The Washington Foreign Law Society
is pleased to announce its upcoming event
Careers In International Law
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
From 5:30 to 7:30 PM ET
The event will be followed by a short networking reception.
Covington & Burling LLP, 850 10th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Ruff Room (1st floor)
Join the Washington Foreign Law Society (WFLS) on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 5:30 PM ET for a stimulating panel discussion on Careers In International Law. Come hear firsthand from experienced practitioners in private practice, the U.S. government, and international organizations, on their career paths in international law and their advice for pursuing an international legal career.
Please register below.
If you are not yet a member of the WFLS, please join here.
Miguel López Forastier co-chairs Covington’s International Arbitration and Disputes practice and Global Problem Solving practice. He has successfully represented a wide range of clients, including those in the oil and gas, mining, biotech, pharmaceutical, communications, financial services, and food industries in both investor-State and commercial arbitrations. Recognized by Chambers Global, Chambers Latin America, and Legal 500 as a leading international arbitration lawyer, Miguel’s work is praised by clients for his “thorough analysis, insightful advocacy, and consistently reliable judgment.” Both civil-law and common-law trained, Miguel handles contentious work in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Miguel is a frequent lecturer on arbitration and international law issues at conferences and universities around the globe. He also sits as arbitrator.
Katherine (“Kate”) Gorove (M.Sc., J.D):
Kate Gorove is a culturally fluent senior lawyer and diplomat, having served with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser for over 25 years and is currently affiliated with Lexpat Global Services as Senior Counsel. She has a wealth of experience in advising on, drafting, negotiating, and litigating complex international legal issues. She has successfully concluded bilateral and multilateral agreements, crafted and negotiated solutions to complex international issues and disputes, and guided senior policymakers in times of crisis. Her areas of expertise includes human rights, international peace and security, accountability mechanisms, economic sanctions, global health security, maritime security, and business and human rights matters.
During her tenure at the State Department, she served at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva as the head of the legal office, the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan advising during negotiations and creation of implementing frameworks for the bilateral security agreement, and was detailed to the U.S. Army School for Judge Advocate Generals where she co-edited a book on Rule of Law in complex environments. She represented the United States for four years on the Board of Directors of a multi-stakeholder organization - the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Companies (PSCs) (“ICoCA”) - which provides a framework for oversight and monitoring of PSCs. She has taught multiple international law-related courses, including as a Fulbright professor at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, a visiting professor at AU’s Washington College of Law, and on the law faculty at the University of Mississippi, as well as an adjunct at Johns Hopkins University, GWU Law, Georgetown Law, and the Washington College of Law. Prior to joining the State Department, she served as a legal counsel for the Government of Hungary in the International Court of Justice’s Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Case and worked as an attorney for a D.C. law firm and a UN agency. She currently serves on the Board of Director for Syntagma Development Group.
She holds a J.D. from Columbia University and a M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, having earned her B.A. from the University of Mississippi.
Gomiluk Otokwala is a Senior Counsel in the Legal Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). His work focuses on the legal framework governing IMF financing to its member countries. As the coordinator of the Legal Department’s lending policy workstream, he collaborates with other IMF lawyers and economists in functional departments in designing and shaping the policies governing the provision of IMF financing to member countries. He also covers the IMF’s program engagement with Argentina and Jordan and, more broadly, advises on a range of legal issues related to sovereign debt and foreign exchange systems.
Prior to joining the IMF in 2013, Gomiluk worked in the office of the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria, providing legal and policy advice. Before the SEC, he was an attorney at law firms in Washington, DC and in Lagos, Nigeria. Gomiluk holds an LL.M degree from Harvard Law School and an LL.B degree from the University of Nigeria. He is a licensed attorney in Nigeria and in the State of New York. Gomiluk enjoys photography, running, writing and traveling.
Govert Coppens joined ICSID in September 2021.
Prior to joining ICSID, he worked as an attorney at Volterra Fietta in London (2015-2021) and at Jones Day in Brussels (2012-2014). Before entering private practice, he was a researcher and teaching assistant at the University of Leuven, Belgium, in the field of public international law and in particular investment treaty disputes (2008-2012).
Mr. Coppens holds qualifications from the University of Leuven and King’s College London. He qualified for legal practice in England & Wales and at the Brussels Bar (non-practicing).
He speaks English, Dutch and French.
Moderator: Amanda Tuninetti counsels companies and states in complex international disputes. She represents clients in commercial and investor-state arbitrations, as well as public international law disputes, before international courts and tribunals..
Her practice also involves the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards and agreements to arbitrate before U.S. district courts and courts of appeal. She has experience advising companies, governments, and trade associations on issues of international trade and investment law and policy.
Amanda is an adjunct professor of international law at The George Washington University Law School and maintains an active pro bono practice helping individuals in U.S. immigration matters and under international human rights law.
