Y-ADR Spotlight Series - Interview Questions with Natalia Zibibbo

Natalia Marina Zibibbo

Counsel at Freshfields

1. What has been a beneficial aspect of engaging with the CPR Institute for you personally or professionally?

Becoming a member of the CPR Institute has allowed me to meet like-minded people of my generation who work in the field around the world and can add their different perspectives to discussions. I really enjoyed our discussions on current topics like how artificial intelligence can improve the efficiency of dispute resolution procedures.

2. What inspired you to steer your career toward ADR, and what steps did you take to make it to where you are today?

I always loved meeting people from other cultures and learning foreign languages. I thought that ADR was a very international field of law that would allow me to combine my legal skills with my passion for getting to know other cultures and traveling. I started by doing semester abroad in the US as part of my undergraduate studies. While in the US I took an international arbitration course which I loved. So after I finished my studies in Argentina, I decided to do a masters in Germany where I took more ADR courses and then did two internships at the dispute resolution departments of two big law firms in Europe. These internships allowed me to get hands-on, practical experience in arbitration and confirmed that this was the right path for me.

3. What is one piece of advice you would give to somebody who wanted to pursue a career in ADR?

When delivering advise, don’t just identify issues, risks or problems of the different alternatives that your client is facing. Try to always put yourself in the shoes of your client (or the partner that you work for who, in turn, has to deliver the advice to the client) and always make a proposal of how you would solve the problems / issues you see.

4. What personal characteristics are most beneficial to you in your career?

Being very organized and also curious about the client’s business. This allowed me to deliver client-friendly, practical solutions to my superiors, which in turn gave me more responsibilities and opportunities to learn and develop my career.

5. How can people with an interest in ADR get hands-on experience to further their career?

It can be hard to get hands-on experience in ADR at the beginning. Working for an arbitrator (perhaps as an intern at the beginning) could help you develop your career by exposing you to the typical procedural issues addressed in arbitrations while at the same time allowing you to get to know other practitioners in the field (the parties’ counsel, the co-arbitrators, the counsel from the arbitral institutions, etc) and get exposure.

6. What is your favorite ADR process to practice?

International arbitration as it provides clients with the opportunity to have an experienced tribunal settle their complex disputes and obtain a decision that can be enforced in most countries around the world.

7. (Fun one!) Describe your perfect Friday night in 5 words or less.

Family, outdoors, dinner, movie