International human rights law firms

Ignacio J. Álvarez

Ignacio J. Álvarez

Ignacio J. Álvarez is a former special rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and current Co-Chair of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) Human Rights Interest Group. Additionally, his experience includes four years of private practice within the litigation department of Baker & McKenzie, an international law firm, and eight years as staff attorney for the IACHR. Mr. Álvarez has extensive international human rights litigation practice representing individuals before the Universal Human Rights System (United Nations) and the Inter-American Human Rights System, including numerous high-profile cases. He is the author of several published academic articles on human rights and has been invited to serve as speaker at seminars, conferences, and meetings in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Mr. Álvarez is an attorney (Catholic University Andres Bello, Venezuela, 1989) and holds a master’s degree in international legal studies from American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia and served on the Steering Committee of its International Law Section. Additionally, he is also a member of the American Bar Association. Mr. Álvarez is based in Washington, D.C. and is the founding and executive director of IHR Legal.

Paulo Abrão

Paulo Abrão

Paulo Abrão is a Visiting Scholar at Brown University and served as the executive secretary of both the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) based in Washington D.C., and the MERCOSUR Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights (IPPDH) in Buenos Aires (Argentina). Moreover, Abrão held the following renowned positions: National Secretary of Justice, President of the National Committee for Refugees, Presidente of the Amnesty Commission and President of the National Committee against Human Trafficking in Brazil. He’s spearheaded international cooperation projects in conjunction with various U.N. entities, including the UNDP, UNESCO, UNODC, UNHCR, IOM and OHCHR. He has extensive experience in providing advice and technical cooperation in the field of human rights. He is affiliated with various academic organizations in the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Spain, as well as advises non-governmental organizations. Paulo Abrão is the author of numerous books and articles on human rights and is frequently consulted by the media for his insight. He holds a law degree (Brazil, 1997), a postgraduate degree from the University of Chile, a master’s degree in Public Law (2000) and a PhD in Law from the Pontifical University of Rio de Janeiro (2010). He is an international consultant and a member of the Brazilian Bar Association. * He is currently based between Brazil and Providence/USA and is the director of Rule of Law, Public Policy and Compliance at IHR LEGAL.

Walter J. Albán

Walter J. Albán

Walter Albán is a lawyer and holds a master’s degree in Human Rights. He is a senior professor and former Dean of the Law School of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). Mr. Alban also served as the director of the Master in Law program with emphasis in Jurisdictional Policy at the Graduate School of the same university, where he is also a member of the Institute of Democracy and Human Rights. Between 2000 and 2005 he was ombudsman of Peru, and between 2012 and 2013 he was ambassador of Peru to the OAS. In addition, he was appointed as minister of the Interior of Peru. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of PROETICA, an institution composing the Peruvian chapter of Transparency International, and of the Board of Directors of the Due Process of Law Foundation in Washington, D.C.. In arbitration matters, he is a member of the panel of arbitrators of the Lima Chamber of Commerce and of the International Arbitration Center of the American Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he is vice-president of the Court of the Arbitration Center of the PUCP, member of the Advisory Committee of the Peruvian Arbitration Institute (IPA) and of the Peruvian National Group before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. He is currently based in Peru and is of counsel of IHR LEGAL.

Carlos Vicente de Roux

Carlos Vicente de Roux

Carlos Vicente de Roux is a former judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. His experience also includes having been presidential advisor for human rights in Colombia wherein he coordinated the design of government policy on human rights, the preparation of related draft laws, and organized inter-institutional operations to promote the implementation of this policy. Moreover, he served as Colombia’s representative before international human rights bodies and was coordinator of the team responsible for the preparation of Colombia’s National Human Development Report, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations Development Program. Furthermore, as human rights advisor of the Social Foundation, he directed projects in partnership with different UN organizations and agencies, such as UNICEF, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the International Organization for Migration. As an academic, he has been a professor at various universities and is the author of several investigations. Additionally, he has served as a legal advisor and member of boards of directors of renowed public and private entities, including non-governmental organizations. He is a lawyer from the Externado University of Colombia (1975). He is currently based in Colombia and is of counsel of IHR LEGAL.

José Antonio Guevara

José Antonio Guevara

Jose Antonio Guevara was a member and twice chair of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention between 2016 and 2020. His professional career includes serving as executive director of the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, as well as coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean Coalition for the International Criminal Court. Additionally, he was the head of the Unit for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights of the Mexican Ministry of Interior, and held high-level positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he represented the Mexican State before international human rights bodies. In addition, he worked as a general visitor in the Ombudsman’s Office of Mexico City. As an academic, he has worked as a professor at various universities, has been selected the speaker at national and international seminars and conferences, and he is the author of several studies and books. He is a university professor and member of the advisory board of a number of organizations, such as Minority Rights Group International, the Consultative Assembly of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination of Mexico, and the Transitional Justice Council MX. He holds a law degree from the Ibero-American University, Mexico City Campus (1996), and a PhD in Law from the University Carlos III of Madrid (2003). He is currently based in Mexico and is an of counsel lawyer of IHR LEGAL.

