McCarthy Tétrault counsel Michael McCooe QC to advise Government of Colombia in strategic maritime border dispute

LONDON, Aug. 29, 2013 /CNW/ - McCarthy Tétrault is pleased to announce that Michael McCooe, QC has been engaged by the Government of Colombia to advise on the longstanding maritime border dispute between Colombia and Nicaragua over some 75,000 square kilometers of disputed Caribbean territory. Mr. McCooe, Queen's Counsel to McCarthy Tétrault  through its London office, will act as international counsel and global strategist to the Republic of Colombia, working directly with President Juan Manuel Santos and Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holquin.

The dispute between Colombia and Nicaragua has escalated since late last year when the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands ruled in favour of Nicaragua's claims over this vast amount of territory historically held by Colombia. The area is of significant ecological and commercial value and lies directly between the Gulf of Mexico and the Panama Canal and close to the mouth of the proposed Nicaragua Canal project currently being funded out of China - which is a key international trade route. This is a high profile matter of global interest impacting on a number of Caribbean and Central American nations and beyond, which industry and government observers internationally are expected to follow closely.

Dr. Michael McCooe QC is among the most experienced and respected lawyers practising in international affairs in the world. Specializing in international public and private sector disputes, international competition and regulatory affairs, cross-border litigation, and large scale multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions, throughout his career he has represented some of the world's largest corporations, governments and heads of state in each of the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia across the broadest possible range of issues, confrontations and disputes. In the corporate world, in international mergers and acquisitions alone he has acted on multi-jurisdictional transactions totalling over US$500 billion in asset value to date.

SOURCE: McCarthy Tétrault

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