Vilma T. Arce Stark, Esq.
Vilma T. Arce Stark is an associate at Williams Montgomery & John Ltd. and a member of the firm’s commercial litigation practice group. Ms. Arce Stark focuses her practice on international and domestic commercial arbitration matters in Chicago and abroad, as well as complex commercial litigation matters in both state and federal courts around the country.
Ms. Arce Stark is fluent in written and spoken Spanish and uses her language skills when representing clients involved in legal disputes arising from business in Latin America. She defended a Puerto Rico subsidiary of Chevron in a high-profile class action lawsuit filed in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico relating to consumer protection regulations. She currently is defending a Fortune 500 company in an arbitration proceeding against companies in Latin America and Europe.
Prior to joining Williams Montgomery & John, Ms. Arce Stark began her law career in the New York and San Francisco offices of Latham & Watkins, LLP. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Matthew F. Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Education/Bar Admissions
Ms. Arce Stark received a B.A. in international relations, with honors and magna cum laude, in 2000 from the University of Southern California. She received her J.D. in 2005 from New York University School of Law, where she served as managing editor of the Journal of International Law & Politics. As a law student, Ms. Arce Stark worked at the U.S. Trade Representative, Office of the Americas, and the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Office of Special Counsel, in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Arce Stark was admitted to the New York bar in 2006, the California bar in 2008 and the Illinois bar in 2011.
Professional Activities
Ms. Arce Stark is active in various professional organizations, including:
- Chicago Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- International Bar Association
Ms. Arce Stark has been committed to serving clients on a pro bono basis and, in 2009, was honored by Legal Services for Children in San Francisco, Calif., with the pro bono advocate award for her zealous and creative lawyering in a difficult asylum matter. She also has offered non-profits around the world translating, research and writing services through the United Nations Volunteers Online Volunteering Service.
Practicing: International and Domestic Commercial Arbitration