Cruz Sánchez de Lara

Cruz Sánchez de Lara

Cruz Sánchez de Lara is a former executive advisor to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for East Africa. She is currently president of the non-governmental organization “THRibune for Human Rights”; and vice-president of the Board of Directors of the newspaper El Español. She is an international human rights activist, partner of Sánchez de Lara Abogados and patron of Alianza por la Solidaridad, the Spanish chapter of the international non-governmental organization Action Aid. Moreover, she has developed programs with political implications in numerous countries and has received several awards, both for her humanitarian work and her professional practice, including the prestigious Women Together Award (New York, 2012) and the 8-M award of the Community of Madrid, in the category of Human Rights (2021). She is also a collaborator of various media and an expert in training of trainers. She is a university professor, author and co-author of several law books and articles, especially on gender violence. She is a Spanish lawyer with certificates in Advanced Studies on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law from American University (Washington D.C.), and in Advanced International Studies from the Society of International Studies (Madrid). She also holds a degree in Public Relations and Protocol. She is currently based in Spain and is the European Director of IHR Legal.

Antonia Urrejola

Antonia Urrejola

Antonia Urrejola is a former president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile. During her term as a member of the IACHR, from 2018 to 2021, she served as the Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples; Rapporteur for Memory, Truth, and Justice; and Rapporteur for Nicaragua, among others. Furthermore, she served as a consultant for international organizations such as UNDP, ILO, FLACSO, CEJA, and IDB; and she was the principal advisor to the former Secretary-General of the OAS between 2006 and 2011. In the national scope, Urrejola worked as human rights advisor to the Presidency of Chile; in the newly created Special Commission on Indigenous Peoples; and later in the Ministry of National Assets, the Ministry of Planning and Cooperation, and as an advisor to the Ministry of the Interior. In 2023, she was appointed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as an international human rights expert for Colombia. She is currently the Director of the Diploma in Human Rights, Public Policies, and Strategic Litigation at the Faculty of Law of Alberto Hurtado University in Chile. Antonia Urrejola is based in Chile and is the co-director of Advocacy, Compliance, and Technical Cooperation in Human Rights at IHR LEGAL.

*Pursuant to Article 4 of the IACHR Rules of Procedure, Ms. Antonia Urrejola undertook not to represent victims or their relatives, or States, in precautionary measures, petitions, and individual cases before the IACHR, for a period of two years, beginning from December 31, 2021, the date on which she completed her duties as commissioner of the IACHR.

Armando Briquet

Armando Briquet

Armando F. Briquet has more than 25 years of international experience in political consulting, strategy design, electoral campaigns, and strategic communications. He was the director of Henrique Capriles Radonski’s presidential campaign in the 2012 and 2013 Venezuelan election. Since then, he has engaged in working with different civil society organizations, as well as with the private sector and political organizations. His emphasis has been the development of strategies, communication management and support to leaders in training, specially in contexts of democratic crisis. He has broad experience in the Americas and is frequently invited to give seminars on campaign management. Previously he was a professor at the School of Political Studies of the Central University of Venezuela, and has written articles for the Venezuelan newspapers El Universal and Últimas Noticias. He is a lawyer from the Central University of Venezuela (1995) and a specialist in Financial Law from the Andrés Bello Catholic University (Venezuela, 1998). In addition, he has published several studies in public policy, Latin American history and electoral campaigns. He is an international lawyer and a member of the Bar Associations of Caracas and Miranda State (Venezuela).* He is currently based in Washington D.C. and is co-director of Communications at IHR LEGAL.

* Admitted to the practice of law in Venezuela only. Not engaged in the practice of law in the District of Columbia.

Juan Cortiñas

Juan Cortiñas

Juan Cortiñas is an internationally renowned communications advisor. His broad experience ranges from public affairs campaigns to political and crisis communications management in different regions of the world. He has worked with some of Latin America’s top political leaders, such as Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies, Sergio Massa, and Venezuela’s opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, assisting them in their political communications, campaign strategies and the development of digital campaigns. He has also advised numerous Latin American states in their domestic and international communications, such as Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru, as well as multinational companies in public affairs and crisis communications. Further, he has worked with some of the most prominent non-governmental organizations in the world. He is a founding partner of Opportunitas Advisors, a strategic communications firm, and was previously a partner in one of the most distinguished communications firms in Washington, D.C. He previously served as the press secretary for U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and as director of Communications and Government Relations for the Federal Administration of Puerto Rico. He is a graduate in International Relations and Political Economy from Michigan State University, and holds a Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America. * He is co-director of Communications of IHR LEGAL.

* Mr. Juan Cortiñas does not practice law . His specialty is strategic communications and risk management.