Partner at SAI Law and Economics since October 2002, she has worked as an associate attorney at the firm since 1998. She specializes in the area of economic competition and regulated markets, mainly in the telecommunications, food, pharmaceutical, auto parts, self-service stores, steel and railway sectors, among others.
She was legal advisor to the Mexican government and technical secretary of the negotiating team on investment issues during the negotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement . She was also an advisor in the negotiations of other trade agreements signed with Colombia and Venezuela (G3), Costa Rica and Bolivia. She participated in the process of Mexico’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Lucía also played an important role in the negotiation of the dispute resolution mechanisms established within Mexico’s Bilateral Investment Agreements (BITs).
In arbitration matters, she has been a panelist for Chapter XXIX of NAFTA on trade remedies issues, as well as a party attorney in the bilateral safeguard imposed under NAFTA: United States Chicken Leg Quarters. She has served as a tribunal secretary and as a party attorney in investor-state proceedings. Lucía has served as an arbitrator and as a tribunal secretary in trade dispute resolution proceedings.
Lucía has also been a member of the Mexican Advisory Committee of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) and of the Committee formed for the review of the ICDR Mediation and Arbitration Rules applicable since March 2021.
Her active role in the National Association of Corporate Lawyers AC has led her to hold the positions of coordinator of the Competition Committee for the 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 bienniums, committee coordinator in the 2009-2010 biennium and second vice president in the 2011-2012 biennium, as well as member of the Council in the 2017-2018 biennium.
In these responsibilities, she has been responsible for organizing and teaching various refresher seminars with very diverse institutions, including the Federal Economic Competition Commission, the Project to Facilitation of the Free Trade Agreement between Mexico and the European Union, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, and Universidad Panamericana.
She is a member of the American Bar Association, where she has been Vice Chair of the International Committee and Vice Chair of the Global Private Litigation Committee. She has also been a member of the IV, V, VI, VII and VIII Advisory Council of the Federal Telecommunications Institute. A lawyer from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, she has been a professor at her alma mater, as well as at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad Panamericana and Universidad Iberoamericana, institutions where she has taught courses on economic competition and investment arbitration. At the Center for Economic Research and Teaching she has taught the subject of Economic Competition since 2010. On this and other topics in which she has specialized – such as investor-State arbitration – she has published several analytical and opinion articles, and frequently collaborates on various internet sites and in the printed edition of the International Law Office and the American Bar Association.
Regarding her professional performance, the Chambers and Partners Latin America publication has noted:
According to clients, “Lucía Ojeda is a lawyer with extensive experience and who demonstrates great mastery of competition law, making her the best person to advise in this area”; “She is one of the most recognized professionals in the field of competition in the Mexican market”; “Lucía Ojeda is a highly qualified lawyer, very committed and involved.” Her colleagues also praise her experience and expertise in this area and describe her as “a lawyer always interested in reaching agreements and well prepared in relation to antitrust law; she has the respect of the authorities and is a great advisor.” One client adds: “She is, simply, extraordinary.”