Nazareth Romero

Spain flag Spanish

35+ years of experience

Language:

English, Spanish, Italian

German, Portuguese and French.

Present Function:

Partner – Ovoli Romero Abogados S.L. (since 1990)
Head of Arbitration, ADR, and International Litigation. Lawyer, international arbitrator (Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators), and mediator, based in Madrid (El Escorial, Spain) and Rome (Italy), in collaboration with Ovoli Frugoni A.P.

Leads arbitration, mediation, and international litigation matters, acting as arbitrator, counsel, conciliator, and mediator in national and international proceedings under various institutional and ad hoc frameworks, including International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), UNCITRAL, Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS/TAS), and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Extensive experience across sectors including construction, transport, distribution, energy, franchising, intellectual property, telecommunications, banking, sports, and ESG-related disputes.

Legal Advisory & Contracting
Advises corporate clients on commercial and investment law, intellectual property, domain names, data protection, e-commerce, tax, and international humanitarian law.

Drafts, reviews, and negotiates complex international agreements, including master service agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, consulting agreements, confidentiality arrangements, and cross-border commercial contracts.

Provides strategic advice on disputes relating to defective works, breach of contract, non-payment, delay claims, variations, termination, damages, and professional negligence. Prepares legal reports and manages claims and dispute resolution strategies.

Energy & Corporate Advisory
Acts as external counsel to companies in the energy sector, advising on financing, regulatory and administrative law, and corporate transactions. Experience includes negotiation of gas supply agreements, acquisitions, joint ventures, and legal due diligence for energy projects.

Public & Institutional Roles

  • Arbitrator and Trade & Sustainable Development (TSD) Expert, European Commission (since 2022)
  • Civil Expert (External), European Commission – DG Justice & Home Affairs
  • CIArb Representative at the Mediation Centre Stakeholders Network (MCSN), European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
  • Member, Stakeholders Advisory Board (SAB), EUIPO ADR Service (2019–2023)
  • Co-President, Arbitration Section, Madrid Bar Association (ICAM)

Additional Activities

  • External Counsel, El Economista – Iuris & Lex (Corporate Governance & CSR)
  • Advisor on prevention protocols related to sustainable economic intelligence
  • Expert in International Civil Crisis Management and International Humanitarian Law (since 2005)

General Expertise:

Technical Expertise:

Certifications and/or licenses

Legal Qualifications

  • Lawyer, Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) – No. 3400-03739
  • Lawyer, Madrid Bar Association (ICAM) – No. 43200 (since 1990)

Professional Certification

  • Fellow (FCIArb), Chartered Institute of Arbitrators – No. 36049

European Union & Public Appointments

  • Civil Expert (External), European Commission – DG Justice & Home Affairs (No. EX2021D405546)
  • Arbitrator and Trade & Sustainable Development (TSD) Expert for dispute settlement panels under EU trade agreements

Institutional Roles

  • Chair, Arbitration Section, Madrid Bar Association (ICAM)
  • Founding Member and Chair, Iberian Chapter (European Branch), Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
  • Committee Member, European Branch, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
  • CIArb Representative at the Mediation Centre Stakeholders Network (MCSN), European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)

Professional legal or litigation experience related to the scope of competence of the PMAC

Since 1990 – Law Firm Experience
Provides legal advice to corporate clients on intellectual property and domain names. Extensive experience in drafting and negotiating international contracts, including clauses related to IP rights, FinTech, and dispute resolution. Represents companies across sectors—railway, luxury goods, financial services, construction, and transport—before national courts and at EU level in matters involving patent infringement, validity, and related disputes.

Head of Legal Department – Toys “R” Us Iberia (Portugal), 1999
Oversaw legal matters relating to intellectual property law and coordinated trademark monitoring in collaboration with Toys “R” Us International.

Head of International Relations – Madrid Bar Association (ICAM), 2000–2008
Directed international programs focused on intellectual property, electronic commerce, and arbitration. In 2004, collaborated on a European Commission TAIEX project in Gdańsk, providing legal advice on data protection and IP rights to new EU Member States.

Organized and participated in seminars and congresses with European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), including the 2015 “Mediation on IP Rights” seminar in Rome in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Milan.

Academic Appointments

  • Professor, University of Alicante (2025): Course on Business Mediation and Intellectual Property, focusing on multistep mediation clauses, ADR, and arbitration in IP.
  • Professor, National Association of Industrial Property Agents (COAPI), Spain (2025).

Delivered webinars on multistep mediation and arbitration clauses in intellectual property.

