CPR Announces New Y-ADR Steering Committee

July 22, 2019

Prestigious dispute resolution leadership group is 28 members strong, with each appointed to serve a two-year term

New York – The International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), a global non-profit organization that advances dispute prevention and resolution practices and provides high quality solutions, has announced a new Young Attorneys in Alternative Dispute Resolution (Y-ADR) Steering Committee for 2019.

The Y-ADR program promotes the full spectrum of dispute resolution mechanisms with the younger generation of lawyers – those who are 45 years old or younger or those with less than eight years of professional experience in international ADR practice. Through periodic seminars and other initiatives, Y-ADR participants gain an insider’s look at the role of dispute resolution processes and practices in corporations and multinational organizations. More importantly, they have an opportunity to network with in-house counsel and experts in the field.           

Y-ADR Steering Committee is the leadership group for Y-ADR.  The Steering Committee is composed of young in-house counsel and practitioners at leading corporations and law firms around the world.  CPR’s Y-ADR Steering Committee members are selected through a competitive process and new members serve for a two-year term.                 

“We are delighted to welcome the newest members of the Committee, who reflect the breadth, diversity, and skills of CPR’s membership, and look forward to working with them on innovative programs and events for Y-ADR,” said Natalie Reid, Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton and Co-Chair of the Y-ADR Steering Committee.

The new Y-ADR Steering Committee has a mix of new members and continuing members. The following new Y-ADR Steering Committee Members have been appointed for a two-year term ending at the end of June 2021:

Corporate:

Jason Klingensmith, General Motors - AGC, Complex Litigation & VSSM, Detroit, MI
David Schumacher, GSK - GELRT Managing Attorney (Global External Legal Relations Team - Legal), Philadelphia, PA
John Packer, Bechtel - Senior Legal Counsel, Dubai, UAE
Daniel Huth, Shell - Legal Counsel Global Litigation, Hamburg, Germany
Ross Andre, Southern Company - Senior Litigation Counsel , Atlanta, GA
Aaron Rofkahr, Chevron Upstream, a division of Chevron U.S.A. - Senior Counsel - Litigation, San Ramon, CA
Eduardo Palinkas, HPE, Brazil - Country Legal Counsel – Head of Legal, Senior Litigation Manager - Brazil, Latin America and Canada, São Paulo, Brazil

Law Firm:

Patricia D. Cruz Trabanino, Jenner & Block - Associate, International Arbitration and Public International Law, Washington, DC
Antonia Birt, Freshfields - Senior Associate, Dubai, UAE
Ulyana Bardyn, Dentons - Senior Managing Associate, New York, NY
Elizabeth Chan, Three Crowns - Associate, London, UK
Anna Stockamore, Shearman & Sterling - Associate, Washington, DC
Gretta Walters, Chaffetz Lindsey - Counsel, New York, NY
Ahmed Abdel-Hakam, Eversheds Sutherland - Senior Associate, London, UK
Saadia Bhatty, Gide - Counsel, London, UK

"I am very honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside such a vibrant and diverse group of talented practitioners to aid towards the development and promotion of CPR's activity globally,” said Saadia Bhatty, Counsel at Gide in London and a member of the incoming Steering Committee group. “In particular, I look forward to plan with my fellow colleagues from the CPR-Young steering committee a series of memorable and insightful events, bringing in house counsel and private practitioners, public and private sectors, and members from younger and more experienced generations, together to contribute constructively through exchange and debate to a richer and more diverse world for dispute resolution services."

The members of the Y-ADR Steering Committee who were previously members and will continue to serve for an additional one-year term include:

Alberto F. Ravell, ConocoPhillips - Senior Counsel - Arbitrations, Houston, TX (Co-Chair)
Natalie L. Reid, Debevoise & Plimpton - Partner, New York, NY (Co-Chair)
Nicole Appert, GE Energy - Executive Counsel, Baden, Switzerland
Brian A. Briz, Holland & Knight - Partner, Miami, FL
Peter C. Buckley, Fox Rothschild - Partner, Philadephia, PA
Mee Choi, AEGIS Insurance Services - Senior Litigation Counsel, East Rutherford, NJ
James Freeman, Allen & Overy - Partner, London, UK
Benjamin Graham, Williams & Connolly - Associate, Washington, DC
Christina Hollander, Visa - Litigation and Competition Counsel, Foster City, CA
Nicolas Eduardo Lopez, United Technologies Corporation - Director, Legal Affairs & Business Development for Otis Latin America, São Paulo, Brazil
James McCarrie, Aetna - Provider Litigation Attorney, Blue Bell, PA
James D. Pike, Fluor Corporation - Assistant General Counsel, Dallas, TX
Derek A. Soller, Baker & McKenzie - Partner, New York, NY

The new Y-ADR Steering Committee members succeed those who have stepped down after completing a two-year term. Here is a list of those whose terms have ended:

David Earnest, Shearman & Sterling LLP, Washington, DC, USA
Kiran N. Gore, Three Crowns, Washington, DC, USA
Katie Gray, Bechtel OG&C, London, UK
Thalita Jorge, BP Biocombustíveis | BP Biofuels, Brooklin, São Paulo – SP, BRazil
Gustavo Santos Kulesza, Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados, Itaim, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Bridget Lankford, GlaxoSmithKline, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Viren Mascarenhas, King & Spaulding, New York, NY, USA
Sarah McEachern, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Tom Miles, shell International Limited, London, UK
Patrick Pearsall, Jenner & Block LLP, Washington, DC, USA
Juliano Pescuma Rodriguez, HP Inc., Alphaville, Berueri – SP, Brazil
Pavlos Petrovas, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, New York, NY, USA
Lee Rovinescu, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, New York, NY USA
Karyn Sullivan, Labatt Breweries of Canada, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Toronto, ON, Canada
Tomas Vail, White & Case LLP, London, UK 

“The CPR Y-ADR Steering Committee provided me with an invaluable opportunity to collaborate and engage with talented dispute resolution practitioners from a broad spectrum of industries and professional backgrounds,” said outgoing Committee member David Earnest of Shearman & Sterling LLP.

 “We thank these retiring members for their leadership and support of Y-ADR and look forward to their involvement in other CPR activities going forward,” said Olivier André, CPR’s SVP, International, and staff liaison to the Y-ADR group.

Access a full listing of current Y-ADR Steering Committee and its Members. For more information about the Y-ADR, please visit: https://www.cpradr.org/y-adr.

About CPR

Established in 1977, CPR is an independent nonprofit organization that helps prevent and resolve legal conflict effectively and efficiently.

• CPR Dispute Resolution is an ADR provider offering quality, efficiency and integrity via innovative and practical arbitration rules, mediation and other dispute resolution services and procedures—as well as arbitrators, mediators and other neutrals, worldwide.
• The CPR Institute, the world’s leading ADR think tank, positions CPR uniquely as a thought leader, driving a global prevention and dispute resolution culture and utilizing its powerful committee structure to develop cutting edge tools, training and resources. These efforts are powered by the collective innovation of CPR’s membership—comprising top corporations and law firms, academic and public institutions, and leading mediators and arbitrators around the world.