Dietmar W. Prager is a litigation partner in the firm’s New York office who focuses his practice on international arbitration and litigation. He co-leads the firm’s Latin America Practice Group.

Dr. Prager has represented parties in numerous arbitrations throughout the world under the auspices of the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, AAA, ICDR and the PCA as well as in ad hoc arbitration proceedings. He was also one of the youngest lawyers ever to argue before the International Court of Justice.

Dr. Prager’s recent representations include disputes involving mining projects, complex infrastructure projects, shareholder disputes, investment treaties, oil & gas projects, energy projects, the retail sector, the finance sector, sovereign debt and distribution agreements. Dr. Prager also regularly sits as arbitrator.

Dr. Prager is ranked among the leading international arbitration practitioners by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Chambers Latin America, Chambers Brazil, The Legal 500 US, The Legal 500 Latin America, Benchmark Litigation, The Lawdragon Global Litigation 500 and Who’s Who Legal, which recognizes him as a Thought Leader for Arbitration. Chambers USA (2024) also recognizes him as a Band 1 practitioner for construction disputes. He receives high praise from clients who say that he “stands out for his decisiveness and sharp intellect” and that he is “very strong analytically,” “an effective strategist” and “an excellent team leader and advocate.” “He is said to have “remarkable technical capacity” and “an outstanding ability to manage complex cases” with clients valuing his “dedication, expertise and exceptional client service.” The publications have highlighted his “amazing” cross-examination skill, “superb memory,” “excellent strategic thinking,” “excellent combination of legal knowledge and experience” and his ability to “effortlessly work across cultures and jurisdictions.” He receives further praise for his “impressive work and responsiveness to clients’ needs,” his “great depth of analysis,” his “great ability to manage stressful situations” and his “vast linguistic ability.”

Dr. Prager is a Vice Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee, a member of the KCAB International Arbitration Committee and a member of the Board of the Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC). He also serves as a member of the Advisory Council of the World Association of Mining Lawyers (WAOML) and the Vance Center Committee, the governing body of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. He is a former member and Vice Chair of the Executive Committee of the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) and former co-chair of the IBA Subcommittee on International Arbitration Case Law.

Dr. Prager is the author of several articles and blogs on international arbitration, international courts and tribunals, international procedural law, as well as Latin-American integration, and he speaks regularly at international arbitration conferences.

Dr. Prager is a member of the bar of New York. Prior to joining Debevoise in September 2000, Dr. Prager served as Legal Officer at the Registry of the International Court of Justice. He received his LL.M. from New York University School of Law, his Dr. iur. from University of Innsbruck and his law degree from University of Vienna.

Dr. Prager speaks English, German, Spanish and French and is proficient in Portuguese.