Professional Engagements and Speaking
Organized and spoke at seminars with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) Iberian Chapter, including:

  • 2020: “Spanish Chapter Meets Banksy’s Affairs: Is Copyright for Losers?”
  • 2021: “Artificial Intelligence, Smart Contracts, and Intellectual Property from an Arbitration Perspective”
  • 2022: Session with Ignacio de Castro (WIPO Director) on mediation and arbitration in life sciences and FRAND disputes
  • 2023: “European Patent Litigation, Arbitration and Mediation – Unified Patent Court” (with Dr. Théophile Margellos)
  • 2025: “Artificial Intelligence and Arbitration” (CIArb Guidelines on AI)

Regular speaker on IP arbitration and mediation at EUIPO, WIPO, and academic conferences. Signatory of the WIPO Mediation Pledge (2019) for intellectual property and technology disputes.

Professional technical experience related to the scope of competence of the PMAC

Since 1990, extensive experience advising corporate clients on intellectual property and domain name matters. Proven expertise in drafting and negotiating complex international agreements, including provisions relating to IP rights, FinTech, and dispute resolution.

Represents companies across a broad range of sectors—railway, pharmaceutical and life sciences, luxury goods, financial services, construction, and transport—before national courts and at EU level in disputes concerning patent infringement, validity, and related issues.

Memberships and/or accreditations

Professional Associations

  • Member, International Law Association (Spanish Chapter)
  • Associate, Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation, Spain
  • Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)
  • Member, Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club (CEIA), including Italian Chapter and CEIA Women
  • Member, ArbitralWomen
  • Member, Swiss China Law Association (SCLA)
  • Member, Spanish Arbitration Club
  • Member, Italian Association for Arbitration (AIA) and ARBIT – Italian Forum for Arbitration and ADR
  • Member, Spanish Association of Women Jurists (AEMJ) – Board Member
  • Member, Spanish Researchers in Italy (ASIERI)
  • Member, Business Lawyers Association (FJE) – President (2003–2006)
  • Member, Spanish Business Association (AED)
  • Member, Hispanic-Moroccan ADR Forum of Jurists
  • Member, German-Spanish Young Executives Association (Wirtschaftsjunioren) – Vice-President and Secretary (2000–2003)

Academic & Teaching Engagements

  • Professor (2025), University of Alicante – Business Mediation and Intellectual Property
  • Professor (2025), National Association of Industrial Property Agents (COAPI), Spain
  • Professor (2025), Complutense University of Madrid – Summer Course on Litigation, Mediation, and Arbitration
  • External Professor (2021–2022), National University of Asunción – Arbitration in Corporate Matters
  • Visiting/External Professor, including Marconi University (Italy), Sergio Arboleda University (Colombia), and CEF-UDIMA University (Madrid)
  • Professor of ADR (2014–2021), CEF-UDIMA University
  • External Professor (2019–2021), Master’s Degree in International Business Law, Complutense University of Madrid

Mediation & Arbitration Engagements (Panels & Practice)

  • Listed arbitrator with institutions including London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC), Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
  • Panel member and arbitrator at Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) and affiliated centres, and South China International Arbitration Center (Hong Kong) (SCIAHK)
  • Arbitrator at European and international institutions including Madrid and Milan Chambers of Commerce, Spanish Court of Arbitration, Arbitral Tribunal of Barcelona (TAB), and European Arbitration Association (AEADE)
  • International Mediator, including appointments at CMEM (Madrid Chamber of Commerce), OAH Mediadores, Shenzhen Qianhai International Commercial Mediation Center, and Geneva International Dispute Institute

Other Professional Activities

  • Collaboration (since 2025) with the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Center of the Unified Patent Court
  • Director, Online Television Program “UDIMAMEDIA Sede Arbitral,” CEF-UDIMA University
  • Media contributor, Click Radio TV – “Direct to Law” program
  • Expert in International Civil Crisis Management and International Humanitarian Law (European Commission; Spanish Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Alumni & Academic Associations

  • Alumni Member: UNED, CEF-UDIMA, Pontifical Comillas University, and San Pablo CEU University

Practical experience of conducting mediation or conciliation or judicial settlement conferences or out-of-court dispute settlements in disputes related to the scope of competence of the PMAC

Since 1990, advises corporate clients on intellectual property and domain name matters, with extensive experience in drafting and negotiating international agreements, including dispute resolution clauses relating to IP rights and FinTech.

Represents companies across multiple sectors—railway, pharmaceutical and life sciences, luxury goods, financial services, construction, and transport—before national courts and at EU level in disputes involving patent infringement, validity, and related issues.

Acts as counsel and mediator in domestic and international mediation proceedings under a range of institutional and ad hoc frameworks, including World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Mediation, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Mediation Rules, UNCITRAL frameworks, the Rome Bar Association mediation system, Concilia Lex Lago Negro, Rimedia Pisa, and international ad hoc mediations, as well as mediations governed by Spanish Mediation Law.