswirkungen des neuen Zivilprozessrechts auf die internationale Schiedsgerichtsbarkeit" (Effects of the New Spanish Civil Procedural Law on International Arbitration), Recht der Internationales Wirtschaft (Law of International Trade) January 2001; this article was later translated into Hungarian: "Spanyolország: Az új polgári eljárásjog kihatásai a nemzetközi választottbíráskodásra," A Magyar Jogász Egylet folyóirata, January 2002 

In French:

• "Section Panorama de jurisprudence espagnole" (Summary of Spanish Jurisprudence) published in the quarterly Paris-based journal Les Cahiers de l'Arbitrage (Arbitration Notebooks)

Recent representative speaking engagements include:

• Panelist, "The 10 Most Important Things In-House Counsel Need toKnow about Arbitration Planning,"  Global Markets Symposium, The Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law, Dallas, Texas, June 2011
• Speech, "How to Prepare for an Investment Arbitration," Club de la Unión, Quito, Ecuador, February 2011
• Speech, "How Oil and Gas Disputes Have Shaped Modern International Arbitration," UCL School of Energy and Resources, Adelaide, Australia, June 2011 (by videoconference)
• Panelist, "Local v. International Arbitration," ICC YAF, Quito, Ecuador, February 2011
• Panelist, "Introduction to the ICDR Rules," CANACO, Mexico DF, Mexico, January 2011
• Moderator, "Transatlantic Connection: The Current Investment Climate in the EU," Spain-Texas Chamber of Commerce, 2010, Houston, Texas, November 2010
• Panelist, "Investment Arbitration: Is The Playing Field Leveled," ICC Young Arbitrators Forum, Miami, Florida, November 2010
• Moderator, "Human Rights in International Litigation," International Law Weekend, New York, New York, October 2010
• Speech, "The Taking of Evidence in the Common Law Legal System" ESADE Law School, Barcelona, Spain, October 2010
• Speech, "Investment and Commercial Arbitration:  Did the Small Fish Really Eat The Big One?," Houston International Arbitration Club, Houston, Texas, September 2010
• Panelist, "Resolving International Disputes If You Cannot Do It in U.S. Federal Court.  A Nightmare?  Problems and Solutions," The Center for American and International Law, 2010 Symposium:  Globalization for Inhouse and Outside Counsel, Dallas, Texas, June 2010
• Speech, "Conflicts of Legal Cultures in International Arbitration," La Paz Bar Association, La Paz, Bolivia, May 2010
• Panelist, "What are the potential pitfalls of transparency-enhanced procedures for the resolution of arbitration disputes?," Transparency in International Arbitration: A Focus On Best Practices, program sponsored by the ABILA, ASIL, Georgetown University Law Center and the International Dispute Resolution Committee of the International Law Section, DC Bar, Washington DC, April 2010
• Panelist, "Disputes among companies," ICDR/AIPN Conference, Dispute Resolution in the International Oil & Gas Business, Houston, Texas, April 2010
• Panelist, "The Influence of International Practice on Domestic Dispute Resolution," AAA/ICDR Conference, ADR Strategies That Save Time and Money, San Antonio, Texas, February 2010
• Presentation, "Towards Transparency in Arbitration (A Cautious Approach),"  The 2010 Stefan A. Riesenfeld Symposium, University of California Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), February 2010
• Panelist, "Drafting Dispute Resolution Provisions: Seat, Confidentiality and Drafting Options," University of Texas, International Energy Transactions Seminar, Houston, Texas, January 2010
• Panelist, "International Arbitration Practitioners' Roundtable," ICDR International ADR Reporting Program Series, Bogota, Colombia, November 2009
• Panelist, "Arbitration Roundtable:  Focus North America," ICDR International ADR Reporting Program Series, Lima, Peru, November 2009
• Panelist, "International Arbitration Trends in the American Hemisphere: The Arbitrators' Perspective," Puebla, Mexico, September 2009
• Instructor, "International Commercial Arbitration Seminar," Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, August 2009
• Speech, "Foreign Investment Arbitration in the Global Interdependent Economy," Michigan State University, College of Law, January 2009
• Moderator, "Advocacy in Commercial and Investment Treaty Arbitration: Differences and Common Patterns," International Law Weekend of the American Branch of the International Law Association, New York, New York, October 2008
• Moderator, "Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and Related Matters in International Insolvency Proceedings," International Law Weekend of the American Branch of the International Law Association, New York, New York, October 2008
• Panelist, "Energy Charter Treaty Arbitration," West Legal Education Center, Live Webcast, September 2008
• Moderator, "Costs and Interest in International Arbitration," Dallas Annual Roundtable - A Meeting for Young International Arbitrators, Dallas, Texas, June 2008
• Panelist, "Arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty," 2008 ABA Spring Meeting, New York, New York,  April 2008
• "International Arbitration: Latest Trends," Conference, Harvard Law School, Latin American Law Society - International Law Society, Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 2007

1999 - Ph.D., cum laude, Universidad Complutense in Madrid
1997 - J.D., first in the class, Universidad Complutense in Madrid

Aníbal was admitted to practice law in Spain in 1997, and in California in 2005. In 2006 he was admitted to the U.S. Southern District of Texas and the U.S. Central District of California. In 2008 he was admitted to the roll of solicitors in England and Wales. In 2011 he was admitted in the District of Columbia. He is also registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant in Texas.

Between 1998 and 2000, Aníbal made several research stays at the King's College Faculty of Law in London and at the Max Planck Institut for Auslandisches und Internationales Recht (Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Law) in Hamburg.

Between 1997 and 2002, Aníbal taught Dispute Resolution at the Faculty of Law of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, where he became an Associate Professor.

** A double asterisk denotes an attorney licensed as a Foreign Legal Consultant in Texas. Admitted to the practice of law in Spain, California, and England and Wales (solicitor).