A Q&A With Aristeo Lopez and Farhod Sharipov

With a team consisting of 13 nationalities and a dozen languages, Clark Hill’s International Trade roster embodies the diversity and global reach of its clients. 

In the second installment of a Q&A series featured on the backgrounds of the international arbitration attorneys, Aristeo Lopez and Farhod Sharipov discuss their work with the Mexican and Uzbekistan governments, respectively, and how they have adapted their previous work to international arbitration matters with Clark Hill.

Aristeo let’s start with your 20-year career in the Mexican government. 

I started with the government in 2000 and began working on international trade matters with the Office of General Counsel on trade negotiations. That office represents Mexico in all international trade and investment disputes. I got a chance to be involved in international disputes, international trade, investments, and negotiations of trade and investment treaties. I also provided legal advice to companies and the government about the scope and implementation of those treaties.

Farhod, how did you get involved in Uzbekistan’s government?

I was called by the Minister of Justice while still in law school to start my career with the international legal department. We were responsible for international relations, international investment, and commercial disputes, and we defended the country from investors who brought investment arbitration claims. From there, I got picked to be part of the President’s Administration National Security Council. It was a great honor for me to be selected for this post. 

At the President’s Office, I prepared analytical reports on policy and defense for Central Asian and CIS member countries by contributing to strategic decision-making and coordinating efforts addressing critical issues such as human trafficking, combating money laundering, and the control of chemical and biological weapons. I prepared analytical reports and proposals representing Uzbekistan’s position on discussions in the UN Security Council, showcasing diplomatic acumen.

I worked there until 2017 when I returned to the Minister of Justice as the head of the international legal department. I drafted, reviewed, and negotiated intergovernmental and interstate memoranda, and issued legal opinions on state guarantee and investment projects on behalf of Uzbekistan. I successfully attracted grants from international organizations, including USAID, JICA, KOIKA, TICA, and financial institutions such as ADB and EBRD, contributing to the development of the justice system in Uzbekistan.

Let’s transition to how you both came to the US. Aristeo how did your career bring you to Washington, D.C.?

In 2014 I was appointed legal counsel at the Mexican embassy in DC. My daughter was 1 year old at the time. I started to work at the Embassy by basically doing what I used to do in Mexico City, but it was more focused on the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico trade relationship. No two countries in the world trade more with each other than the US and Mexico, so it’s the most important trade relationship in the world.

In 2017, President Trump demanded Canada and Mexico renegotiate NAFTA, and I was appointed to be part of Mexico’s negotiation team. That was one of the most remarkable experiences I had as a government official. I was the lead negotiator of the government procurement and investment chapters of the agreement and provided legal advice on other areas, such as financial services and energy. It was a lot of responsibility and a lot of stress, as you can imagine. It took about a year and a half and then even more for it to get implemented in July 2020.

Farhod, how did you move here from Uzbekistan?

My journey was quite straightforward. While representing Uzbekistan in arbitration matters involving private claimants and law firms, I realized that this was a growing field. I wanted to expand my experience from the private sector perspective and networked quite extensively with professionals in this area of law. At the time, international arbitration was a relatively new field in Uzbekistan, and there were few experts with global experience. To contribute to the development of investment and arbitration legislation in my country, I pursued an academic path at the University of Miami to gain deeper expertise and help drive reform.

Focusing on your practices today, how are you connecting your home countries to the US?

Lopez: We continue to grow our international arbitration team, which is great because that has broadened the work I do for clients. Before that expansion, I was mainly advising US and Mexican companies on the USMCA. 

I still get a lot of questions from clients as to what’s going on in Mexico in terms of trade regulations that directly affect US exports or imports, and the investment climate. Mexico had its Presidential election in June and the new Administration took over October 1. Also, the US elections occur next month, so it’s a very interesting part of the year because the trade agenda between the two countries is intense, despite all these political changes and because of the challenges ahead. Trade doesn’t stop, so I get questions about how changes in regulations affect trade relationships in the region. 

Sharipov: I’m working on attracting clients from the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), Central Asia and East Asia, and China. With Clark Hill, we can offer a wide range of legal services connected with sanctions, immigration trade, and truly everything. One example of my work involves advising Uzbek clients on construction, trade, and sanctions matters. Besides, my experience in international law and arbitration has led to appointments as a presiding arbitrator and co-arbitrator in 11 commercial arbitration cases by the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan. I have also shared my knowledge as a speaker at international arbitration and mediation workshops organized by institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and Tashkent International Arbitration Center in Uzbekistan.