In conversation with Rebeca Mosquera
Senior Associate at Reed Smith
President of Arbitral Women
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Rebeca Mosquera, Senior Associate at Reed Smith in New York, to discuss her journey in international arbitration and how Jus AI has revolutionized her daily practice. From her unique career path—spanning Panama, Alaska, and New York—to her recent election as President of ArbitralWomen, Rebeca shares her insights on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in arbitration.
Rebeca highlights how Jus AI, Jus Mundi’s AI-powered legal assistant specifically designed for international arbitration, has become an essential part of her workflow. With features like case analysis, email and memo drafting, and real-time interaction with legal data, Jus AI empowers practitioners to save time and ensure accuracy in their legal work.
Whether reviewing extensive arbitration awards or conducting complex legal research, Rebeca demonstrates how Jus AI is transforming the legal industry—helping lawyers like her navigate global disputes with greater efficiency and precision.
Discover Jus AI, the ultimate research and productivity assistant for global legal professionals, powered by Jus Mundi’s unique law and arbitration database. Experience the future of arbitration technology firsthand.
What can you tell us about Reed Smith and its arbitration practice?
Our international arbitration practice focuses on some of the following areas: natural resources, energy, transportation, construction, commodities, intellectual property, life science, and the like. We also have teams that focus specifically on certain strategic regions. For example, we have our francophone Africa Desk, our India Desk, and also our Latin America Desk.
As you can see, our international arbitration practice is truly global. We collaborate across the board. And one of the things that I like to say is that the sun never sets in Reed Smith’s international arbitration practice. From California to Beijing, we work around the clock for our clients to provide good service and provide also very good opportunities.
How did you come to work in international arbitration?
My career in international arbitration actually began in Alaska. Not a place known for global disputes. But before that, I graduated from law school in Panama, where I am originally from. After training and working in Panama for a period of time, I decided to move to the United States and ended up in Alaska working for Shell Upstream Americas when they were performing exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas in Alaska.
After that, in 2011, I decided to go back to private practice, and I moved to a law firm where I worked in my first investor-State dispute, in the construction sector. For me, it was fascinating because at the time, I had just finished my Master’s in Science and Project Management, so that came really handy. And fast forward, after having been able to experience the nuances of an international arbitration case, I decided to move to New York and get my LL.M. specialized in international arbitration at NYU. Since graduation and passing the bar, I have been involved in over two dozen international arbitrations and international disputes. And so, as you can see, coming from Panama to Alaska to New York to then the global stage of international arbitration, my journey has been unique. But it has provided me with an incredible tapestry of experiences that continue to fulfill me professionally and personally.
Congratulations on your recent election as President of ArbitralWomen! Tell us more about your involvement with the organization.
I cannot remember a time where I have not been part of ArbitralWomen. The organization has been with me in every single step of my career since I started in the United States. I have been part of the board for three terms. Now, I am the newly elected President of ArbitralWomen.
In truth, ArbitralWomen is a large global community of incredibly professional women: I feel that I can go anywhere in the world and I will have someone that I can talk to; I will have community.
We, the board, stand on the shoulders of Titans. In the 90s, when this organization was born, people didn’t quite understand when the cofounders were talking about how important gender parity was. At the time, everyone looked around saying: “Why are we about this?” But fast forward 30 years later, I think we’re still very much relevant. Progress has been achieved, and our community is very global, but we still have a lot of work to do in gender parity, inclusivity, equity, and giving people more opportunities.
How has Jus AI integrated into your daily workflow at Reed Smith and what impact has it had on your efficiency?
First of all, I want to say thank you, Jus Mundi, for such an amazing tool!
What I can say about Jus AI in my daily workflow is that it’s a constant tab in my browser, because I get calls, questions from clients, and I am able to provide reliable answers in a very short period of time with great quality.
What I like the most is that, once I have the output, I’m able to go and review that the information is accurate. That’s one of the best things.
And the other thing is, it’s inside a very controlled environment, so there is very little opportunity for huge mistakes.
Is there a specific Jus AI feature you find particularly valuable in your work?
That’s a very difficult question to answer because I really like all of the features of Jus AI.
I like the fact that I can interact with the entire database, that I can interact with one case in particular. But if I have to pinpoint one, I’ll say the fact that I can ask Jus AI to provide the information in an email format or in a memo format. It’s really interesting to me. As attorneys, we’re always communicating with emails and memos and letters, and having that first draft that you can review and that you can understand whether that information is accurate, it’s very valuable and it saves time. Obviously, you always have to review this information before it goes out anywhere in the world.
Has there been a time when Jus AI significantly helped you with legal research or drafting?
I remember of a specific time where Jus ai significantly helped me in my legal research: I was drafting this chapter on bifurcation, and I needed to, for example, understand what new cases were out there under the new ICSID rules. So, I asked Jus AI to provide a list of all of these cases and it gave me a great list. From that, I was able to interact with the different procedural orders and that really saved a lot of time.
For example, another time I needed to do a review of a specific award. As you know, awards in international arbitration, specifically in investor-State disputes, can be over 300 pages. The fact that I could interact with the award, specifically, was very useful. A task that probably would take me a day would now take me maybe three hours, because I’m also able to go into the output and review whether the information provided is accurate. So time, review, confirmation, it’s really important to me. So, Jus AI has really made a difference in that sense.
What do you foresee will be the impact of AI on the arbitration world?
I believe AI has influenced the legal industry tremendously. It’s here; we are using it. There are different platforms and tools out there, none of them are specifically for international arbitration, and that’s why Jus AI has made a very huge impact and difference in that sense. But if I have to look into a crystal ball, one of the things that I can foresee in the way that AI will impact the legal industry is in predictive legal analysis. I have not used it yet, but I think some of the advantages of it would be to understand whether you have a strong case, whether there is a chance for settlement, whether there are arguments that you didn’t think of.
I think at this point, we have a very great landscape for the use of AI. I also think that in respect to the international arbitration field and community, we have proven to be a community that it’s flexible, adaptive. Proof of that was the pandemic. In 2020, we all got on Zoom, and we adapted, pivoted into what was available to us. So, I think we are a community that is not afraid of trying new things as long as they’re done in the correct way. So, I think that from here, there is a great number of opportunities.
Note: This interview is a transcription of a video interview with Rebeca Mosquera shot on August 30, 2024, edited for clarity and readability. The full interview is available here:
As Reed Smith and Rebeca Mosquera’s experience shows, Jus AI is more than just a research tool—it’s a game-changer for arbitration professionals, empowering you to work faster, more efficiently, and with greater accuracy. From streamlining complex legal research to drafting precise memos and emails, Jus AI is designed to meet the unique challenges of international arbitration.
Ready to see how Jus AI can transform your legal practice?
