ARIFA partner Ricardo M. Arango presented the 2012 Rogelio de la Guardia Scholarship at the IBA Latin America Regional Forum in Bogotá, Colombia. Present at the ceremony was Debbie de la Guardia, wife of partner Rogelio de la Guardia, for whom the award is named.

This year the distinction went to Sebastian Correa, a lawyer at Correa Merino & Co Abogados, in Medellín, Colombia. Mr. Correa's submission, entitled "The Full Protection and Security Standard and Reciprocal Obligations in BITS", covered the decline of infrastructure investment and its effects on development in Latin America.

This scholarship was established by the International Bar Association (IBA) and the Latin American Regional Forum in 2010 in memory of beloved ARIFA partner Rogelio de la Guardia. Its purpose is to boost attendance of young lawyers under 35 that practice in Latin American countries. There is a grant that provides funding for registration, accommodation and travel costs to the biannual meeting of the Latin American Regional Forum (LARF).

ARIFA would like to thank the IBA and LARF for their enthusiastic support in establishing and promoting the scholarship. It is a fitting tribute to Rogelio, who passed away in June 2009. He was an enthusiastic member of the Forum and served as its chair from 2003 - 2004.