Joseph Vergara

Prior to joining Ankura, Joseph served as a project manager, involved in the overall planning, supervision, and execution of projects from bid to close-out.  His project experience has encompassed major infrastructure initiatives, including roads and highways, flood control, high-rise buildings, and urban development projects.

As an attorney, Joseph represented clients before agencies overseeing environmental, energy, and land use matters and has aided clients in critical project-planning stages such as due diligence reviews, environmental impact reviews, and site consultations. He has collaborated with clients and their in-house counsel on contractor disputes, construction contracts, and other construction law issues.

Joseph’s professional experience includes:

• Hydroelectric Power Plant (Perú) – Joseph assisted a developer and its counsel in an arbitration before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in connection with various contracts for the construction of a facility. Joseph supported the defense against the contractor’s delay claims and analyzed delay-related costs in addition to assisting counsel during arbitration hearings.
• Coal Power Plant (Chile) – Joseph assisted a general contractor and its legal counsel in an international arbitration before the ICC in connection with a 152 MW expansion to a plant in Chile. Joseph analyzed claims and counterclaims, leading a team of consultants in assessing thousands of cost-related documents and root-cause analyses to ensure the recoverability of counterclaims.
• Large Copper Mine (Peru) – Joseph assisted a general contractor and its counsel in an arbitration related to a contract for electrical and mechanical works that were part of several ongoing projects at one of the world’s largest copper mining complexes. Joseph’s work included auditing all costs incurred, assessing amounts due to the contractor, and analyzing cost records.
• Bulk Liquids Terminal (Colombia) – Joseph supported the legal counsel for a consortium of Spanish and Mexican construction companies in an arbitration before the ICC in connection with a turnkey contract for the construction of a bulk liquids terminal in Cartagena, Colombia, with an estimated value in excess of US$200 million. Joseph appeared as expert witness and signatory of the expert report.
• Natural Gas Liquefaction Facility Project (Texas) – Joseph helped a general contractor with a cumulative impact claim of more than US$180 million in a project in Corpus Christi. Joseph worked on analyzing the effects of differing site conditions, unknown utilities, hazardous materials, and lack of access to project areas, among other issues, on the construction schedule. The client used the claim to successfully negotiate a satisfactory settlement.
• Ica Regional Gas Pipeline (Peru) – Joseph aided a South American contractor and its counsel in an arbitration case before the ICC involving a turnkey construction contract for a 300-kilometer natural gas pipeline in Ica, Perú, at a value in excess of US$200 million. Archaeological restrictions and delays in right-of-way agreements were among the causes of the works disruptions, for which Joseph analyzed the impact and quantified the costs. He also assisted in preparing an expert report with his findings, helped rebut reports filed by the opposing party, and aided the lead counsel during arbitration hearings.
• Upscale Shopping Center (Puerto Rico) – Joseph supported a sub-contractor and its counsel on an arbitration case over delays in the structural steel structure for a 650,000 square foot upscale shopping mall in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Joseph assisted in preparing an expert report of the findings, as well as providing litigation support.  The client reached a favorable settlement agreement prior to trial.