M. Cristina Cárdenas Photo
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Cristina focuses her practice on international arbitration and complex commercial litigation. She is a native Spanish speaker and has experience representing clients in a variety of complex international arbitrations and business disputes. Cristina has served as counsel, both in Spanish and in English, before many of the most important arbitral institutions, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the American Arbitration Association (AAA), and the Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission (IACAC). She also coordinates and oversees work of local counsel in connection with litigation proceedings in Latin America.

Credentials

  • University of Miami School of Law, 2004, LL.M.
  • University of Florida, 2003, J.D., Assistant Editor in Chief of the Florida Journal of International Law
  • University of North Carolina, 1998, B.A.

  • Florida

  • U.S. District Court - Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court - Middle District of Florida
  • All State Courts - Florida

  • Adjunct Professor, University of Miami (teaching International Arbitration in Latin America)
  • Adjunct Professor, University of Florida (teaching International Arbitration)
  • Former Chair of the Miami International Arbitration Society
  • Co-Chair of the Miami Advisory Committee for the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR)
  • American Bar Association Section of International Law
    • Former Programs Officer to the ABA Section of International Law 
    • Former Deputy to the Secretary/Operations Officer of the ABA Section of International Law
    • Former Disputes Division Chair of the ABA Section of International Law
    • Co-Chair of the 2017 Fall Meeting and Co-Chair 2012 Fall Meeting of the ABA Section of International Law
    • Former Co-Chair of the Section’s Latin American and Caribbean Committee of the ABA Section of International Law
    • Former Liaison of the ABA Section of International Law to the ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities
  • Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 
    • Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators FCIArb
    • Board Member of the North American Branch of the Chartered Institute
    • Accredited Tutor for the Accelerated Route to Fellowship of the Chartered Institute 

  • Spanish

Awards & Recognition

  • “Highly recommended” in 2023 edition of the Latin Lawyer 250 – Arbitration
  • Listed as a Leading Lawyer in The Legal 500 Latin America for International arbitration, 2022-2023
  • Ranked as a Future Leader for Arbitration in the Global Guide, Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration 2021
  • Ranked in Chambers Global for Latin America-wide Arbitration (International), 2020-2022
  • Selected International Arbitration Lawyer of the Year for Miami The Best Lawyers in America©
  • Selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for International Arbitration - Commercial, 2018-2023. She also received the 2022 Best Lawyers™ "Lawyer of the Year" award in Miami for International Arbitration - Commercial.
  • Selected by Latinvex as one of Latin America’s Top 100 Female Lawyers (2016 - 2020)
  • Selected by Latinvex as one of Latin America's Top 50 Female Lawyers (2015)
  • Ranked as a top Latin America-wide International Arbitration practitioner in Chambers Latin America, 2021 and Chambers Global which described her as an "an amazing professional" with a “solid practice advising corporate clients on commercial disputes as well as investment treaty arbitration cases encompassing a range of sectors”
  • Named “20 Under 40” by Poder 360, which highlighted 20 people under age 40 who have exerted influence over the arts, business, education and media in Miami
  • Selected as a Fellows of the American Bar Foundation
  • Selected through peer review for inclusion on the Florida Super Lawyers list for International, 2018-2022

Notable Quotes

  • 2022 "Interim measures in the United States in aid of arbitration", Chapter 5, Florida, Juris