José Vicente
José Vicente Zapata was born on October 2, 1966, in Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. His parents are identified as Luz and Vicente. He developed his professional career in Colombia while undertaking postgraduate legal studies and research in Canada, later concentrating on environmental, energy, mining, petroleum, gas, and natural-resources law.
Zapata studied law at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, completing his legal education in the early 1990s. He subsequently pursued graduate study at McGill University in Montréal, where he earned a Master of Laws focused on comparative and international environmental law and sustainable development. His McGill thesis, completed in 1993, examined the role of international environmental law in sustainable development. He also undertook doctoral studies at McGill between 1994 and 1996, with a focus on international transactions.
Zapata began his professional career as a legal secretary at Consultorio Jurídico, a role recorded from 1988 to 2000. During the same formative period, he worked as assistant legal counsel at Dow Chemical Colombia from 1989 to 1992. From 1993 to 1996 he served as a research assistant at McGill University in Montréal. He then worked as a senior associate at Posse from 1996 to 2000, with the existing professional record distinguishing successive periods from 1996 to 1997 and from 1997 to 2000. He became a partner at Holguin in 2001 and later practiced as a partner of Suárez Zapata Partners Abogados. In 2014 he joined Holland & Knight’s Bogotá office, where he became a leading practitioner in corporate, commercial, environmental, energy, mining, petroleum, gas, and natural-resources law. As executive partner of the Bogotá office, he has led work involving mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, contractual and regulatory matters, environmental compliance, environmental liability, international transactions, investment arbitration, and the development of energy and extractive-industry projects. He has represented national and international companies, governmental organizations, and clients in the electricity, petroleum, gas, mining, agrochemical, industrial, and infrastructure sectors. His professional work has included advising on environmental licensing, sanctions and regulatory proceedings, concessions, project structuring, corporate compliance, sustainability, and energy-transition issues. He has also served as a university lecturer and conference speaker on energy, environmental law, natural resources, and sustainable development.
Built a three-decade legal career advising companies, governmental organizations, and public-sector entities on environmental, energy, mining, petroleum, gas, infrastructure, corporate, and natural-resources matters in Colombia.
Established a recognized practice in Colombian environmental and natural-resources regulation, including environmental licensing, regulatory compliance, environmental liability, project development, and energy-transition issues.
Contributed to Colombian and international legal scholarship through books, book chapters, comparative-law reports, and articles addressing sustainable development, environmental law, climate regulation, unconventional hydrocarbons, mining, and oil and gas.
(Spanish-language book on sustainable development, interna...)
1997(Co-authored book on the Colombian legal framework for cli...)
2021(Co-authored chapter examining environmental control and m...)
(Chapter in Perspectivas del Derecho ambiental en Colombia...)
2006Introducción de Regulación Comparada de Yacimientos no Convencionales
(Contribution to volume 10 of the Colección de Regulación ...)
2015(Colombia chapter on environmental law and policy, co-auth...)
2015Colombia Chapter — The Mining Law Review
(Co-authored Colombia chapter for the fifth edition of The...)
2016Colombia Chapter — Getting the Deal Through: Climate Regulation
(Comparative law chapter addressing climate regulation in ...)
2015Colombia Chapter — Getting the Deal Through: Environment
(Updated Colombia chapter addressing environmental law and...)
2016Colombia Chapter — The Oil and Gas Law Review
(Co-authored Colombia chapter for The Oil and Gas Law Review.)
Colombia Chapter — Getting the Deal Through: Climate Regulation
(Updated Colombia chapter addressing climate regulation.)
2016(Article in Pratt's Energy Law Report analyzing Colombia's...)
2014(McGill University LL.M. thesis examining the role of inte...)
1993(Contribution to the Yearbook of International Environment...)
2003African Gospel affiliation is recorded in his biographical profile.
His documented legal scholarship and professional work focus on sustainable development, international environmental law, environmental responsibility, precautionary principles, regulatory governance, and the relationship between natural-resource development and environmental protection.
Zapata served as general secretary of the Instituto Colombiano de Derecho Ambiental during the period recorded in his biographical profile. He has also been associated with the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, the Colegio de Abogados de Minas y Petróleos, the European Society of International Law, the Institute for Energy Law of the Center for American and International Law, and the Gerson Lehrman Group.
Served as general secretary.
Instituto Colombiano de Derecho Ambiental , Colombia
1997 - 2000
Member.
Association of International Petroleum Negotiators
2012 - present
Member.
Colegio de Abogados de Minas y Petróleos , Colombia
Member.
European Society of International Law
Member.
Institute for Energy Law, Center for American and International Law
Member.
Gerson Lehrman Group
Quotes from others about the person
Legal-industry commentators have described Zapata as a leading Colombian environmental-law practitioner, emphasizing his detailed knowledge of Colombian environmental regulation and his analytical ability.
Zapata is the son of Luz and Vicente. His professional connections include colleagues and co-authors in Colombian environmental, mining, energy, and international law, as well as institutional affiliations with Holland & Knight, McGill University, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and Universidad Externado de Colombia.
