ASSOCIATE

Emmanuel González Carjabal

emmanuel.gonzalez@deminimislaw.com
Geneva: +41 (0)78 694 1217

José Emmanuel González Carbajal is an international lawyer specializing in international economic law, trade-plus obligations, and international dispute settlement. He supports panelists in international proceedings related to trade and investment disputes — including the Rapid Response Labor Mechanism of the USMCA — and advises on treaty interpretation, complex public international law issues, and procedural matters.

He previously served as Director of International Trade Disciplines at Mexico’s Ministry of Economy, where he was responsible for a broad range of disciplines, including competition policy, consumer protection, state-owned enterprises, and other trade-plus obligations. Prior to that, he worked at Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Office of the Legal Advisor) in the international litigation and international law departments, representing Mexico before international courts and foreign tribunals and advising on matters of the law of the sea, international environmental law, human rights, and other public international law issues.

Mr. González Carbajal holds an LL.M. in International Law with a specialization in International Economic Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva, a Diploma in Intellectual Property Law from the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM), and a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He also attended the Public International Law course at The Hague Academy of International Law and brings strong advocacy skills from his years as a participant and coach in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

He is fluent in Spanish and English, with working knowledge of French.

scope of expertise

Practice
Areas

USMCA & International Trade Law

Emmanuel serves as law clerk to panels constituted under the USMCA / CUSMA / T-MEC Rapid Response Labor Mechanism, assisting in legal research, drafting, and analysis in complex cross-border disputes involving freedom of association, collective bargaining, and trade-labor linkages.

International Dispute Settlement

Emmanuel has contributed to legal strategy, research, and drafting in international dispute settlement across trade, labor, investment law, and public international law. His experience includes assisting adjudicatory bodies, supporting Mexico’s representation in international proceedings on privileges and immunities, defending the State before foreign tribunals, and participating in cases concerning human rights, environmental law, and the law of the sea.

General Public International Law

Emmanuel has experience addressing treaty interpretation and public international law issues in international dispute settlement. His work includes analyzing the interplay between treaty obligations, soft law standards, and authoritative interpretations in cross-border proceedings.

recent dispute experience

Representative matters

Bader case (MEX-USA-2024-31A-04)

Ongoing USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism proceedings addressing allegations of employer interference, harassment, and retaliation aimed at preventing the formation of an independent union at a leather manufacturing facility.

Pirelli case (MEX-USA-2024-31A-03)

Ongoing USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism proceedings involving allegations that workers at a tire manufacturing facility were denied freedom of association and collective bargaining rights through the imposition of a facility-specific collective agreement below industry-wide standards.

Camino Rojo Mine case (MEX-USA-2024-31A-02)

Ongoing USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism proceedings concerning alleged employer interference in union affairs at a gold and silver mining facility, including claims of undermining the titular union and promoting affiliation with an external union.

Atento Pachuca case (MEX-USA-2024-31A-01)

Dispute under the USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism regarding alleged interference with workers’ rights to freedom of association at a services facility, including alleged reprisals against union organizers and favoritism toward a rival union.

San Martín Mine case (MEX-USA-2023-31A-01)

Dispute under the USMCA Rapid Response Labor Mechanism concerning allegations of denial of freedom of association and collective bargaining rights at a mining facility during a prolonged strike. The case involved questions about the resumption of operations with an unauthorized union and jurisdictional limits of the Mechanism.