Welcome to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
North America Branch

B. CHRISTOPHER LEE, FCIArb

B. CHRISTOPHER LEE, FCIArb has more than 40 years of experience representing clients in high-stakes complex construction disputes. Since 2006, Chris has been selected annually by The Best Lawyers in America as one of the top Construction Law attorneys in the Philadelphia region. He is currently of counsel to Kurtz and Partners, LLC in Philadelphia, and focuses his practice on serving as arbitrator and mediator of large complex construction disputes, foreign and domestic. In addition to being a Fellow in CIArb, Chris is a Fellow in the College of Commercial Arbitrators, the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, the Construction Law Society, and the American Academy of Civil Trial Mediators. He is an arbitrator for International Centre for Dispute Resolution. He is a AAA Master Mediator and AAA Mega Construction Project Panel arbitrator. For twenty years he has been a member of the National Construction Dispute Resolution Committee which advises the AAA

Anastasiya Ugale

Washington, D.C.

Anastasiya Ugale has over a decade of experience in international law and dispute resolution, focusing on Eastern European and CIS disputes. She represents diverse clients in investor-State and commercial arbitrations and advises on public international law. Anastasiya co-authored the 2022 ICSID Rules & Regulations commentary and continues to serve as an editor of Jus Mundi’s Investment Law and Arbitration Wiki. Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian and English, she adeptly handles multilingual and multijurisdictional disputes. Anastasiya’s entrepreneurial venture, One Joule LLC, merges law with digital innovation, enhancing arbitration practices globally. Anastasiya also practices as an arbitrator, bringing a wealth of multijurisdictional knowledge, as well as technological prowess to the proceedings. Her multifaceted career reflects a commitment to legal excellence and technological advancement, positioning her as a leader in international arbitration.

Lester Rennard, LLB, LLM, LLM., FCIArb

Clarkston, Georgia

Lester Rennard is an independent neutral for international commercial dispute resolution, and SME on workplace dispute. He earned law degrees from UK and US law schools with postgraduate specialization in construction law, international arbitration law, international trade law, and oil & gas law. He’s also knowledgeable in the adjudication of contract disputes under civil law and hybrid/mixed law systems and has been published on international trade topics by the International Trade Committee of the ABA Section of International Law. He has extensive training, certifications & experience in various forms of ADR practices applicable to managing and resolving conflicts such as in faith-based, family, and workplace settings, etc. He’s currently working on the development of a proprietary system designed to avoid and prevent conflict and disputes before they arise.

Jesús Gerardo Agustín Ortega Téllez

Mexico City

J.G. Agustín Ortega Téllez is an Associate at Garza Tello-Clyde & Co with over 15 years of combined experience in the private and public sectors. Last year, he was singled out in the firm’s Legal500 Tier 5 arbitration ranking. Agustín has acted as counsel in domestic and international arbitrations (LCIA, ICC, IACAC, ICSID, ICDR, LMAA, CANACO, CAM and ad hoc) and is listed as arbitrator and mediator (CANACO and CAM). He is a certified mediator by Mexico City’s Superior Court of Justice, a member of ANADE, Bar Association, has lectured at private and public institutions, and has collaborated in publications on arbitration and mediation. He holds a law degree from Universidad La Salle and an LL.M. in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution from QMUL. In his spare time, he enjoys researching and practicing Historical European Martial Arts}

Richard C Levin

Dallas, Tx and London, Eng.

Richard has been a principal of Richard Levin Arbitration LLC since 2018. Before that time, he practiced as a litigation partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, heading the international arbitration initiative as well as litigating competition/antitrust cases in the US and the EU. Richard currently is an active member of many arbitration institutions, from Hong Kong to London to Vienna. He has arbitrated over 100 disputes, many going to award, with a specialty in intellectual property and competition matters, an area in which he has also published and spoken frequently. Richard is a Chartered Arbitrator at the Chartered Institute, an arbitrator with the Court of Arbitration of Art in the Netherlands and serves on the “Tech List” at the Silicon Valley Arbitration and Mediation Center. He also represents children with learning disabilities on a pro-bono basis in their legal issues with their schools. His passions are classical music, tennis, and working out.