Irene Zegarra-Ballón focuses her practice on international dispute settlement, particularly investment treaty arbitration and international commercial arbitration. She has represented sovereign States and public entities, as well as private companies, across a range of sectors including oil and gas, electricity, construction, and infrastructure.
Prior to joining Baker Botts, Irene served as Under-Secretary-General at the Arbitration Centre of the Lima Chamber of Commerce in Peru. In that capacity, she was invited to provide legal opinions before the Congress of the Republic of Peru.
Irene is the author of the book La forma del acuerdo arbitral en la Ley de Arbitraje peruana de 2008 y los instrumentos internacionales vinculantes para el Perú (Thomson Reuters, 2015; available at the U.S. Library of Congress and the LSE Library). She is a Member of Committee for the Peruvian Chapter of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).
She has been described as “wise beyond her years” and “a unique value-add to any team in the field of international arbitration” (The Legal 500 UK, Public International Law, 2025-2026).
Irene practices fully bilingually in English and Spanish and speaks French.
