José Manuel Canelas Schütt

José Manuel is an academic and legal practitioner. Primarily based in Bolivia, he taught at the country's leading universities and worked at major law firms, companies, and infrastructure projects. He focuses on private international law and has also taught the law of obligations and alternative dispute resolution. In 2018 he created, developed, and coordinated a post-graduate academic program in Dispute Resolution at Catholic University. He has also been active as a coach and evaluator in international moot competitions.

José Manuel has served as a national expert appearing in the OAS Legal Guide on the Law Applicable to International Commercial Contracts in the Americas (2019). Recently, he authored a chapter in the book "Choice of Law in International Commercial Contracts," published by Oxford University Press, and described as "a definitive reference guide to the key choice of law principles on international contracts."

José Manuel has assisted the Rome-based International Institute for the Unification of Private Law – UNIDROIT since 2012. He first conducted a field study in Bolivia on the law and practice of contract farming. He then spent a research period at UNIDROIT working in connection with the UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming. In 2019 he was invited to regional consulting workshops on new legal instruments held at Sao Paulo University. As a research scholar in 2021, he focused his work on applicable law issues in the UNIDROIT/IFAD Legal Guide on Agricultural Land Investment Contracts and delivered a presentation for the Secretariat.

He has been a member of the American Association of Private International Law – ASADIP, acting as a speaker at the annual international meetings. As a senior attorney at prominent law firms in Bolivia, he has organized international events, together with international banks, law firms, and trade associations. He also was an in-house counsel for the biggest power corporation in Bolivia, as well as for an infrastructure project with Korea Land and Housing Corporation for the construction of a new city in the Department of Santa Cruz.

He holds a law degree from UPB University in Bolivia, an LL.M and a Business Diploma from Instituto de Empresa in Spain, and a post-graduate diploma in Higher Education from UPSA University in Bolivia.